An Introduction To Garage Doors

As a general rule, the choice of garage door and garage door material is largely determined by the type of house you have, your space, and of course, your budget.

There are four different styles of garage doors: the sectional door, the roller door, side-hung door and up-and-over door. They come in three different materials you can choose from: wood, steel and glass reinforced plastic.

Garage doors for small garages. If your house has a short drive and is generally restricted space-wise, then a roller garage door might just be what you are looking for. A roller door rolls straight up a drum found above the opening, so there are no outswings or overhangs. A sectional garage door, on the other hand, differs in the manner by which the door is stored once opened. Like the roller door, there is no outswing so you can park your car flush to the garage door.

Garage doors for bigger garages. Up-and-over garage doors are one piece doors that swing out and then up, lying parallel to the ceiling. They can be made from steel or wood, but glass reinforced plastic is the most common material used to make them. You need a large space before the garage door (from the ground up and from the top down) to allow the door to freely swing in its horizontal position. If you have a big garage, you should also consider the most traditional (and simplest) style of garage door