When the time comes to replace your old garage door with a newer, spankier model, you may perhaps wonder what is going to happen to your old one. Garage doors are generally large, and they last a long time. Even after they have continued to function well as a garage door, they are still sturdy and can surely be used for something.
Many companies will take away your garage door for you and break it down and recycle the parts for you. If yours doesn’t, or if you have a desire to recycle it yourself, there are a number of ways you can do this. First of all, you can donate the door, if it’s still in good serviceable condition, to a organization like Habitat for Humanity, which will reuse it on someone else’s house, or resell it. Other such programs exist, and with a little research you can find one located near you. You can also reuse it yourself, on a storage shed or other such building that needs a new door. If your old opener still works, consider transferring the whole thing, so that you will now have the convenience of an automatic door on your shed.
More creatively, you could build something out of it. There are websites offering all kinds of ideas on creative ways to reuse all or parts of an old door. The door itself can be turned into walls for a shed or a play house. You can use sections to build a green house, or planters, or even to make a headboard out of. Old fashioned wooden doors can be especially useful.
A little paint will go a long way towards furbishing up a dingy looking door, or towards disguising what it was in the first place. You can also add new hardware. Most modern steel doors are built in sections; by dismantling the sections you increase the versatility of the door. If you are a member of an on-line community such a free cycle, consider putting your garage door up for offer on it. You never know who may find a use for it!
Finally, if you find yourself in need of a new garage door, but cannot afford one, look for used ones for sale at places like Habitat for Humanity. It is actually possible to buy a used door. Such doors should still be in good working condition, only have been replaced because the owner decided to upgrade. Recycling doors works for the benefit of everyone-it saves disposal fees, keeps it out of the landfill, and can offer free or cheap doors to people who need them.