How to Install a Roller Door in NZ — DIY Step-by-Step Guide
Installing a roller door yourself is one of the most satisfying home improvement projects you can tackle — and it's well within reach for a competent DIYer. Windsor and Garador roller doors supplied through DoorsNZ come with full installation instructions and all the hardware you need. This guide walks you through the process from start to finish.
Before you begin, download the installation guide for your door and watch the step-by-step videos on our DIY Hub.
What You'll Need
Tools:
- Power drill and drill bits (6mm masonry, 4mm timber)
- Spirit level (600mm minimum)
- Tape measure
- Adjustable spanner and socket set
- Rubber mallet
- Step ladder or scaffold (safe working height to your lintel)
- Second person for curtain lifting
Supplied with your door:
- Pressed steel curtain (rolled and banded)
- Guides (LHS and RHS) — standard 40mm Windsor / 25mm Garador, or windlock variants
- Bottom rail
- Support brackets
- Axle, drum, and spring assembly
- Lock barrel and padbolts
- All fixings
Not sure which door you need? Configure yours online — pricing updates instantly as you select your size and colour.
Step 1 — Check Your Clearances Before You Start
This is the most important step. Check these three measurements before touching a drill:
- Side room: Windsor standard guides need 80mm each side from the edge of the opening. Windsor windlock (high-wind) guides need 95mm. Garador standard guides need 80mm; Garador windlock guides need 95–100mm.
- Headroom: You need minimum clearance above the opening for the drum and spring assembly. Check the headroom table in your installation guide — it varies by door width. As a guide, most domestic doors need 200–300mm minimum headroom.
- Wall construction: Guides attach to the inside of the opening. Timber framing is straightforward. Concrete or masonry requires masonry anchors (supplied). Make sure your lintel is sound — if it flexes or shows signs of rot or cracking, repair it before proceeding.
If your clearances are marginal, contact us before ordering. There are often configuration options that work in tight spaces.
Step 2 — Install the Guides
The guides run vertically up both sides of the opening, inside the wall reveal. They carry the door curtain as it travels up and down.
- Hold the LHS guide in position — vertical face flush with the inside face of the opening, set in the required distance from the edge (40mm for standard Windsor, 25mm for standard Garador).
- Use a spirit level to confirm the guide is plumb. This is critical — a guide even slightly out of plumb will cause the curtain to travel unevenly.
- Mark and drill fixing holes. For timber framing, use the supplied screws. For concrete or masonry, use the supplied masonry anchors.
- Fasten the guide firmly — do not leave any flex in the mounting.
- Repeat for the RHS guide, confirming both guides are parallel to each other (measure the distance between them at the top and bottom — should be identical).
The guides must be vertical and parallel. A small error here will show up as the curtain rolling unevenly or cone-sheeting on the drum. See the video on the DIY Hub for a visual guide to guide alignment.
Step 3 — Install the Support Brackets and Axle
The support brackets mount above the guides on each side and carry the axle, drum, and spring assembly — the weight-bearing core of the door.
- Fix the support brackets at the correct height per your installation guide. The height determines where the curtain coils sit — too low and the coil will foul the opening; too high and you waste headroom.
- Slide the axle into position through the brackets. The axle must sit level — check with a spirit level across both ends.
- Attach the drums to the axle at both ends. The drums are handed (LHS and RHS are different) — check your guide.
- Fit the spring over the axle between the two drums. Do not pre-tension the spring at this stage.
Step 4 — Hang the Curtain
This step requires two people. The rolled curtain is heavy and awkward — do not attempt to handle it alone.
- Position the rolled curtain below the axle.
- Feed the top of the curtain onto the drums — the curtain clips or slides into channels on the drum depending on your model. Refer to your installation guide for the exact method.
- With one person supporting the curtain roll, the other winds the curtain onto the drums evenly, keeping the layers flat and parallel.
- Once the curtain is fully wound, guide the bottom rail into the guides. The bottom rail should sit in the guides and travel smoothly from fully open to fully closed.
- Check that the curtain edges sit inside the guide channels on both sides without binding. If the curtain feels tight or the guide lips are biting into the felt edges, check your guide spacing.
Important: Make sure the top of each guide has a flared lead-in opening. This is what the installer review on our site identified as a common install error — without the flared lead-in, the nylofelt edges wear and eventually tear away from the curtain. Your installation guide shows where this opening should be cut.
Step 5 — Set the Spring Tension
Spring tension balances the weight of the curtain so the door operates smoothly by hand (or with an opener). Correct tension means the door stays in position when you let go at any point in its travel.
- Close the door fully to the floor.
- Before touching the U-bolts, make sure the curtain is fully restrained — clamp the bottom rail or have a second person hold it firmly. This is a safety-critical step. Watch the tension video on the DIY Hub before proceeding.
- Wind the spring the number of turns specified in your installation guide. The correct number varies by door width and height — do not guess.
- Release the curtain and test operation. The door should open and close smoothly by hand, with no tendency to drop suddenly or feel impossibly heavy.
- If the door drops when released mid-travel, the spring needs more tension. If it feels like it's being pulled open, ease the tension off.
If the curtain rolls up unevenly (forming a cone shape on one end of the drum), this is a tension and alignment issue. The DIY Hub has a specific video covering cone-sheeting — watch it before adjusting further.
Step 6 — Fit the Lock
Standard roller doors come with a lock barrel in the bottom rail. Once the door is operating correctly:
- Fit the lock barrel into the pre-drilled hole in the bottom rail.
- Fit the padbolts on both sides — these engage into receivers in the guides and are what physically locks the door in the closed position.
- Test the lock — close the door, engage the padbolts, and confirm the door cannot be lifted from outside.
For installation instructions specific to the padbolt lock, download the Pad Bolt Lock Installation Guide from the DIY Hub.
Step 7 — Add an Automatic Opener (Optional)
If you're fitting an automatic opener, this is the point to do it — after the door is operating correctly manually. Fitting an opener to a door with incorrect spring tension or misaligned guides will stress the opener motor and shorten its life.
DoorsNZ supplies the Windsor RD1000 Pro roller door opener, which includes built-in Wi-Fi, soft start/close, rolling code remotes, and a 5-year motor warranty. It suits domestic doors up to 15m² and mounts directly to the curtain via a clamping bracket — no drilling through the curtain required.
Full opener installation instructions are included with the unit. The key requirements for opener installation are:
- Minimum 105mm side room from edge of curtain to wall (for motor bracket)
- A 230V power outlet near the opener (standard GPO — not hardwired)
- Safety beams (PE beams) fitted across the bottom of the opening
Download the Full Installation Guides
The PDF installation guides contain the detailed diagrams, fixing specifications, and headroom/side room tables you need for your specific door. Always install to the guide — not from memory.
- Windsor Series 1 Installation Guide — available on the DIY Hub
- Windsor Series 1 (older version — better framing detail for 63mm guides) — also on the DIY Hub
- Garador Series 1 Installation Instructions — DIY Hub
- Garador Series 2 Installation Instructions — DIY Hub (note: Series 1 instructions also apply to Series 2)
- Pad Bolt Lock Installation Guide — DIY Hub
Watch the Step-by-Step Videos
The DoorsNZ DIY Hub includes video tutorials covering:
- Full roller door installation walkthrough
- How to adjust spring tension correctly
- How to fix a door that rolls up unevenly (cone-sheeting)
Watch these before you start — especially the spring tension video, which covers the safety steps around restraining the curtain before adjusting the U-bolts.
Watch the installation videos →
Ready to Order Your Door?
Configure your roller door online — select your opening size, height, colour, and opener. Pricing updates instantly. Doors are NZ-made to your measurements and delivered direct.
Questions about your installation? Contact DoorsNZ — we're happy to talk through your specific situation before you order.