Guide to Commercial Garage Doors

Commercial garage doors play a significant role in helping businesses protect their products. When looking for commercial garage doors, most business owners look at security, efficiency and energy conservation. Durability is also key, as commercial garage doors are often used daily. And while you’re considering commercial door options, you may also decide you want something low maintenance. 

With all of these elements available, how do you find a door that meets all of your needs? We’re breaking down how businesses benefit from commercial garage doors and the types available to help you out.

How New Garage Doors Will Benefit a Business

Breweries, restaurants, warehouses, car dealerships and more can benefit from a commercial garage door. Here are some key advantages of installing a new garage door for your business:

• Enhanced security: Security is a significant advantage of a commercial garage door. From specialized locking mechanisms and reinforced materials to security system integration, commercial garage doors can help keep your business safe. Simply the presence of a new or well maintained garage door could discourage theft. 
• Energy efficiency: Most garage doors are well-insulated, but some focus on energy efficiency specifically. Cold storage facilities, for example, can look into getting these types of doors.
• Durability: If you’re looking to replace your old commercial garage door, you’ll be pleased to know that the options today have improved a lot in terms of durability from 20 to 30 years ago. Today’s commercial garage doors are designed to withstand wear and tear while needing fewer repairs.
• Aesthetic appeal: Another benefit of getting a new commercial door is adding some aesthetic appeal to your facility. 

Types of Commercial Doors

Commercial garage doors are usually made from one of the following materials:

• Steel: Steel is an optimal and most widely available choice when security and durability are your business’s primary objectives.
• Aluminum: A more lightweight material like aluminum is often used for framing on full-view glass doors.
• Wood: Wood was the go to material back in the day, but has been replaced by steel to keep down the cost and constant maintenance of painting or staining.

The garage door style you choose largely depends on its use and what it’s protecting. For example: 

• Sectional doors: This type of door is similar to residential doors, where panels are connected with hinges. Sectional doors are great for large openings like those in warehouses. Most sectional doors are equipped with polyurethane insulation to provide more energy efficiency, structure, sound dampening and security. 
• Full-view doors: Aluminum full-view doors are a great option when you want a modern look and access to natural light. They’re excellent for car dealerships, breweries and restaurants that want to attract customers to the interior aesthetics. They are also popular choice for fire stations, gyms and retail storefronts.
• Insulated commercial garage doors: Facilities that require exceptional climate control can choose insulated garage doors with Clopay Intellicore® insulation. 
• Roll-up service doors and sheet doors: The roll-up service door is one of the most popular options and consists of small sections joined together that “roll up” around a drum. They don’t take up a lot of space and can be used just about anywhere. For example, they can work perfectly for storage units and ideal for mini warehouses. 
• Counter doors and security shutters: Counter doors are ideal for pharmacies, concession areas and cafeterias where items behind a counter need to be protected. Security shutters are custom-built and perfect for health centres and community centres. 

How to Choose the Best Commercial Garage Door for Your Business

There are a lot of factors and questions to consider before you know what type of commercial door will suit your business. Here are a few to ponder:

• Type of business: Warehouses, automotive services, retail storefronts and cold storage all have different requirements. 
• Frequency of use: Storage facilities may open their garage doors infrequently, while car dealerships and other businesses could open their doors multiple times per day. If you’ll be opening your door often, you may want one that’s more durable and long-lasting. 
• Size and space: Your facility’s size will help determine what garage door style you can choose. With limited headroom, for example, you may not be able to purchase a sectional door, but a roll-up door could work well. Commercial garage door sizes are vast, so you’ll be able to find something that works. 
• Fire-rated: Some doors are fire-rated, which means they can withstand fire and smoke. 

Commercial Garage Door Maintenance

Regular maintenance helps your garage door perform optimally for longer. Here are steps for maintaining a commercial garage door once you’ve purchased one: 

1. Routine inspection: Look out for signs of wear and tear. Check for misalignment and pay special attention to springs and other moving parts.
2. Lubrication: Your door should open and shut smoothly without any clunks. Find the source and use a suitable lubricant if you hear a noise.
3. Tightening hardware: As the doors open and close, a vibration will move through all the parts. Retighten parts that could have become loose over time.
4. Weather seals: Weather seals are important in keeping your garage door efficient.
5. Professional maintenance: Schedule service for your garage door once or twice annually, depending on usage. Technicians can identify issues you might have missed and have specialized tools for repairs.

The Importance of Professional Installation

Commercial garage door installation is best left to a professional. Non-professionals may install a commercial door incorrectly, which poses a safety risk for staff if it crashes down or malfunctions. Professionals have the skills and experience to install different door types and ensure they function optimally. 

They also bring the right tools for the job so that every nut, bolt and screw is inserted correctly. Additionally, many manufacturers require professional installation for their warranties to be valid. Lastly, professionals can also provide support and follow-up services throughout the commercial door’s life span.

How Upper Canada Garage Doors Can Help

When you want a commercial garage door for your business, explore the options from Upper Canada Garage Doors. We will happily run you through all of our collections and review your top business objectives to help you find the best door. Many of our commercial doors — including roll-up service doors and insulated doors — are available through Clopay®, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial doors. 

We can install your new commercial garage door, and we also offer same-day repair services in Oakville and the surrounding areas. We are also locally owned and operated, so you know you’re getting quality care. Contact us today to find out more about how we can support you with commercial overhead doors.

Get Reliable Garage Door Service at Upper Canada Garage Doors

Get Reliable Garage Door Service at Upper Canada Garage Doors

A recent article by CP24 highlights the need to thoroughly vet the companies that you use for garage door service and repair. 

An Oakville-area woman was taken advantage of when she phoned a local company for an opener repair. They quoted her one price and then presented her with a final bill of nearly $3,000, wouldn’t leave without payment, and didn’t give her an itemized receipt.  

Unfortunately, this is a story we hear all too often. Many of our service customers will call us after they’ve had another company out to their home, only to be quoted a much higher price and then intimidated by the representative on site.

At Upper Canada Garage Doors, we have a set price list for our services.  If for some reason our tech gets on site and realizes that the service will be more expensive (for example, the opener needs to be replaced, or instead of a balancing issue, the real problem is that the spring needs to be replaced) our technician will get permission from the homeowner before starting work, as well as explain the reasoning behind the change.

Our pricing and invoices are transparent, and our techs will not require payment when they finish the service. The vast majority of our clients receive an invoice by email (unless they have asked for it to be mailed instead), and payment can be made by e-transfer or over the phone.

Our showroom at 2400 Wyecroft Rd Unit #1 in Oakville is open to the public, we’ve been in business since 2018, and our reviews on Google  and NiceJob  have honest reviews from our happy customers.

If you’re looking for an honest, reliable company for all of your garage door needs, look no further than Upper Canada Garage Doors!

TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS REGARDING COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS)

TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS REGARDING COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS)

First, we would like to say thanks to all our customers. We’re all in this together, and our actions will determine how we rebound from this pandemic.

We are open for business to keep our customer’s garage doors operating during these difficult times. We ask that you respect our policies as we will, in turn, respect yours and your home.

We are doing everything in our power to stop the spread, this includes:

• The closure of all our 4 showrooms.
• Parts sales will be paid in full by phone or email, parts will be left at the door for customer pickup.
• Sales calls will be performed by email or by phone with a no-contact policy. If the sale is to proceed our sales staff will do an onsite measurement in your garage with 0 interactions. All we ask is you open the garage for our sales staff we will let you when our measurements are complete.
• Service calls and installs will continue our clients must not be in the garage while our technician is completing the work.
• We will wipe down the push button and any other touch-points that our customers will use in their daily routine.

Our Employees are exercising social distancing both at work and at home, following all government and company guidelines.
We appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back into our showrooms as soon as possible.

To protect yourself and others, we ask that anyone who is feeling unwell, or anyone who has travelled internationally, to call us at 905-267-2700 to cancel your service call or new garage door and/or opener installation.

If you have any questions or if you want to reschedule your appointment, you can call us at 905-267-2700.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon,

Upper Canada Garage Doors Ltd.

7 Neat Ways to Improve Your Garage Storage

7 Neat Ways to Improve Your Garage Storage

Why is it, no matter how many times you try, your garage never seems organized? It’s like you’re always in a state of never being able to find what you need, or to find a spot for yet another bunch of stuff.

There are a lot of reasons for this, but it begins with the fact that your garage is an unfinished space in your home. Like an unfinished basement, unless you give it some organization, it’ll never be anything but a catch-all space for things you have no other place for in your home.

But your garage is even worse off than your basement. It can be hot in the summer, cold in the winter and it might have your car in it, and the grease stains that go with that too. So the chances of it being a more practical space are pretty slim.

But it’s not a hopeless situation. Again, the basic reason that unfinished basements and garages tend to remain that way is because of how easy it is to just throw stuff in them and forget about it.

If you found a way to organize and properly store all that stuff, it could be your first step into making the garage a more useful part of your home, potentially leading to it being used for things like a home gym, office or kids’ playroom.

To help you get started, check out these garage storage ideas and products that’ll make the job that much easier – and give you more usable space in your garage than you thought you had.

1. Plan the Space 

In an unorganized garage, the floor tends to be the place where most things are stored. In an organized garage, the floor should remain clear and be the last place that you put anything.

With that in mind, you can start planning how to use the walls and ceiling to store the different groups of items you have. These can include garden tools, sports equipment, workbench tools and automotive products.

2. Remember Safety

If you’re going to be using the walls and ceiling to hang and store things, remember to make sure they are all secure and won’t fall unexpectedly, potentially hurting someone or at least being damaged.

3. Storage Cabinets

If there is anything you need to keep secure and/or keep out of site, you can use garage storage cupboards, cabinets and drawers. Available as stand-alone cupboards, or as an entire cabinet and drawer wall unit, they can include lockable compartments that will help keep your things more secure.

4. Open Shelving

You use some of the things in your garage more often than others. If you don’t want to be opening cabinet doors and locks to get to them every time, store them on floor-to-ceiling open storage racks.

Look for specialty shelving for things that might be difficult to store on standard shelves, like your winter and summer tires when they’re not in use.

5. Slatwall Panels

With the ability to add hooks, baskets and shelves of all sizes and types, slatwalls are probably the most versatile and essential garage storage idea there is.

6. Pegboard

Similar to slatwalls, pegboard can take a variety of hooks and hangers, but it is more suitable for smaller items, like hand tools.

7. Overhead Storage

This is probably the least used space in most garages. But it’s a great place for items that you don’t use very often and/or that are too bulky for your other storage, like picnic coolers.

While you may have particular storage needs in your garage, these ideas should get you started. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes after you organize your garage. And you’ll be surprised at how close you are to potentially being able to completely change the role of your garage in your home. You might just be an insulated garage door and a few coats of paint away from making it a more functional and enjoyable space.

If you are in need of a new garage door or just service to your current door, contact Upper Canada Garage Doors today! We serve Oakville and the surrounding areas.