Up-and-Over vs Sectional Garage Doors: Which Is Right for You?

Choosing a new garage door is about more than getting a colour you like or setting a budget. The mechanism matters most. It determines how much of your driveway space is sacrificed, how smoothly the door will open, and how long the door will function is important, of course. Two of the more popular options available in the UK are up-and-over doors and sectional doors. If you understand the difference, you should be able to avoid making a choice you will come to regret.

Up-and-Over Doors

Up-and-over doors are great because of their dependability. The doors consist of one panel that pivots to the side and lifts up. There are two primary types of these doors.

Practically, there is the canopy door where one third of the door moves to the outside when fully open. This door type is less expensive, but it requires the clearance in front of the garage for opening.

The other primary type is the retractable door where the door moves fully into the garage. These types of doors are easily automated and leave the driveway clear.

Sectional Doors

In this design, the door panels are moved vertically and then travel horizontally around a curved track to rest against the ceiling.

Differences Over Viewed

Driveway Space

If you have a short driveway or park your car close to the garage, sectional doors are a better choice because of the reduced space required compared to the up-and-over door.

Since they don’t swing outward, you can park right to the door without the door’s mechanism potentially scraping your hood. Up-and-over doors, especially the canopy type, require forehead clearance when open, which trips up some homeowners.

Ceiling Height and Headroom

Sectional garage doors need a certain amount of clearance space above the door opening for the track system to function, so in these cases, ceiling height is important. Most installation cases require about 200 to 300 mm of clearance, but low-headroom track systems are available. Up-and-over doors are better for older buildings that lack adequate headroom.

Insulation

Up-and-over doors are generally not as well insulated as sectional garage doors. Because of the way sectional doors are constructed and can have foam insulation, mostsectional doors are effectively better at keeping the cold out and being more energy efficient.

Automation

Both designs allow for automation, and in both cases a vertical lift is easier on the motors. Retractable up-and-over doors are easier to automate compared to canopy will types.

Security

Sectional doors are also superior in this case, because the design of a multi panel door and the interlocking systems make it virtually impossible to break into. Modern designs include multiple hook-bolt locks.

Older steel panel up-and-over doors can be easily compromised at the base and are less secure.

Which Should You Choose?

There isn’t a clear answer – it depends on the design and usage of your garage.

• Sectional is a good choice for a garage with a small driveway and is concerned with the insulation and automation of the garage.
• Up & Over is better suited for an older garage with limited headroom and with a low budget.

An up-and-over door that has been properly fitted will perform better than a poorly installed sectional door and should be a key consideration when choosing.

A garage door specialist can give expert advice on which door is most suitable for your garage.