A Basic Buying Guide for Garage Doors

We’ve told you before about the fact that, unless you’re in charge of purchasing for a self-storage company, you’ll probably only ever buy one or two garage doors in your life, which makes it difficult to know your options and what to look for.

While we’ve touched on some individual things you might want or need in a door, like insulation, we’ve never put lots of different information and pointers together in one place to help you know marabout garage doors and make a more informed decision.

So, without further ado, we hope you enjoy our mini garage door buying guide.

Types of Garage Doors

There’s a virtually endless variety of types, styles, and looks that you can choose for your door.

These are the three main construction styles of garage doors.

Sectional Doors

By far the most popular type of garage door, sectional doors got their name because they are constructed with separate panels, or sections, that are connected with hinges. The hinged panels allow the door to be raised straight up and roll into a horizontal position under your garage ceiling.

Up & Over

Built with just a single, solid panel, up-and-over doors also lift into position under the garage ceiling, but the bottom of the door swings out as they open.

The Roll-Up Door

Used in factories, warehouses, and funky restaurants for years, roll-up doors, which are flexible enough to roll up into a housing at the top of the door (similar to a roll-up window shade), are gaining popularity in smaller, urban residential garages.

Garage Door Designs

From traditional carriage doors to sleek glass and aluminum, almost any design you can imagine is possible here, so you’ll have to find one that works for you.

Remember that the garage door is the largest single visual element of your home. As such, its look and design will greatly influence the entire look of your home. Check out all the options and choose carefully.

Construction Material

The material you choose for the construction of your door can not only affect its look, but also its price.

Wood

If you want the unmistakable look and unique appeal of real wood, only real wood will deliver it. But be ready for higher costs and more maintenance.

Steel

If you’re looking for the strongest material for your door, steel is it. Steel is also very versatile in its design options, which can imitate almost anything, including the look of wood. Steel doors might rust in excessively moist environments or if it’s scratched.

Aluminum

Looking for the latest design trend in garage doors? Aluminum framing translucent panes is it.

Fiberglass

By far the most popular garage door construction material, fiberglass is versatile in its appearance, durable and it is usually the least expensive.

Garage Door Openers

This is one of those purchases where quality makes all the difference. Think about it, this thing is going to operate a few times every day for many years. It only makes sense to make sure you buy name-brand quality versus saving a couple of dollars to get a noisy opener that stops working at the most inopportune times. We carry a wide range of Liftmaster openers and we believe they are the best in the business.

Once you’ve chosen a reliable brand, you need to decide between chain drive openers (less expensive, but noisier), belt drive openers and screw drive openers.

Finally, way beyond keyless entry, garage openers now use smart technology so you can monitor and operate your door through a mobile app.

Again, this is a basic guide. There are lots more you can learn about before buying a garage door. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us here at Upper Canada Garage Doors or fill out our online form!