From materials and style to how the door opens can all make a huge difference in the garage door you choose for your home. Finding the features you like best can be the difference in loving your garage door or feeling like you made a costly mistake. Below are a few tips from our experts on the differences between garage doors, but this is just a taste of the knowledge we have to offer!
Garage Door Materials
The material in which your garage door is made makes a difference in how well it performs. Certain materials that are more practical for areas with harsh weather conditions. Each material offers pros and cons in terms of looks, cost, durability and maintenance. The key to choosing the right material is ensuring you select the material that best fits your climate and housing situation. Consider these primary garage door materials for your home:
Wood
· Ideal for traditional colonial or Victorian homes
· Gives a natural, classic look
· Create a custom look with a variety of choices
· Can choose wood veneers or overlays
· Requires regular staining or painting to maintain appearance
· Requires regular maintenance or will warp and crack over time
Aluminum
· Made of aluminum panels or frosted glass with an aluminum frame
· Provides a contemporary look for modern homes
· Lightweight and little to no maintenance
· Ideal for humid areas
· Available in a wide range of styles and colors
· Prone to cracks and dents
· Different degrees of insulation can be selected
Steel
· The strongest garage door material, but difficult to repair
· Stands up to weather elements without warping, cracking or falling apart
· Available finishes to prevent rusting and increase longevity
· Relatively low maintenance with occasional painting required
Vinyl
· Lightweight and no maintenance
· Affordable, but can look a lot like plastic
· Durable and long-lasting, no rusting or rotting
· Maintains a like-new appearance with no dents
· Ideal for salty coastal areas
· Darker colors are known to fade
Garage Door Types
From the way a garage door opens to how much insulation you want, there are several types of garage doors to choose from. Sectional garage doors are the most common, moving vertically from the top of the garage to the ground along horizontal tracks. Two other classic garage door styles are slide to the side and side hinged garage doors. Slide to the side doors are not often seen unless you have a garage that doesn’t offer a lot of headroom. Side-hinged garage doors or swing outdoors look like large barn doors are becoming increasingly more popular among custom homes.
In terms of size, there are three basic garage door types, and construction methods vary from low-end to premium doors.
· To keep costs low, single-layer doors have only one layer of material and don’t offer a lot of insulation.
· For moderate insulation, a double-layer garage door has an inner core of polystyrene board for insulation and rigidity.
· The top end of the spectrum consists of doors with thick polystyrene or polyurethane insulation core with thicker outer layers on either side made of steel, wood, or fiberglass.
Garage Door Features:
Your garage door can be as simple and basic or as elaborate and detailed as you see fit. Selecting a style and features that match your home’s character and exterior is important, and there are so many options to choose from. For example, a colonial or Victorian home would benefit from classic wood material with carriage house panels. Anything modern would look out of place. However, a modern home could easily combine materials for a variety of designs. If you own a ranch-style home, try a classic raised panel style with simple horizontal elements.
Garage Door Repair in Denver
Local First Garage is a local garage door company in Denver, CO. We can provide a solution for any budget, whether it's a standard non-insulated garage door or custom designed door.
We offer same-day service, 24 hours a day. We are confident with our prices and level of expertise; therefore, we don’t charge any service fee and all of our in-home estimates are free. Call us today at 720-980-0524 or contact us online for questions, prices, and appointments.