What I have learned from working in the garage door industry is that most people only familiarize themselves with their garage doors when a problem arises. If that problem is large or expensive enough to warrant replacing the garage door, the customer is now thrust into foreign territory. They must navigate a new world filled with tons of different materials, unfamiliar language like R-value, and more style choices than they know what to do with. The following blog will break down the basics of choosing a new garage door and give you a starting point to begin this often intimidating journey.
STYLE
The first thing to do is to decide what style of garage door fits your needs and your budget. Is the garage door strictly functional, or is it also going to be a decorative enhancement to the architecture of the home? If it is strictly functional, then a basic steel sectional garage door is the way to go. To keep things simple that is the type of garage door that we are going to focus on in this blog. However, the world of garage doors is becoming more vast everyday and there are models that range from barn style carriage looks to modern glass panels placed in custom configurations.Even when dealing with a basic steel door, there is a list of specifics that need to be decided upon. These generally include R-value or insulation factor, color, stamp design, and windows.
INSULATION
In most cases, steel garage doors come in three tiers of insulation or R-value. R-value is the measurement used to rate how energy efficient the garage door is, or how well it keeps the garage and home the desired temperature. The R-value increases as the insulation and structure increases. The first tier is referred to as non-insulated which would be a single sheet of steel with no insulation at all. This is considered a R-value of 0. The second tier is poly-back insulated. The outside is steel with a layer of insulation held in place by a poly or vinyl backing. This carries a R-value ranging from 7-8. The last tier is steel-back insulated. This refers to two sheets of steel sandwiching the insulation in the middle. A solid steel-back insulated door should have a R-value of around 10.
COLOR AND DESIGN
Color and stamp design are the next things to choose. These are generally chosen based on the color scheme and architecture of the house, and sometimes surrounding houses. most companies carry four basic colors at no additional cost: white, almond, sandstone (grayish) and dark brown. The color can be chosen to compliment or contrast house color or trim accents. The stamp design can either be a long rectangle or a short square. The long panel gives a less busy look while the short panel can add detail if the rest of the house is a little plain.
WINDOWS
Lastly a decision on windows needs to be made. Windows can add a little extra pop to the look of the new garage door while also adding natural light to the interior. If windows are chosen, there are tons of different design inserts that can also be added to make your garage stand out and feel like your own.
As we mentioned before, this is only the starting point for basic steel doors. Companies manufacture doors of all shapes and sizes to fit anyone’s needs. The best thing to do is call The Garage Door Man for a free estimate. He can help you choose the perfect garage door for all of your needs.
