A Quick Guide To Choosing Garage Doors

Many people would be quite surprised to discover how one of the most commonly overlooked features of many homes - the garage doors - turn out to be actually quite important. Garage doors can easily take upto 20% of the frontage presented by a property, which is a significant amount of visual real-estate and accordingly a key determinator of your home’s market value.

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.

These days the most common garage doors are made of metal, with about 80% of the US and Canada markets. Metal doors are invariably steel or aluminium, with the trade off that aluminium is lighter but steel is cheaper. In either case they benefit from a coat of suitable outdoor metal paint, but should otherwise require little in the way of maintenance. Note though that metal doors dent and buckle relatively easily, detracting from their appearance and impairing their operation.

Synthetic doors made from fiber-glass or vinyl offer the advantage of being both light and robust. They can also be painted (though are often already pre-treated to a particular color) and generally weather knocks and scrapes better than metal; they will last a decade or more depending on the amount of exposure to ultra-violet light from the sun which breaks the material down.

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.

Garage doors can be purchased from large DIY stores, door and window companies and garage door specialists. Bear in mind though that the long term durability and reliable performance of your garage doors will depend crucially on the quality of the installation process as much as the doors themselves. Specialist installers of garage doors can be relied on to ensure your doors look great and function perfectly, right from the start and for the years ahead.

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