When looking for a new garage door, you may pay a lot of attention to how it looks. But the opening mechanism is also crucial. Some operate better in particular buildings, while other models offer more convenience. Ultimately, you need to weigh all the factors. Read on for information on several popular types.
Roller Door Styles
The corrugated sheeting of a roller door neatly winds up into a compact bundle at the top of the garage opening. With this vertical action, you can park close to the garage before operating, which is helpful for small driveways with several cars. This mechanism requires adequate headroom, though — the space between the ceiling and opening. Often using steel or aluminium, roller doors typically have protective coatings of zinc or baked-on polyester paint to stop the metal from rusting.
Tilt Structures
If your garage has little headroom, you could install a tilt door model which consists of a single panel. When opening, the door swings outwards and upwards, finally resting in a horizontal position above the opening. Because they protrude outward, you need to park some distance back on the drive to allow for the operating arc. Using natural timber, veneer, plywood, steel or aluminium, these doors offer a vast array of design options, some with windows and perforations for airflow.
Sectional Designs
A series of hinged horizontal panels form a sectional door that opens by sliding upwards along rails that extend across the ceiling. This mechanism needs minimal headroom, but it requires a large flat space area across the ceiling. You may need to adjust lighting and overhead storage to accommodate this. The panels might be wood, metal, glass or coloured translucent fibreglass, finished in diverse ways, including engraving and embossing.
Flex-A-Door Models
Using a corrugated steel curtain, similar to roller doors, flex-a-door models slide upwards along tracks and then parallel across the ceiling. Thus, they function like sectional doors. Colorbond steel forms the curtain material, which is available in a range of bush inspired and traditional hues, including blues, greys and greens. With various layers of zinc and polyester paint, these doors are incredibly resilient and long-lasting.
Which garage doors are best in part depends on the headroom within your garage; a roller door needs adequate space in which to roll up. Sectional and flex-a-door models monopolise the horizontal space under the ceiling, which can affect lighting and storage. Tilt doors swing outwards, so you need to factor that in also. You might find it inconvenient to park back from the garage, or it may not be a concern.
Hello! My name is Benjamin. You do not realise just how important your garage doors are until they begin to malfunction. When I had trouble opening my garage door, I thought it was a one-off event. However, a few weeks later, the same problem reoccured. I didn't know what to do so I contacted my local garage repair service. Rather than being annoyed by this turn of events, I decided that it was a fantastic chance to find out more about how my garage door operates. The contractor talked me through his work and I learnt a great deal. I hope you find the info I've posted here useful.