Garage Door Safety Tips

Garage Door Safety Tips

A garage is more than just an empty space. It welcomes your car, yourself and your family. It stores snowmobiles, soccer balls, and power tools. It’s basically part of your family. But if you go in and out of it every day, you may forget your garage door is even there — or that it’s still a powerful machine that needs to be taken care of to ensure that your family is kept safe.

Avoid severe mishaps by following these garage door safety tips:

1. Perform Self-Checks

It’s important to continually check the safety sensors in your garage door.

The sensors, located on the rails of the door, reverse the direction of a closing door if a person or animal crosses underneath it. To test the sensors, begin closing the garage door as usual and stick an object such as a broom under the door. If the door doesn’t immediately reverse, call a professional to inspect and repair the sensors.

2. Keep Children and Animals Away From Doors and Door Openers

Children are naturally curious. But the garage door is never something that should be played with. When opening and closing the garage door, make sure children and animals don’t come near the door until it is all the way up or down.

Also, make sure that children know never to put their hands in the joints between the panels of the door while it’s opening or closing. NEISS reports over 7,500 injuries from fingers getting stuck in garage doors every year.

3. Keep Your Remote With You at All Times

Likewise, keeping your garage door entry remote with you at all times ensures that children will not accidentally get access to the remote and hurt themselves or others. Remind children that the remote is not a toy. Explain the dangers that can occur with the improper use of the garage door.

Not only will you be protecting your children and yourself from harm by keeping your remote with you, but you can also prevent break-ins by never leaving your remote in your car. Leaving a garage door remote out in the open creates an easy target for burglars. Your garage door is a key to your home. Treat it like one by keeping it with you like you would a house key.

4. Keep Your Garage Door Closed When Not in Use (And Avoid Giving Out Passwords)

Another way to protect your home from theft is by keeping the garage door closed when not in use. Only give out your passcode to people you trust — never to repair or delivery people.

If you need to let someone in temporarily, many newer entry systems allow you to enter a temporary PIN that you can set to be used a certain number of times. Making use of this feature ensures that only those you trust have continuous access to your garage.

5. Get Regular Garage Door Maintenance

Getting your garage door regularly tuned up allows you to have peace of mind that your door is working as it should.

Trust Upper Canada To Ensure Garage Door Safety

At Upper Canada Garage Doors, we are proud to offer quality repair jobs — never rushed jobs — to Oakville and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to schedule your garage door service and repair. We look forward to becoming your trusted garage door provider.

Top 2026 Garage Door Design and Color Trends

Top 2026 Garage Door Design and Color Trends

Keeping up with yearly real estate trends is hard. You want to stay relevant and keep your property value high, but you don’t want to spend a fortune to get a look that’ll go out of style within the next 12 months. You need durability that will last you for years with the effortless style that the whole neighborhood will envy.

Schedule a Visit to Our Showroom!

Many homeowners work tirelessly to improve the appearance of their home. From sidewalks and driveways to siding and shutters, they approach the summer ready to tackle all the projects they can handle to improve their home’s beauty.

But they often miss the one key feature that will instantly improve a home’s value and charm.

Believe it or not, one of the best ways to increase your home’s curb appeal is through the purchase of a new garage door. In fact, garage door replacement has the highest payback rate of 2026 home remodeling projects, giving you an average 98.3 percent return of the amount spent on your upgrade. It’s important not to take your garage door for granted any longer.

Many home design trends continuously change. But the right garage door will look timeless, providing you with the beauty and style you need for your home to look its best and maintain its maximum value and curb appeal for years to come. Here are some of the top garage door trends and design ideas in 2026 that you should consider when you’re in the market for your home’s next new look.

Biggest Design Trends

Your garage door’s design builds your home’s character. Gone are the days when nearly every house on the block featured simple white-paneled garage doors that matched neither their home’s aesthetic nor its personality.

These top garage door design trends taking over 2026 will add a personalized charm and sophistication to your home:

Materials

Your door should be a fun addition that welcomes visitors into your house with its eye-catching design. Classic garage door materials regained popularity in 2026, and modern styles allow you to customize your door to match your home’s look perfectly.

1. Wood

Garage doors were primarily made of wood from the carriage-house days of the 18th and 19th centuries to the late 1960s. While they were replaced in the ’70s by more modern materials such as aluminum and fiberglass, wooden garage doors recently resurged in popularity and gained exposure through home decorating magazines.

Wood garage doors provide an appealing rustic charm to those looking for a country aesthetic. Wood adds a cozy feeling to any home, particularly to farmhouse-style houses, and can be paired with metal and glass windows to create a pleasing blend of vintage and modern architecture.

Of course, real wooden doors are often impractical.

Wood is hard to maintain and protect from harsh weather and rot. Traditional wood doesn’t last as long as modern materials, which is why many suppliers offer the best of both worlds with steel or aluminum doors made with faux-wood overlays.

These doors will boost your home’s value while protecting your valuables from the harsh outdoors and your wallet from frequent garage door repairs. They provide the beauty of the classic wooden garage door with the anti-wear protection of newer materials.

For an added vintage touch, evoke the traditional wood door aesthetic of long ago with carriage style garage doors. Despite its age, homeowners love this time-honored style for its added charm and country appeal. Carriage house doors accounted for one out of every five garage doors sold in 2013, a number that has remained steady ever since.

2. Modern Materials

Of course, you want your doors to match the existing aesthetic of your home. You also want doors that you’ll enjoy looking at for years to come. So if wooden doors don’t appeal to you or don’t match your home’s current look, fear not. Other favorite 2026 options like fiberglass, aluminum and steel can prove just as successful at creating an eye-catching look for your garage.

• Fiberglass: Fiberglass still reigns as the most popular garage door material. Easy to maintain and available in a range of style and color options, these doors effortlessly give life to your garage. They’re also easily paintable, so you can add unique trim that pops from your home.
• Aluminum: Aluminum offers a more modern upgrade with a sleek design that allows your home to look stylish at an affordable cost. It’s easy to take care of and requires little maintenance. A favored choice for modern-style homes, aluminum gives your door a contemporary flair and make the garage look more expansive, specifically when combined with glass.
• Steel: Steel-paneled doors come in a variety of different colors and provide another affordable alternative, with the broadest range of pricing options. These doors are durable and dent-resistant, allowing them to last for years if properly cared for.

Each material has different pros and cons that you should take into consideration and discuss with your garage door supplier before your purchase. But each can provide the perfect look for your 2026 home renovations.

3. Windows

You need your home to appear friendly and inviting. And a gloomy, cave-like appearance isn’t the warm welcome you want to give your family and visitors. Garages shifted in 2017 from gaping, storehouse-like spaces to open expanses of natural light and beauty, aided by the addition of huge windows in garage doors.

Windows provide the inviting openness of natural light that garages of the past lacked, and the shift from bland slabs of panels to sunny, windowed designs signifies a change in overall garage use and perspective.

Glass windows come in a variety of style and color options that can be set to match the accents of your door and your home. Vertical window patterns add a modern look, while an all-window door can add a bold statement to your home’s design.

Frosted windows are a useful option that allows you both privacy and inviting natural light. They come in a range of opaqueness options, so you can choose how much privacy you want in a garage.

Top Color Trends

Garage doors are becoming a focal point for your home’s exterior. While homeowners of the past wanted sophisticated traditional doors that blended into their homes, experts increasingly place eye-pleasing garage doors as one of the home’s most critical outdoor pieces.

This makes sense because the garage door is one of the first things you and your guests see upon pulling into your driveway.

To take full advantage of this focal spotlight, use splashes of color to wow and welcome visitors. Color is a simple way to keep up with changing home improvement trends, as many types of doors are easily re-paintable and can be customized to fit your needs.

Bold color combinations that brighten the garage are rising in popularity in 2026. Here are some color trends that will boost the appeal of your new garage door:

1. Matching or Complementary Colors

Your home already has its own unique style. The trim, window panes, shutters and other outdoor features are what make your home yours. Don’t try to force the garage door to fit a different mold apart from your home’s preexisting aesthetic.

Use colors that match your home’s preexisting color scheme to make your garage door an effortless part of your home. Matching colors can be used on the trim surrounding the door, on any window trim or on the door itself.

On the other hand, complementary colors — colors found opposite each other on the color wheel — prove that opposites do indeed attract when it comes to fashion and design. These colors bring out the best in each other and allow the other to stand out. Color wheels can help you choose your perfect complementary shades. These can also be used as a decorative trim to highlight the garage door’s features or as a bold standalone color to draw attention to your door.

Play around with a mix of matching and complementary colors for the perfect blend of sophistication and eye-popping design that will set your home apart in its appeal.

2. Blues, Greens and Browns

One of the top new trends of garage door color is the rise in the popularity of cool colors like soft green hues and deep shades of blue. These colors will pop out from a traditional off-white home exterior. Greens and blues have calming qualities, perfect to come home to after a long day of work.

Again, avoid colors that mismatch your home’s preexisting color scheme. Brown, the color of most wooden doors, is another favorite 2026 option that can be paired well with both cool and warm color tones. It works well with nearly any home.

3. Black Doors and Accents

Black is back.

A perfect match for wooden garage doors or with virtually any paint color, you can use black to paint the door’s trim, handles or faux hinges to accessorize your door and make a sophisticated statement.

For a strikingly bold look, take the extra step and get an all-black garage door. This move might seem daunting, but off-blacks such as blue-black or dark grey have remained some of the trendiest color options throughout the years.

Other Top 2026 Trends

Sometimes the best features of your home are the ones you can’t even see. While color and design are important parts of your garage door’s appearance, the following non-visual trends boost your door’s comfort and security:

1. Insulation

Insulated garage doors are becoming a hot new trend in garage door renovation. One of the most sought-after features in a garage door is its ability to keep the garage protected and warm through all seasons and types of weather.

If you’re looking to save energy while keeping your home warm during harsh winters and cool during hot summers, insulation is a crucial part of your garage door, especially if you use your garage as a hangout spot or a home office. Insulated doors are eco-friendly and cut down on heating and cooling costs, so you’ll save money in the long run if you spend a little more on your door’s insulation.

Today, most collections of garage doors come with insulated and non-insulated options. But this trend won’t be going away any time soon. Hop on board to increase your home’s market value, improve your comfort and allow you to get the most use out of your beautiful new garage.

2. Technology

In a time when the top five spots on the Forbes list of Most Valuable Brands are technology-based, it comes as no surprise that 2026 ushers in the rise of technology-based garage door accessories.

Smartphones have controlled televisions, thermostats, drones and security cameras for years. And that’s not a bad thing. Smartphone controls can provide you and your family with added comfort and security. Now, the remote control trend has extended to the garage.

Open and close your garage door, turn lights off and on, check your door’s security and more with Wi-Fi-connected smart garage doors and accessories. Added smart security cameras allow you to monitor your garage from any part of the world with the touch of a finger.

Many newer garage door openers come equipped with smart technology while other accessories such as cameras can be bought and added.

Any smart garage door hub easily adds to your garage’s value, but it also gives you added peace of mind. It allows you to go through your day without worrying about your garage door and your home’s security, making this trend well worth your money.

Get the Most Out of Your Door

With so many changing design and color trends, 2026 is the perfect time to update your garage door and get the most out of your garage use. And whether you’re looking for a boost of color, some eye-catching windows or an entirely new door style altogether, Upper Canada Garage Doors can help.

Upper Canada Garage Doors offers some of the best selections and most competitive prices in the Oakville, Burlington, and Milton areas. We’re a proud dealer of Clopay products, so you know you’re getting a top brand you can trust when you order from our vast selection of garage door styles and sizes. And with our employee-based workforce and excellent customer service, you know you’re always getting a quality job, never rushed.

Our selection includes many of 2026’s top trends, including faux-wooden and carriage-style doors. All our garage door series come with a variety of window designs and color options, so you’re sure to find a combination to fit your home. Don’t just dream about making your garage door dreams a reality. Contact us today or visit our showroom in Oakville to learn how we can help you get the most out of your garage with a door you’ll love.

Why it’s Time to ‘Get Off the Fence’ About A New Garage Door

Why it’s Time to ‘Get Off the Fence’ About A New Garage Door

It’s not something you do very often. In fact, you’ll probably change homes more often than you’ll ever get a new garage door. And that longevity is both a blessing and a curse.

The good part is that new garage doors are designed to last a very long time. Despite the fact that they are the largest moving object in your home, door designs, materials and technology have advanced to the point where most homeowners will only need to replace their garage doors once.

But that infrequent need for a new door can be a bit of a problem. Primarily, because it’s done so rarely, most people are very unfamiliar with the process of finding, buying and installing a new garage door – or even when they should start the process.

Instead, they start making subtle ‘adjustments’ in how they use the door. You know – you have to pull up on one side more than the other to make it open. Or you don’t notice the squeak that jars your neighbour awake every morning.

But unknowingly putting up with the ‘characteristics’ of a too-old garage door is still not the most pressing reason to get a new one. Many of Scarborough’s famous bungalows and semi-detached homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s. And, incredibly, many of those homes still have their original garage door.

Even if those doors still work properly, there are good reasons to change them. And if you’re suffering some of the other symptoms we mentioned above, which is why you’re thinking of replacing the door any way, the following points means you no longer have an excuse to avoid getting a new garage door.

1. Reduce Heating and Cooling Costs

Most new garage doors are insulated. And most old garage doors aren’t. Few homeowners understand how much of the house’s heated and cooled air can be lost through an attached garage. Especially if you have a room above the garage, an insulated garage door keeps more of your heated and cooled air where it belongs: inside.

Insulated doors also make your garage quieter; they give you the option to use the garage year-round as a work or recreation space; and they reduce the strain on your car’s engine during cold weather starts.

2. Less Expensive Than You Think

Again, because we don’t replace garage doors often, and simply due to the size of the door (it’s big – it must be really expensive!), most people over-estimate the cost of buying and installing a new door. Prices can vary, but your new door, even one that’s insulated, is probably more affordable than you think and can be installed in a day or less.

3. Smooth Functioning

New garage doors are well-balanced so that it takes very little effort to open and close them. Homeowners who have needed to replace their garage door openers often don’t realize it’s because the door is old and doesn’t move smoothly. That puts extra strain on the opener and reduces its life. So a new door will either save your back, or your garage door opener.

4. More Curb Appeal

Garage doors are the largest single feature on your home and can account for up to 40% of its look. In other words, installing a new door can be like re-doing a large part of the front of your home. Not only does that increase your home’s curb appeal, but, if you ever sell your home, you can bet that the old rusting door that you’ve been nursing for 20 years will be a huge turn-off for buyers.

If you add the money you can save from reduced energy costs and the increase in home value that a new door can bring, it far outweighs the cost of the door – which, as you now know, is lower than you think.

4 Tips to Keep Your Garage Door in Tip-Top Condition

4 Tips to Keep Your Garage Door in Tip-Top Condition

So how’s your garage door doing? Chances are it’s working perfectly fine. Despite it being the biggest, heaviest moveable thing in your home, and that you use it a couple times every day, your garage door is remarkably reliable.

Unfortunately, that steady dependability can lead to neglect. Look at it this way, compared to some of the other systems in your home, like the furnace, electricals or plumbing, how often do you do even the smallest amount of maintenance on your garage door?

Don’t feel bad if you haven’t done any. Again, if it was properly installed, your door can work well for decades, even without maintenance. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t extend the lifespan of your door, or prevent problems from happening at the worst possible moment, by regularly doing just a few fast, simple checks on your door.

And, considering it’s warmer outside, the spring and summer are the best times for garage door maintenance.

Here’s a checklist of things you can do to give your door the attention it deserves and help to keep it working in tip-top condition for longer.

1. Give it Room to Move

Even if you take care to keep things out of the path of your door, it’s not a good idea to store anything even close to it. While a garage door opener has safety systems to reverse it if it hits anything or if it there’s anything in its path, hitting an object as it closes can eventually put it out of balance. The closer you store things to your door, the more chance there is that they may accidentally fall into the path of the door or its rollers.

2. Help it Run Smoothly

Like any moving piece of equipment, it helps to keep your door well lubricated so it runs smoothly. Between its rollers, panels, hinges, springs, handles and so on, most people don’t realize how many moving parts are on a garage door.

a. For metal-on-metal moving parts, like the hinges and spring assembly, a petroleum-based lubricant, like 3-in-1 or WD-40, is best.

b. For rubberized parts, including the weather stripping between the door’s panels, along the bottom of the door and along the door frame outside the door, a silicone-based lubricant is best.

3. Check Your Remote

Have you ever pulled into your driveway – it was probably pouring rain – and no matter how frantically you press the remote, the door refuses to open?

There’s a good chance that it’s not the door’s fault. The problem is more likely that the batteries in your remote are drained. While it’s impossible to predict when batteries will fail, check the timing between when you press the button on your remote and when the door reacts. The longer the time, the closer the batteries are to failure.

4. Put the Safety Systems Through Their Paces

The systems we mentioned earlier that prevent the door from closing when anything is detected in its path, or when it contacts something as it closes, are very important for the personal safety of you and your family and to avoid any damage to your car or belongings.

The first safety system, that prevents the door from working if something is in its path, are the door opener’s photo eyes. They are located close to the floor on both sides of the door inside your garage. If anything blocks the signal that passes between the eyes, the door will not work, or it will work briefly before reversing.

To check that the eyes are functioning as they should, find a length of 2×4 wood, or anything else that will block the signal. Stand away from the path of the door and start it closing. Place the end of the wood between the photo eyes. The door should reverse when you do this. If not, the photo eyes should be inspected by a garage door professional.

The second safety system can also be tested with a length of wood. With the door open, place the wood on the garage floor where the door touches the floor when it’s closed. Close the door. It should automatically reverse when it touches the wood. If not, call a pro.

It probably took you longer to read this post than it will to check all the points that we mentioned. It’s not a lot of time to make sure your garage door operates safely and lasts as long as possible.

What a Difference a Garage Door Makes!

What a Difference a Garage Door Makes!

If you’re in the market for a garage door, you can’t be blamed for being a little apprehensive about the purchase. As we pointed out before, you probably won’t buy a new garage door more than once or twice for as long as you own your home. That means it’s tough to get to know about what’s available, who the best manufacturers are, and which installer you should choose.

It’s one of the reasons why we at Upper Canada Garage Doors are part of the Garage Door Guild, which is one assurance you have that you’re dealing with a reputable company. Even more, all our installers and technicians receive ongoing training in the latest garage doors and their proper installation, maintenance and repair.

But, as much as we’d like to say that simply by choosing us, any concern you have about getting a new door will be solved, it’s not true. If even the most highly-trained garage door installer put a low-quality door onto your garage, then you could still be in for lots of trouble.

So not only do we need to know what we’re doing, but we need to offer the best doors for your garage.

One of the door manufacturers whose products we offer, Clopay, is the largest maker of residential garage doors and is the only garage door builder backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

When we include the other trusted garage door brands that we represent, we believe we offer you an unbeatable one-two punch of beautiful, well-built doors and reliable, qualified installation and service.

But What if That’s Not Enough?

Unfortunately, no matter how much we do to set ourselves apart in the garage door installation marketplace, homeowners very often think of their garage doors the same way they think of their roof. “If it isn’t broken (or leaking), don’t fix or replace it”.

That thinking might work for your roof. If your roofing shingles are managing to keep the water and snow out of your home, that’s not a bad argument for leaving it be. (Although it makes sense to look for signs of potential trouble on your roof, especially when the roof is older, and get it fixed before a leak happens).

But, aside from the role they play in your home, there’s one big difference between your garage door and your roof.

How to Make the Garage a Better Place to Be

How to Make the Garage a Better Place to Be

After we wrote the recent post about storage ideas for your garage, we got to thinking: why is the garage, which is probably the biggest single space in a home, so neglected when it comes to things like organization, and even renovations? It’s like the poor garage gets no respect. It does its job, day in and day out, the garage door going up and down on demand, protecting your car, sports equipment, garden tools, lawn mower, and who knows what else.

But when it’s time to decide on which home improvement you’re going to tackle this year, has the garage ever topped the list? Has it ever even made the list?

Yes, we’re playing up the ‘poor garage’ angle (maybe too much?!), but we’re just trying to highlight the potential for one of the great spaces of your home. If you want to take that potential to the max, you can remake the garage into a space that’s on par with any other room in your house. With some insulation, drywall, a ceiling and flooring, you could have the coolest games room, home office or personal gym ever.

But what we’re talking about here isn’t changing the garage into something else, but making it a more pleasant place to be while still delivering everything you need and like about having a garage.

A place that, even though it’s still home to your car and equipment, you’re impressed and feel good when you walk into it.

In addition to adding some of the storage ideas we mentioned before, here are just of few of the things you can do to help make the garage a better part of your home.

1. Finish the Floors, Walls and Ceiling

Imagine if your bedroom had bare concrete floors and no plaster on the walls and ceiling. It’s a dreary sight, isn’t it? Now you know why your garage isn’t the most inspiring place in your house.

There’s a reason your garage is that way. Basically, any place where you store a car, and the fumes and drips that come with it, needs to be bare so you don’t damage finished floors, walls and ceilings.

But you can have the best of both worlds. On floors, which might have to handle dripping oil, an epoxy or polyuria coating is tough enough to handle anything you can throw at it while being available in a wide range of colours and finishes that can give your creative side an outlet.

Similarly, finished walls and ceilings can be painted with the same easy-to-clean, moisture-resistant paints you use in the kitchen or bathroom.

2. Light it Up

Yet another reason for the dungeony feel in your garage is the stark lighting. Bare bulbs or fluorescent tubes aren’t great at creating any kind of ‘ambiance’. Think about similar lighting as you might put in your family room, including pot lights in the ceiling and task lighting on work benches.

3. Install a Glass Garage Door

This one won’t only make your garage look and feel great, it’ll boost the curb appeal of your entire home. During the day, glass garage doors let in a beautiful glow of diffuse natural light. At night, with the right interior lighting, they can emanate a similar glow from the inside out.

Perhaps best of all, you’ll not be compromising the security of the garage or the durability of the door because the metal frames used in their construction make them just as strong as any other garage door.

If you’d like to get more ideas for making the garage a place that you’ll want to hang out in, and to see a range of glass doors that’ll set-off your whole house, please call or visit us here at Scarboro Garage Doors. You can also fill out our online contact form to get in touch with one of our representatives!

Looking for a New Garage Door? Don’t Just Listen to Us

Looking for a New Garage Door? Don’t Just Listen to Us

If you’re wondering what happened to the summer of 2017 here in Southern Ontario, you’re not alone. But, instead of lamenting how short the summer seemed to be this year, we can look forward to what will hopefully be a beautiful fall season.

For homeowners who are considering the installation of a new garage door, garage door opener or both, the fall can be a great time to get the job done. There’s still lots of time to do the installation while the weather isn’t cold and snowy and, because it’s the end of the season, installation companies aren’t as busy as they can be in the middle of the summer, so it shouldn’t take long between when you make the decision and when you get to enjoy your new door.

But making that decision is just the first step. Now you have to choose an installation company and the style and type of new door that you want.

Of course, we here at Upper Canada Garage Doors hope you choose us and our product partners.  We are the leading garage door service in Oakville and we offer expert installation, maintenance and repair services for a wide range of garage doors and openers form the leading manufacturers in the business.

While we’re very proud of our reputation and track record, you might hear similar things from other garage door suppliers. That leaves you with a problem: which one do you choose?

And that’s why it’s important to not just listen to us.

Instead, it’s important to also listen to what other homeowners and industry experts have to say. When you do, you’ll see that Upper Canada Garage Doors and the products we represent really do live up to the claims we make to be the best in the business.

Recognition for Upper Canada Garage Doors from Online Homeowner Communities

The most satisfying recognition any company can get comes from the people who use their services.

• Best of Houzz Awards for three Consecutive Years – Houzz is the most widely used online community for home improvements and interior design and decorating. With over 40 million users, most being homeowners just like you, the community votes for their favourite suppliers in a variety of home improvement categories. Upper Canada Garage Doors, in association with its sister companies, Markham Garage Doors and Whitby Garage Doors, has been voted as having the most popular portfolio of work by local Houzz users in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
• Homestars Best of 2017 – Homestars is a Canadian company that gathers reviews of home improvement companies from homeowners who have used the services. Each year, Homestars awards their ‘Best of’ award in a variety of home improvement categories. Upper Canada Garage Doors was awarded the Homestars Best of 2017 award as a garage door company.

Homeowner and Industry Recognition for Our Product Partners

This is just a sampling of the awards and recognition received by some of our product partners.

• Wayne Dalton Garage Doors – BUILDER magazine is one of the most respected publications in the construction industry. In 2017, they recognized Wayne Dalton and the #1 provider of quality garage doors.
• LiftMaster Garage Door Openers & Access Control Systems – The International Builders’ Show (IBS) is the largest residential housing construction event in the world. The LiftMaster 8550 W garage door opener with WiFi connectivity received a Best New Product award at the 2016 IBS show.
• Clopay Garage Doors – In addition to receiving ‘Best of’ awards from the Houzz homeowners and design community in 2015 and 2017, Clopay also earned the coveted ‘Influencer’ badge, which is given to companies whose advice and knowledgeable posts are most appreciated by the Houzz community.

We work very hard and do everything we can to live up to our claim to be the best garage door service in Oakville. But you don’t have to take our word for it!

If you need a new garage door or repair services, give the experts at Upper Canada Garage Doors a call or fill out our contact form! Our representatives will be happy to help you find the best solution for your unique needs.

How to Find a Reliable Garage Door Company

How to Find a Reliable Garage Door Company

It’s a fairly simple idea. The more you do something, the better you are at doing it. When you bought your first home, you might not have been the greatest at fixing leaky faucets, or pointing up mortar or even keeping the grass green. But as time went on, the more often you did something, the more tips and tricks you picked up to make the process easier and/or better.

After a while, you could get to the point where there are not many things around the house that you wouldn’t at least have an idea about how to fix or replace them.

So when’s the last time you fixed or replaced your garage door?

Throughout your life, you’ll probably buy at least half a dozen cars, but you might never have to buy the thing that faithfully goes up and down every time you leave or come home. It also protects your car and everything else you manage to get into the garage. Unless you remain in the same house for 20 years or more, buying a garage door might never have popped up on your ‘to do’ list.

In one way, that’s a good thing. It’s not like it’s on anyone’s bucket list to buy a garage door. But the downside of how rare it is to buy and install a garage door is that, when it comes time to do so, how exactly do you go about it? Even your handyman neighbor probably hasn’t bought very many garage doors.

To make matters worse, the garage door retail and installation business can be tricky. Many unscrupulous installers know that you don’t buy doors very often and they take advantage of the fact. Instead of offering top quality garage doors and using best installation practices, they might sell you a lower quality door at a higher quality price. And they might install it only well enough to last as long as it takes for them to not be ‘out of business’ when you call for warranty work.

That means the first thing to do if you’ve decided to buy a new garage door is to find a trustworthy installation company that only offers doors from the most reliable and reputable manufacturers in the business.

It sounds easy, but it isn’t. Here are just a few steps you can take to find a good garage door installer.

1. Surf the Web

Most people’s first step in researching any major purchase is to hop on the internet and check out the websites of local companies. It’s a great idea, but websites can be deceiving. Before you pick a company, make a short list of those that seem like good options and do some more web research. In particular, third-party ratings sites, like Homestars and Houzz, that will give you reviews and feedback from real homeowners in your area.

2. Get a Visit

The first ‘red flag’ that you should be on the lookout for is if a company wants to give you a quotation over the phone without visiting your home. Every garage door installation situation is different and, even if they get the right measurements of the opening from you, there are other details that must be seen in person before an accurate quote can be made. The visit all gives you a chance to get a feel for the people who will be installing your door.

3. Make Sure You Have Options

Another installation company to avoid is one that offers you only a limited number of door choices from a single manufacturer (who you should check out online also). A good garage door company carries a variety of garage door types and styles, from a variety of reputable, easily identifiable manufacturers.

How important is it to find a good garage door company? Look at it this way, even the best garage door in the world will never work well if it isn’t properly installed. If you are looking for a reliable garage door company for installation or repair in the Oakville area, contact Upper Canada Garage Doors! You can even stop by our showroom to view our selection in person.

A Basic Buying Guide for Garage Doors

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!

How Much Does it Cost to NOT Get a New Garage Door?

How Much Does it Cost to NOT Get a New Garage Door?

Sure, you’ve got it on the back burner of things to look at when you have time, or maybe not. Replacing the garage door is something that most of us will only ever do once or twice. So, unlike something like replacing the furnace filter, you have no real schedule for replacing the door.

In fact, aside from the obvious signs, like it just fell off its rollers, no one really knows when it’s time to replace their garage doors.

But fear not. We have come up with a single way that you can use to decide when you need a new door.

When the Door Starts Costing You More to Keep Than to Replace

If you have an old garage door that still works relatively well, we’re sure you’re thinking “Ha! If that’s how you decide on a new door, then I’m fine because my door doesn’t cost me anything!”

Or Does It?

Even if your door goes up and down faithfully on cue and you’ve never had to pay to repair or maintain it, it could be costing you a lot of money. On the other side of the equation, the cost of buying and installing a new garage door is probably less than you think.

With those two factors in mind, here’s how your garage door could be costing you more money than it would cost to replace it.

1. Extra Heating & Air Conditioning

If your older garage door is uninsulated, it could be a drain on your budget without you knowing it. An attached garage with an uninsulated door can cost you money in two ways.

First, with cooler air getting into your garage in winter, and warmer air doing the same in summer, that air eventually gets into your home. When it does, you face higher energy costs (and we’re not even talking about the environmentally responsible side to all of this) year-round to heat and air condition your home.

And if that’s not enough to convince you, your heating and air conditioning equipment must work harder to keep your home comfortable. That means more maintenance costs, more new filters, and needing new equipment sooner than later.

2. Safety Concerns

Your garage door is the only thing between a burglar and everything you keep in your garage. And garages are one of the most popular ways for burglars to get into your home. How ‘costly’ would you say it was to be the victim of a break and enter that happened because your garage door was old and easily broken into?

3. Lower Curb Appeal

We know you’ve heard this one before, but you’re not selling your home, so who cares about curb appeal and how does it cost you anything?

Your garage door is likely the largest single visual feature of your home. As such, it can greatly influence the look of your home and landscape. Anything you do to your home, from new windows to mowing the lawn every week, affects the home’s curb appeal. But if the largest single feature of the home is old and worn, you won’t get the full value of anything else you do to keep your home looking its best. You’ll just have new windows on the house with the shabby garage doors.

4. Untimely Breakdown

If you’ve ever been late for an appointment because your garage door won’t open, or it didn’t open when you arrived home on a dark and stormy night, you know how lucky someone is if they’ve never had to go through those situations. But the longer you keep that old door, the closer the moment is when you suffer an untimely breakdown.

So how does that cost you? When you are forced to replace your door and/or door opener, not only might you be without your garage door, but you’re more likely to make compromises on the new door and opener to get them installed sooner than later. Compromises that can cost you later.

So, what are you waiting for? Call us here at Upper Canada Garage Doors and let us show you how easy it is to start saving money by installing a new door!