The garage door is the most visible part of your home. It needs to be durable, reliable and easy to use. It should be energy efficient, quiet and provide security. It should be affordable and match your house.
A well-maintained wood door can last 50 – 75 years and is the most cost effective option. Steel-insulated doors have a low R-value but are light and durable. Visit https://patriotgaragedoorok.com/ to learn more.
If you’re planning to install a garage door, or are remodeling your existing home and need a new one, the first step is to figure out the size of the opening. Using a tape measure, take the width and height measurements of the existing doorway. Make sure you account for any trim in the doorway, as it will reduce the final size of your garage door.
Once you know the size of your garage opening, you can start to look at different options for a garage door. For a single-car garage, the standard width of a door is around 8 feet wide. This allows for enough space to drive a car into and out of the garage without having to turn sideways. However, if you have an RV or other large vehicle, you may need a wider door.
For a two-car garage, the typical width of a garage door is around 16 feet. This is sufficient to comfortably accommodate most cars, although you could go even bigger. Similarly, for a three-car garage, you could choose a 22-foot wide door.
In addition to the width and height of a garage door, you’ll also need to decide on the type of door. Some options include traditional raised panel, sectional doors, and roller shutters. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.
For example, a sectional door is a great choice for people who need high levels of insulation and security. This type of garage door is available in a range of colors and finishes to match any style of home. It also features a locking mechanism that helps keep the garage secure when it’s not in use. On the other hand, a roller shutter garage door is a good option for people who want to save space on the inside of their garage. This type of garage door opens vertically, meaning it doesn’t require a track system on the ceiling, which frees up room for storage and more vehicles.
Style
When deciding on a new garage door, style is just as important as the functional aspects of the door. Whether you desire to achieve a traditional, rustic or contemporary look, Clopay offers many options that will suit your home’s unique aesthetic.
Wood doors provide a natural texture and color that enhances the beauty of any home design. With options in hemlock, cedar and redwood, you can choose the material that best complements your home’s exterior color scheme. These doors are available in a range of finishes, insulation levels and hardware choices. Some doors are even eligible for our exclusive Color Blast program.
A popular choice in the United States, sectional doors feature a panel section that sits above the garage door opening and rolls up on a track on each side of the doorway. The panel sections are connected with hinges on the edges that allow them to bend as the door opens and closes. This provides flexibility and allows the door to accommodate slight slopes in the ground or ceiling above the garage door opening.
Single-panel doors swing up and overhead with a single panel that is attached to both sides of the garage door opening’s frame. These doors require more space on both sides of the garage door opening to be opened, but they offer a wide variety of materials and designs, including windows.
Steel-door “sandwiches” consist of a thick-gauge steel outer skin and an insulated core of polystyrene or polyurethane for strength, durability and energy efficiency. These doors are available in several thicknesses of polystyrene or polyurethane, offering R-values ranging from 5 to 10. Several paint options and finishes are available, and some also come with a range of window size and design options.
Materials
Choosing eco-friendly materials for your Garage Door can make it more energy efficient. These eco-friendly materials also minimize environmental impact during production and offer recyclability, which contributes to a sustainable living environment. They can be made from steel, aluminum, wood, or a combination of these materials. Some are also manufactured using renewable resources, such as recycled paper and cardboard.
The material used to insulate your Garage Door will impact its energy efficiency. Many options are available, including polystyrene and polyurethane foam. These materials have high R-values, which helps to prevent heat loss and maximize energy savings. The higher the R-value, the more energy efficient your garage door will be.
Another factor to consider is the U-factor of your Garage Door, which measures how well a material blocks heat flow. A lower U-factor means better insulation and greater energy efficiency, especially for a garage that is connected to the home.
Garage Doors that are hung from rollers are the least energy-efficient. They roll up and down on a track attached to the ceiling of the garage, and are usually operated manually or with a garage door opener. Roller doors do not have a solid structure and are not insulated, so they can be easily penetrated by air drafts.
Steel garage doors are a popular choice due to their strength and durability. However, the mining and smelting process for steel creates substantial greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are also a problem during shipping, which can make them less environmentally friendly than other options. In addition, steel requires frequent repainting to maintain rust resistance. In contrast, aluminum is a lighter and stronger material that is less likely to rust, making it an option for coastal areas. It is also low-maintenance and requires no refinishing or repainting.
Energy Efficiency
Many homeowners are surprised to discover that their garage doors play a significant role in affecting the energy efficiency of their homes. The lack of insulation in traditional garage doors can lead to significant energy waste, causing your heating or cooling systems to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout your home. This also results in higher utility bills.
A new, insulated garage door provides insulation that regulates the temperature in your garage, helping to significantly lower your energy bills. This can have a long-term impact on your household budget as well as your carbon footprint.
In order to be considered eco-friendly, the materials used in Garage Door construction should be sustainable and recyclable. Look for wood doors that are sourced from suppliers that follow eco-friendly harvesting techniques and meet global environmental regulations. Wood composite doors are another option that utilize already-cut materials to avoid creating new waste. Steel and aluminum garage doors are also eco-friendly when sourced from recycled products. When selecting a paint color, look for low-VOC options to minimize the release of harmful chemicals into the environment.
Many of the latest opening systems include Wi-Fi integration, which allows you to control your garage door from anywhere in the world using a smartphone or tablet app. This eliminates the need for a keychain remote, which can save you time and money as well as reduce the amount of wear and tear on your opener system. Another great feature that improves the sustainability of your Garage Door is force guard control, which limits how much energy is needed to move the door up and down. This can help ease wear and tear along the rail segments and minimize damage from repeated impacts over a period of years.
Security
Many homeowners think that their garage doors are secure enough because they don’t use them to enter the house, but that’s a dangerous assumption. Most garages contain a treasure trove of valuable goods, including electronics, power tools and cars, and burglars are looking for easy targets.
Leaving the garage door open is an invitation to break in, especially if it’s a side-hinged model that can be opened with a hand. Fortunately, there are ways to beef up security.
Install a garage door that uses multiple locking points for extra protection against brute force and prying. Ideally, choose one that’s made from thick steel or uPVC with double-skinned panels and a strong frame. These types of doors are also more likely to withstand impacts.
The walk-through entry door (known as the service door) from your garage to your home should be fitted with a deadbolt just like the rest of your exterior doors. You can also improve security by installing a new door opener that uses rolling code technology. This method changes the garage door remote’s entry code every time it opens, which makes it impossible for hackers to create a “code grabber” to intercept the signal and open the door.
Don’t share the entry code to your garage with anyone, even friends and family members. If someone else learns the code, he or she can enter your home whenever he wants and steal all of your stuff while you’re away. If you have to give the code out, consider using a code that’s based on a word or phrase instead of a simple number combination. And if you have to write the code down, do it in a secure place where it can’t be seen by passersby or a potential burglar.