The Garage Door Resource Guide
Not sure what garage door will work for you? You’re in the right spot. The info below will turn you into a garage door wizard who will rival the seasoned garage doors pros with the amount of key insights you’ll have. In reality, I can’t make that promise, but I can guarantee that the info below will make you a significantly more educated buyer of your next garage door.
Basic Overview
The two most common types of overhead garage doors are sectional doors and roll-up doors. Within rollup doors, there are two different styles: sheeting doors and rolling steel doors. The info below will help you make a more informed decision about the right door for your next project.
Roll-Up Doors (aka Coiling Doors)
Roll-up doors roll vertically into a coil above the opening. This takes up very little overhead space for items like car lifts, but often required additional head room above the door. They can also be mounted externally if you need a taller door, but don’t have the space to make your dream door a reality.
Sheet Doors
Door Construction
26ga steel sheets are roll formed with stiffening ribs and hemmed together by a seaming machine to form a continuous sheet
Pros
Most affordable door stye
Require limited overhead space
Typically available in 1” width and height increments
Cons
Long-term durability is a concern if this door will be used often (like in a high duty cycle commercial setting)
Air sealing around the door, especially the top, is difficult because of the large gap near the top of the door
If the door is damaged, it is not easily serviceable
Can be noisy when exposed to wind gusts
Insulation sucks (don’t waste your money on insulated sheet doors)
Rolling Steel Doors
Door Construction
Roll-formed 2-3” wide slats are interlocked to form the door curtain
Slats are typically available steel and aluminum
Slat thickness is typically determined by door size and wind load requirements
Pros
Require limited overhead space
Highest cycle ranges and durability
Designed to open and close more times during its lifecycle
Lowest lifetime cost
They’re more durable and require less maintenance
Can be custom-fit to the exact dimensions required
Low maintenance
Fewer mounting components and exposed operating components
Cons
Lower insulation values than sectional doors
Highest up-front cost
Better air seal than a sheet door, worse than a sectional door
Sectional Doors
Sectional doors lift vertically along tracks and are stored horizontally against the ceiling when open. They can mount using a standard lift, a high lift for high ceilings, a vertical lift to bring the entire door straight up or a low-headroom lift for limited overhead spaces.
Sectional doors are the most popular residential door.
Construction
Individual, 18″ to 24″ horizontal panels are connected with hinges
Standard steel thickness seems to vary between 24-30 ga, but don’t hold me to that as there isn’t a ton of info online and I only dug through a few spec books
Pros
Lower upfront cost than rolling steel doors
Highest insulation values of any style of garage door
Easiest door to seal around jambs and header due to more uniform gaps
Most aesthetically pleasing window options in my opinion
Most customizable with material finishes, colors, and styles
Can be designed to look modern, traditional, wooden, etc.
Cons
Require more ceiling space than roll-up doors
May block lighting, HVAC vents, or hanging storage shelves
Widths typically limited by predetermined increments ranging from 2″ to 3″
May require more maintenance due to alignment of tracks
