The Ultimate Garage Door Guide

New year, new look? Lots of people have personal aspirations at the start of a new year.  A great one is to put some consideration into giving your home a facelift. This might seem like a large task, but there’s one thing you can do that will make an immediate impact.  Simply replacing your garage door will instantly improve your home’s look, feel and even value.

When selling a home, people often talk about kerb appeal.  The garage door is the face of many modern homes, and on average covers around 30 percent of the house front. As garage doors are so large, they’re very noticeable, and will often form a big part of a viewer’s first impression.

Even if you’re not planning on a sale this year, you can impress your family and friends with a fresh look for your home.

It’s often difficult to know where to start when buying a new garage door, so here’s a comprehensive garage door guide to explain the different options available.

Up and over doors

The most common garage door in the UK is the up and over, and it’s easy to understand why. They’re easy to use, reasonably low maintenance, withstand the miserable UK weather well and can last for many years.

Typically, up and over garage doors have two types of mechanisms, known as retractable and canopy garage doors. Here are the differences:

• A retractable garage door is made of just one piece. They retract fully into the interior garage once open. These types of garage doors are particularly good if you’re looking to install an electric opening mechanism.  It’s much safer to have electric retractable doors than electric canopy doors.
• A canopy garage door offers a more basic operation, and do not fully retract into the garage. Instead, they stick out a third of the way.  Canopy up and over garage doors are a good option if you need to park in a smaller garage.

A commonality across both types is that they need to be fixed to a subframe.  This will be made of either steel or timber, and without a subframe, you’ll be unable to install it.  Therefore, whether you’re ordering a replacement, or drawing up plans for a new garage, ensure you’ve budgeted for a subframe.

Side-hinged garage doors

If you’re frequently popping in and out of your garage, a side-hinged garage door is a great fit. You’ll also appreciate that you don’t have to have the garage door fully open showcasing all your expensive tools and equipment.

Garage door guide to measuring

Measuring a garage door can be tricky, so you’ll need to be careful if you insist on doing this yourself. If you’re unsure, don’t worry, as we will send a local professional installer to measure up properly.

It’s important to measure the garage door at its widest point.  This may seem like a basic measurement, but be aware of any general irregularities causing obstruction. Again, with the height, you will want to measure the tallest point looking out for any irregularities, including an uneven floor.

Most up and over garage doors will require at least four to six inches of space at each side.  This is to ensure that they will close comfortably without colliding with any other objects.

Finally, you’ll need to ensure that there’s enough room for us to install your track and attach it to the garage ceiling.

The best garage door for security

Security is often a high priority when selecting a garage door. Whether your garage is attached to your home or not, it’s important to protect your family’s belongings.

In most cases, burglars typically force open garage doors, which can take some time.  Because of this, security motion lights are a major deterrent for burglars.

All of the doors that Select Garage Doors manufacture would pose a significant challenge to anyone trying to break in.  However, the most secure option has got to be roller garage doors.

Roller garage doors are more compact in comparison to other options available, making it a desirable choice. There are very few gaps and leverage points to force the garage open.

The downside of this roller garage doors is that they require a significant amount of headroom to accommodate the roll.  Also, it’s worth noting that they can take longer to open and close in an emergency.

Maintenance

In the UK, we’re pretty accustomed to bad weather.  When selecting a new garage door it’s important to consider the elements, as well as the ongoing maintenance required to keep the garage door looking great.

Whilst wiping down the door regularly to keep it looking fresh might be obvious, there are other things to consider.  For example, it’s crucial to check the rails and axles are tight and operational. Moving components can pick up quite a lot of dirt and rust over time.  Because of this, it’s important to regularly clean any moving parts and apply a lubricant such as WD-40. This can take care of any issues you have noticed developing over time, such as the door squeaking or jamming.

We hoped you’ve enjoyed our Ultimate Garage Door Guide.  Are you ready to select your next garage door?  Or would you like a little more guidance on the best option for your home?  Either way please get in touch with our expert team who will be happy to help you.