Garage Door Styles

Steel garage doors are stronger and more secure than fiberglass, wood or aluminum. Today’s steel doors rival the look of wood without the maintenance and headaches thanks to new technologies.

Steel doors won’t warp, crack or fall apart because of weather conditions. Most are made of hot-dipped, galvanized steel that is vinyl clad or given a baked on finish. They won’t rust or require painting as often as wood door s do. Most warranties guarantee the door won’t rust for as long as you own the house. However, that won’t include fading. The con is steel can dent and be difficult to repair. But overall it will withstand more than that of your average wood garage door.

Usually, you can discern a steel doors quality by its thickness and by the cladding thickness. A premium door is often a full two inches thick and filled with insulation and clad in 24 gauge steel. Less expensive garage doors are usually thinner and made of 28 gauge steel (the thicker the metal, the lower the number).

Double skin construction is mor durable and attractive from inside the garage than that of a single skin with a frame that shows from the inside sandwiching the foam insulation between panes both on the inside and outside.

Another measure of a quality garage is weather stripping. The best made doors have a full width vinyl bubble weather stripping that runs along the bottom edge of the garage door and conforms to the floor. Also they have rigid vinyl end caps along the sides of the door panels.

An average steel garage door measuring 16 by 7 feet you can expect to pay anywhere from $740-1300 installed. Keep in mind area and style will make a difference. Be sure and compare the different garage types to assure that you are choosing the right one for your house.Source: A1 Steel Buildings