How To Choose New Or Replacement Garage Doors

by Silvie Carpenter

One of the most overlooked yet really rather important aspects of many homes are the garage doors. Just as a simple ratio of your home’s visual footprint, the garage doors can account for some twenty percent of the overall frontage to a property. In simple terms, the value of your home can be influenced quite considerably by your garage doors.

So what things should you look out for when you come to buy (or replace) garage doors? The first thing to consider is the material the doors are made from; there are 3 basic categories for guide to garage doors.

In the US and Canada, metal is the most common garage door material, accounting for about eighty percent of the market. The metal usually used is either aluminum or steel, with aluminum doors being lighter but more expensive. In both cases, the doors should have a coat of paint suitable for use on metal outdoors, but other than that they are mostly low maintenance; they are however easily dented and can twist and buckle which may affect both appearance and functionality.

Vinyl and fibre-glass doors have the advantage of being both low in weight and sturdy. Again they can be painted (though some are pre-treated to a specific colour), tend to be more robust where dents and scrapes are concerned and will last for as long as the material resists break-down from ultra-violet light (a decade or two).

Garage doors made from wood trace their lineage back to the very first garages and exude an enduring classic quality. Wood is naturally versatile, attractive and simple to maintain; it can also be either stained or painted so as to coordinate with other wooden architectural features like windows and main doors.

As with all wood products, the quality depends on the specific type of wood and whether it is a composite construction (compressed fibres and laminates) or solid wood. Hence the price can also vary quite widely, but as ever, you get what you pay for and most people consider wood garage doors to be the best.

Second you should consider where to source your chosen type of door. As with many major household items, a quality original product installed by competent fitters will ensure years of trouble free enjoyment. Accordingly, you would be well advised to check for references of previous installations and evidence that your supplier has been around a while, has a reputation worth protecting and offers reasonable warranties and after-sales support in the event that anything should go awry.

You can buy garage doors from larger DIY stores or general door and window businesses or from garage door specialists. Like many big-ticket items though (kitchens for example) how well your doors will perform and last will ultimately depend as much on the competence of the installers as on the garage doors themselves. A garage door specialist with experience of many different installations will be able to ensure that everything looks and works right from the outset and continues that way for years to come.

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Silvie Carpenter suggests that anyone interested in adding to the value of their property reads this interesting article on residential garage doors.