You might think that the clatter your garage door makes every time it opens and closes is normal, but that's far from the truth. In reality, most garage doors are designed to operate as quietly as possible. It's only when problems develop that you'll start to hear that all-too-common racket associated with garage doors. Fortunately, you can nip this noise in the bud with regular maintenance and these following tips.

Check It Out

Before doing anything else, take a close and careful look at your garage door. Check all of the components for ordinary wear and tear as well as any signs of damage or rust. If you encounter any dings and dents or stumble upon rust or corrosion, you'll need to repair the damage as soon as possible.

Tighten It Up

Excessive vibration caused by loose hardware is usually to blame for a garage door's excessive noise. Over time, the various nuts and bolts that hold your tracks, pulleys, and other hardware together can back themselves out, creating more vibration that in turn causes more noise.

Start by checking and tightening every nut and bolt holding your garage door hardware together. To minimize vibrations, you should consider using rubber washers with your nuts and bolts. If the garage door opener is the main cause of the excessive vibration, you can isolate the opener by mounting it with rubber mounting brackets or straps.

Grease It Up

Parts that are poorly lubricated or not lubricated at all can also cause excessive chatter during operation. You should always lubricate these components with the proper oil or grease as a part of your regular garage door maintenance. White lithium grease and silicone-based lubricants are always ideal for lubricating, roller bearings, hinges and other garage door hardware.

Avoid lubricating garage door components with WD-40 and other water displacing lubricants. These lubricants contain heavy amounts of solvents that offer only a very limited amount of lubrication, resulting in noisier garage door hardware in a much shorter amount of time.

Swap It Out

If the above tips do nothing to quell the constant squeaks, chatter and other racket caused by your garage door, then you may have no other choice than to replace your hardware. Your garage door contractor can help you figure out which components need replacing, as well as offer advice on taking better care of your garage door. Don't forget to get an estimate from your contractor before commencing any work on your garage door.