Articles & Insights by Ken Mickey
10+ Garage Door Design Ideas to Instantly Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal
June 9, 2026
Most homeowners spend thousands upgrading landscaping, repainting siding, replacing light fixtures, and decorating entryways… while completely ignoring the garage door sitting front and center on the house. It’s a mistake. For many homes, the garage door takes up a huge portion of the front exterior. So, if yours looks outdated, flat, dented, faded, ...
Garage Door Sensor Light Colors Explained: What Red, Green, Orange & Amber Really Mean
June 5, 2026
Garage door sensor lights are one of the few “diagnostics” your garage door system gives you for free. Two tiny LEDs can tell you why the door will not close, why it reverses, or why it suddenly acts unreliable. Most homeowners, though, were never shown how to interpret them. So, what could be ...
Garage Door Opener Blinking? Here’s What Every Flash Means and How to Fix It
June 5, 2026
A garage door opener blinking is one of the clearest “help me” signals your home can give you. And yet, it’s also one of the most misunderstood. At Thompson Garage Doors, a large percentage of service calls tied to a garage door opener light flashing trace back to something minor: dusty safety sensors, ...
A Homeowner’s Complete Buying Guide to Garage Door Openers
June 4, 2026
A garage door opener is something you use constantly without thinking about it. Over time, you start noticing the difference between a good system and a frustrating one. Some units shake the ceiling and rattle the walls. Others operate so smoothly you barely think about them. The challenge is that homeowners don’t really ...
May is Garage Door Safety Month: Let’s Celebrate
June 1, 2026
Imagine heading out for work on a busy May morning, coffee in hand and a full schedule ahead, only to find your garage door won’t budge. It’s a frustrating scenario many homeowners face when mechanical or electrical failures strike without warning. From broken springs and faulty openers to stuck panels, these issues often ...
How to Install a Man Door in a Garage (Step-by-Step Guide)
May 29, 2026
Imagine coming home late on a rainy Tuesday night, clicking your remote and hearing nothing but a dull click. Your main door is stuck, and you realize with a sinking heart that you have no other way inside. You’re facing a garage door emergency, wondering who you should call for emergency garage door ...
What Is a Man Door on a Garage Door and Why You Need One
March 11, 2026
In commercial and industrial facilities, relying on large overhead doors for regular foot traffic can slow operations and increase wear on equipment. Man doors in garage door systems provide a more efficient solution. But what is a man door, exactly? A man door is a pedestrian entry built directly into a larger garage ...
Is Your Garage Door Slow? Here Are Ways to Improve Opening Speed
March 11, 2026
TL;DR: Your garage door system is designed to be convenient, letting you quickly leave and enter the garage each day. But if the garage door opening slowly, you might be wasting valuable time in your daily routine. With most residential garage doors taking between 12 and 15 seconds to open and close, if ...
Man Doors for Commercial Buildings: What You Need to Know
February 13, 2026
Warehouses, service bays, and manufacturing facilities often rely on large overhead or roll-up doors designed for equipment and vehicle access. Using those doors for regular foot traffic, however, can slow workflow and add unnecessary wear to door systems. That is where garage man doors come in. A man door is a standard entry ...
How to Program Your LiftMaster Garage Door Remote Control
February 5, 2026
TL;DR: Life today is all about keeping things simple and easy. When you can handle so much with the push of a button, why should your garage door be any different? A LiftMaster garage door opener remote control can make a big difference to your routine. Not only does it let you operate ...