A garage door can make or break the appearance of your house. It is especially true for homes where the garage area occupies a significant portion of the front facade. The other important factor that one needs to keep in mind is the smooth operation of the door. Imagine getting decked up for an occasion and wasting time with a stuck garage door! So fuss-free handling is as important as its look and safety parameters. The door has to complement the overall look of the house. Traditional craftsman villas can have royal swing-out doors with intricate designs, whereas the modern houses with a lot of glass windows and doors can have shatterproof glass material. It looks inviting and also allows ample sunlight inside the garage. The type of material used for the garage door determines its durability and ease of maintenance.
Choosing the right material:
Wooden doors offer a lot of customization with respect to design and size. They can be lightweight or can have heavy panels and frames. They can also double up as basketball stands and can withstand bumps. But they need regular inspection. You need to paint them and keep them safe from insects.
Steel doors are inexpensive when compared to wooden ones. They are lightweight, too, but are prone to dents and scratches. Nowadays, we have several chemical protective layers that prevent steel from rusting and even hide scratches. The maintenance cost is less. The steel doors with fiberglass overlay look very modern and are suitable for current construction trends.
Aluminum doors are the least expensive and are suitable when the garage door area is large. These are easy to maintain and handle. As they have the least weight, it is easier to add insulating material for the door. These come in standard sizes and designs.
Types of garage doors:
1. Carriage style door (swing-out type):
These look very traditional and are easy to operate. They are mostly swing-out type but can also have a faux design that looks like the traditional barn-type door yet goes up and down. They can be motorized, and you need not pull and push them every time. You can create storage space below the ceiling of the garage as these doors do not have any mechanism to occupy the top part or side walls when opened. They look very pleasing, and one can customize them with glass and decorative bars. They are sturdy and do not require much maintenance. They can be made of wood or composite materials that are cost-effective.
2. Tilt-up doors:
The tilt doors are very trendy now. These are single piece materials and are easy to handle too. They have a spring mechanism at the side hinges and require very little headroom when opened. Thus you can save the storage space too. You can automate their operation and need not get out of the car while moving in and out of the garage. One can even have glass windows along the garage door. The best part is that you can make provisions for a small door so that the larger garage door is opened only when required. Consequently, one can reduce the wear and tear of the system. It is possible to manufacture tilt doors with a variety of materials such as plywood, cedar, and metallic counterparts too.
3. Rollup doors:
The rollup garage doors are the strongest of all types. Though common for commercial and industrial places, now they are making inroads into residential house garages too. When garage door safety is your priority, then the rollup doors are the best choice. They are made of high-quality aluminum or steel and are rust-free and can withstand accidental blows and bumps well. Special paints are available, which makes them weather-proof too. They occupy little vertical space when opened, and you can create lofts along with the ceiling. These doors are the best for insulation purposes also. Thus they help you reduce energy costs both in summer and winter. Their noise reducing property makes them highly suitable for industrial tool sheds and manufacturing units.
4. Sliding doors:
The sliding doors are the most versatile type of doors. There can be a single slider or double slider doors. You can choose the material of your choices, such as steel, wood, and glass-reinforced plastic. They need running tracks both at the top and bottom. These tracks also support the door structure making the sliding doors suitable for large garages. They can be easily motorized, and you can adjust weight, thickness, etc. as per your requirement. The doors tend to bend along the sides of the walls, and the vertical space can be utilized fully.
5. Canopy doors:
These are the most inexpensive amongst all types of garage doors. They are easy to operate and are suitable for small residential garages. About a third of the door structure protrudes out when the door is opened. It provides shelter and looks aesthetic too. They can be made of different materials, and you can match their color and design with that of doors and window shields.
We have different types of garage doors. One has to consider the ease-of-operation, maintenance costs involved, security levels, budget, and the size of the garage while choosing a door. It is better to take good care of the doors as changing them or switching from one system to another might prove to be a costly affair.
Author Bio:
Sophia Cooper is a thorough and meticulous Content Analyst passionate about helping businesses succeed. She commits herself to continuous learning and focuses on sharing ideas and techniques learned from her experiences. She is a passionate writer who loves to write in a concise manner so that the information is helpful for everyone. Currently, She’s working with a company which provides Garage Door Repair Services.
