Styles of Garage Doors

Today, the two most popular types of garage door: tilt-ups and sectional roll downs. There are other specialty doors that command a higher price such as carriage house doors.

Sectional Roll Downs

The roll down doors are broken into at least four sections, attached by joints, and put on rollers. This allows them to be rolled up on a track that puts them parallel to the ceiling.  The advantages of the sectional roll down garage doors are:

• The door only ever occupies the area of the doorway and right next to the ceiling
• You don’t need to move your car when you open and close your garage door
• There is more headroom in a garage with a sectional door
• Many people feel that a sectional is easier to open and close

Tilt-ups

The tilt-ups are attached by metal hinge arms and simply tilt outwards to allow access to the garage. Tilt-up doors are generally 25-30% less expensive than roll downs and are also known as overhead garage doors or roll up garage doors.

Swing Garage Doors

Often used for barn-style garages, these garage doors as a classic finishing touch.

• Beautiful details visible on both sides of the garage door
• Many are built with true solid wood
• Automated with a remote, electric carriage doors can open open swing or slide garage doors

Construction Materials for Residential Garage Doors

Steel Garage Doors

• One of the more durable and popular materials for garage door construction.
• Low Maintenance
• It will not warp or bend, and usually the paint will last a very long time.
• Steel can be fashioned into many textures and made to resemble wood.
• Steel doors do offer excellent insulation, as many are built as two steel panels with some form of insulator between them.
• Measured by its gauge, the lower the gauge steel the thicker, 24 gauge steel is thicker then 26 gauge steel.

Learn more about steel garage doors.

Aluminum Garage Doors

Great for contemporary-style homes, aluminum garage doors combine sleek lines and crisp designs in a durable, lightweight frame.

• These doors are lighter then steel which makes it easier to open and close if you don’t have an automatic opener.
• Aluminum garage doors are notoriously considered low Maintenance
• However, they are more susceptible to denting than steel.
• Aluminum usually costs about half of steel doors.

Learn more about aluminum garage doors.

Wood Garage Doors

Tilt-up doors are the easiest variety to make from wood, as it is one solid board. When a sectional door is made out of wood, it is usually a panel door that is composed of a wooden frame made into sections and panels inserted afterwards.

• Wood garage doors are easy to paint
• Appearance grade wooden doors are available. These stained doors maintain the look of wood but can be as much as 25% more expensive.
• These type of doors are popular for their natural look.
• Generally require the most maintenance and require care that includes regular repainting and refinishing.

Learn more about wood garage doors.

Fiberglass Garage Doors

Fiberglass garage doors can create the look and elegance of wood garage doors, without the maintenance and cost.

• Fiberglass doors are aluminum frames with fiberglass panels.
• A fiberglass door weighs about as much as an aluminum door.
• They are not very good insulators.
• The fiberglass can weather with age and can possible break in especially cold weather.

Learn more about fiberglass garage doors.

The Basics
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