If you've finally gotten around to getting a garage door replacement, congratulations! You've made a big step towards improving the appearance and security of your home. But if you want your house to continue to look great for years to come, you need to make sure to take a few precautionary steps to protect your new garage door from the damages that likely murdered your last one.
Namely, painting and staining, and lubrication.
If you've gotten yourself a nice wood garage door, you have to make sure to prime it, paint it, and possibly use a sealant on it to protect the surfaces from the elements. Keep your eye out of cracking, peeling paint in the future, in case you need to refinish it in a few years.
If instead you have a steel, aluminum, or some sort of composite door, you probably will be less likely to need to repaint. Unless you get bored of the color, that is!
Also, to prevent damage to the mechanical parts of your new door, stay on top of lubricating them every couple of months. Get some pray-on lubricant or oil for the rollers (unless they're nylon), the hinges, the torsion springs themselves, the tracks, and the sheave bearings.
With a little extra planning and care, you can keep your recent garage door installation looking brand new for years.