Garage Door Company In Hoschton, Georgia

Types of Garage Doors

Although front entry doors can get all the attention due to attractive glass or decorative sidelights, it’s really the garage door that can give your home the perfect curb appeal.

If you have a front-facing, attached garage, the wideness of your garage door is the first thing people observe when they pull into your driveway or drive by. That’s why you’ll want to choose the right garage door when considering a replacement.

The many types of garage doors give you the opportunity to pick and choose the right one to fit your style.  The most common garage doors are the tilt-up canopy, tilt-up retractable, side hinged, slide to the side, roll-up, and sectional. You can choose the color, finish, type of door material, and other options such as unique windows, hardware, and insulation.

Don’t worry if you feel a little overwhelmed. Here’s a list of the different types of garage doors to help you sort out and learn about each type to make it easy to decide.

• Sectional Garage Doors – Sectional garage doors and have panel sections that are connected with hinges. When the door opens and closes, wheels at the edge of each panel roll inside a vertical track on each side of the door opening.

  Typically sectional doors are made from steel, don’t require a lot of maintenance, and can be customized to include colors, textures, windows, and hardware. There are both non-insulated and insulated models.

• Roll-up Garage Doors – Roll-up garage doors, also known as coiling doors, are used commercially more than residential but are a utilitarian design option made for areas with limited ceiling space. This style is made with 2″-3″ steel slat sections that roll around a drum above the door opening.

  Roll-up garage doors are built to undergo heavy usage. The high-performance doors are built without springs or enclosed to prevent freezing, rust, and corrosion. Because they are heavy-duty, the upfront costs are higher than a sectional garage door.

• Slide to Side Garage Doors – The slide to the side garage door operates by bending to one side of the garage and sitting parallel to the wall. These were originally used for garages with limited headroom and were among the first operating styles.

  Balancing springs are not required to slide to the side doors and have a built-in retractable motor for an automated operation that doesn’t need a ceiling-mounted operator. They run along with lower trolleys that are bendable enough to work with slopes in the ceiling or floor.

• Side-Hinged Garage Doors – The side-hinged garage doors swing open and closed from a hinged frame on either side of the opening and are old-fashion in design. They are similar to barn doors and usually made of wood, even though a more commercial design made of galvanized steel is available.

  They are specifically designed for garages with limited headroom or obstructions and are available in pre-hung steel frames and can fit into existing openings. They can also be automated with special conversion arms.

• Tilt-Up Canopy Garage Doors – Similar to side-hinged doors, the tilt-up canopy garage does not have sections, but one solid piece. They have a revolving hinge apparatus, so they can tilt up into the garage. The canopy-style door sits parallel to the garage ceiling and extends past the front of the house when the door is open.
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  Tilt-Up Retractable Garage Doors – The tilt-up retractable garage door, much like the tilt-up canopy, lift up and into the garage. They are suspended independently from the frame, so they do not protrude past the front of the house.

  This garage door requires more space than canopy garage doors. While some homeowners choose this style, they are more difficult to operate than other styles.