How a garage door opens is the first major decision when purchasing a new garage door. Color and finish can be changed whenever a garage door is repainted. The main consideration with garage doors is the amount of space they consume.
Measure the height and width of the garage opening and the amount of space above the opening (headroom). Also determine how far your vehicle is from the garage opening.
Up and Over Doors
An up and over door is by far the most popular type of garage door in the UK. These doors are constructed of a single panel that is hinged at the top. When the door opens the panel is rolled back and stored in the ceiling space of the garage. Up and over doors have a canopy or retractable design.
A canopy door is less space consuming than a retractable door since the canopy of the door covers a smaller area of the garage opening. A retractable door, on the other hand, completely retracts into the garage and is stored on horizontal tracks.
Both designs require a clear area to the side of the garage door in order for the door to be opened.
The cheapest and easiest to repair designs of garage doors make up the primary reason for the popularity of up and over doors.
To get the most out of your parking space, choose a garage door that runs parallel to the ceiling, lifts straight up, and opens to the back. A sectional door is made of several horizontal panels, and lots of insulation, making it a good choice for garages that connect to the house. A roller door is made up of several slats that coil up to the top of the garage, making it a good choice when the ceiling is obstructed.
A sectional door takes up a lot of headroom, making it a bad choice if your garage is shorter than average. A roller door takes up a lot less headroom.
A garage door that swings out would obstruct a short garage, making a roller door a good choice.
A sectional door has several horizontal panels that can be made to open like a normal door, or like a T. These doors are good for making wider garage door openings. Round the corner doors slide along the walls of the garage and take up less headroom, and are good for smaller garages.
Selecting a material
Steel is an affordable and easy to maintain material that is used for garage doors often. These doors are also available in different colors and faux wood grain finishes. Timber garage doors, which are also attractive, often require staining or varnishing and are therefore higher maintenance. GRP garage doors also do not require maintenance for rot or rust and can also be faux wood grain. Aluminum garage doors also will not rust, and are also the material used to make roll-up garage door slats.
If the garage connects to the house, it is worth it to invest in insulation, to prevent the cold that is on the other side of the garage door from entering other house areas.
Select the mechanism first, as that will make the other aspects of the garage door choice easier.