Garage doors play a big role in enhancing the aesthetics and curb appeal of your home. Gone are the days when their job was to only protect your home, as now you have to ensure you choose the right garage door that suits the style of your home.
To do that, you must know about various types of garage doors.
Garage doors can be classified based on a lot of factors. Based on how they open, you can find sectional, roll-up, slide-to-side, side-hinge garage doors, etc.
On the basis of the material used, there are steel, aluminum, wooden, and vinyl garage doors among others. Based on the size of the doors, you can find single or double garage doors.
Let’s take a detailed look at various garage door types.
How many different types of garage doors are there?
Garage doors are an integral part of your home as they not only provide security to the entire home but also increase its curb appeal.
A perfectly matching garage door for your front-facing, attached garage instantly catches people’s eyes and enhances your as well as your house’s reputation.
So, when you choose garage doors for your home, you need to plan accordingly and do complete research to see which door suits your home the best.
There are quite a few types of garage doors you can choose from, based on various factors. Below, we have compiled a list of garage doors based on different characteristics for you to choose from.
1. According to how they open
Not all garage doors open the same way, like traditional ones. Nowadays, there are a ton of different kinds of garage doors depending on how they open, and they suit different types of houses.
Here are a few types of garage doors for you to consider.
A. Sectional garage doors
This type of garage door is the most popular in the USA, and for good reasons. This door is divided into sections, all of which are connected with hinges. When you open these doors, these sections bend over a portion of the garage door track that is curved.
The sections then keep parallel to the ceiling as long as the door is kept open, and the springs hold the door in place when it is partially open.
B. Roll-up garage doors
Another popular garage door type in the country, roll-up garage doors are one of the best types of commercial garage doors.
Unlike sectional doors, they don’t lie parallel to the ceiling, but rather the slats of the doors roll around a drum above the door. If you have limited ceiling space in your commercial building, these doors are perfect for you.
Read out the article to learn roll-up garage door maintenance.
C. Slide-to-side garage doors
Based on the principle of how they open, these doors are quite similar to sectional garage doors. But instead of opening parallel to the house’s ceiling, they open to the side, parallel to the walls.
These types of automatic garage doors are designed to fit in garages with low headroom.
D. Tilt Up garage doors
These doors are made from a single panel, that tilts upwards when they are opened. A small part of the door extends to the front of the house as they open, and they have a hinge mechanism.
E. Side-hinged garage doors
These doors also operate on a hinge mechanism, and they look more like traditional garage doors. Resembling large barn doors, these doors open outwards like a normal door and are also made from a single panel.
F. Up and over retractable garage doors
These doors are very similar to tilt-up garage doors in their mechanism and operation, but differ in how they look when they open. While tilt-up garage doors extend outside of your home, up-and-over retractable doors are suspended independently from their frames.
As a result, they open inside the garage, not outward. This results in these doors being unsuitable for garages with limited ceiling space.
2. Based on material
Although primarily garage doors were only made of wood, nowadays it has taken a backseat to other materials. At present, you can find garage doors made of metals, vinyl as well as wood. Let’s take a look at some of these doors.
A. Steel garage doors
Steel is one of the most used metals in the world, and garage doors are yet another important thing made of them. Steel garage doors are strong, sturdy, and readily available, which makes them affordable as well.
B. Aluminum garage doors
Yet another vastly used metal, aluminum is also used to make garage doors all around the world. These garage doors are rust and corrosion-proof, and being lightweight ensures they put a lot less stress on the moving parts of the door.
They are also low-maintenance, which makes them pretty attractive to homeowners’ eyes.
Read the article for detailed comparison of Aluminum vs Steel garage doors.
C. Vinyl garage doors
Vinyl garage doors are made of entirely synthetic materials, and hence have no issues like rotting, warping, rusting, or corroding.
They are also not prone to denting like metal doors, which puts them near the top of many people’s lists.
Read the article for detailed comparisons of Steel vs vinyl garage doors.
D. Wooden garage doors
Although wooden doors have been slowly phased out due to their low lifespan and lack of durability, these doors are still being used all over the world.
The reason for this is the style and elegance wooden garage doors provide are parallel to none. Wooden garage door designs stand the test of time and will continue to do so for days to come. If you are planning to install wooden garage doors read our expert suggestions of the best wood for garage doors.
3. Depending on their sizes
Not all garage doors are of the same size. The size of the garage door will depend on the size of your garage itself, as well as how many cars you want to come out at the same time. Based on that, here are the types of garage doors for you
A. Single garage doors
Single garage doors are installed in single garages, or where only one car will come out at a time. Most single garage doors are 8 feet long, but there are garage doors with other dimensions as well.
B. Double garage doors
On the other hand, double garage doors are installed in larger garages, or where two cars should be able to come out simultaneously. The average length of double garage doors is 16 feet.
Final Words
Installing a garage door in your home is no easy task, as you need to research different types of garage doors to find the one that suits you the most.
You have to keep your garage size, headroom, and your budget in mind when you choose a garage door for your home.
FAQ
1. Which garage door size is the most common?
Single garage doors are the most common type of garage door. Among all of the single garage doors, the 8’x7’ and the 9’x7’ doors are the most common.
2. What type of garage door is the cheapest?
Steel garage doors are the cheapest garage doors when materials are considered. This is because steel is an easily available material, and can be customized into literally anything.
3. What is the life of a garage door?
On average, the lifespan of a garage door is between 15 to 30 years. But this can change varying on a lot of factors, such as how they are maintained and what they are made of, etc.
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