Garage Door Purchasing Guide
Published: Thursday, Apr 10th, 2008
Are you building a new home or garage? Is your garage door sagging and cracking, almost impossible to lift, or just generally falling apart? If it is, maybe now is the time to replace it with a new one that’s easy to operate and maintain.Not only can a new garage door provide safe, secure, easy access to your garage, but it can renew and refresh your property’s overall appearance.
Doors are a big investment in the style and comfort of your home. Your garage doors can account for up to 30 percent of the exterior portion of a home that is visible from the street. The style, color and condition of the door has a great influence on the overall appearance and curb appeal of your home.
When selecting a garage door you need to determine what size door you need by measuring your opening. Garage doors are available to fit virtually any opening. Have a garage door professional visit your home to confirm your door measurements and inspect your garage for conditions that might affect the installation.
Since garage doors make up such a large portion of your home's exterior, the style you choose should complement the rest of your home's exterior. Start your style selection by choosing a panel design. Whether its long or short raised panels, with windows or without, and plain or designed glass the options are never ending. You may also choose to add interchangeable window inserts to complement the exterior of your house.
Wood doors offer a wide variety of options as well. You can find anything from standard raised panel designs, to doors that mimic the ornate styles commonly used on the carriage houses of the 18th and 19th centuries. Wood doors are also available in several types, either paint or stain grade.
Steel doors are usually more economical than wood doors and are the most common type of garage door. Most manufacturers offer several colors out-of-the-box. You may choose to paint the door if the manufacturer does not offer the color.
There are three distinct types of steel doors:
- Single layer doors are stamped from a single sheet of galvanized steel. These are usually the most economical of all steel doors.
- Double layer steel doors have a galvanized steel skin on the outside with a thick layer of either polystyrene or polyurethane as a backer. The backer provides soundproofing and additional insulating value to the door.
- Triple layer doors are constructed of the same materials as double layer doors with the addition of a galvanized skin on the inside to protect the polystyrene/polyurethane from damage. The additional layer of steel makes triple layer doors the strongest, most secure and most soundproof of all garage doors. These are also available with thicker insulation for greater R-Value.
As the activity in the garage increases, so does the need to maintain a constant, comfortable temperature in this space.
- Good insulating qualities. Look for a door with an R-value of at least 3 in moderate to temperate climates. In harsher climates go up to an R-value of 10.
- A bottom seal/threshold. If the door doesn't come with a bottom seal standard, you can always add one to keep drafts and rain out.
A licensed garage door professional can give you the piece of mind that only comes from knowing that the job was done right.
