4 Types of Garage Doors You Need To Know About (Before You Buy)

There are many types of garage doors on the market to choose from. Finding the right one for you will depend on your garage opening, and what your garage is used for.

Let’s look at the different types of garage doors and some of their pros and cons.

 

1. Roller Garage Doors

Roller garage doors are a very popular garage door type.

A roller door has horizontal slats arranged as a concertina. When the door opens, it rolls around a drum above the inside doorway, rather than opening outwards.  

This type of garage door is often used commercially. You've probably seen them at MOT garages - but they’re also often used for domestic use at people’s homes.  

What are the Pros & Cons of Roller Garage Doors?

👍 Pros

• Ideal for Small Garages: A roller door might well be your best bet if ceiling space is in short supply. This is because of its compactness when it’s rolled up.  
• Easy and Affordable Maintenance and Repairs: Any damaged or loose slats can be replaced individually, without impacting the whole roller door.  
• Mid-Range Price Point: Roller garage doors are neither the cheapest nor the most expensive type of garage door. You can usually find an awesome roller door at a reasonable price if you shop around. 

🚫 Cons

• Unsuitable for Lower Ceilings: A roller door needs sufficient headroom for the drum. For this reason, other garage door types can be better for garages with low ceilings.  
• Slow Opening Pace: The mechanical action that operates roller garage doors is slow and steady in comparison to other faster opening types of garage doors.

2. Sectional Garage Doors

Looking for an upscale garage door? Look no further than snazzy sectional garage doors to add a dash of dapper to your garage aesthetic. 

Just like roller garage doors, a sectional garage door opens vertically, rolling up to the ceiling without opening outwards.

The main difference is that sectional garage doors have larger panel sections that operate on ceiling runners, creating a sleek appearance that you can customise to suit the overall look of your exterior.  

What are the Pros & Cons of Sectional Garage Doors?

👍 Pros

• Suits Smaller Garages: The panel sections of the door nestle snugly against the ceiling when the door opens. As a result, it doesn’t hog any floor space that you need for your motor or whatever else you use your garage for. 
• Next-level Security: Sectionals doors are one of the most secure types of garage doors, because of their lack of vantage points for unwanted intruders to crack (here are some other tips on how to make your garage secure)

🚫 Cons

• Uses Up Ceiling Space: A massive amount of ceiling space is taken up by the horizontal tracks. This means you can’t use your ceiling space for any other purposes like overhead storage (check out our guide to Garage Overhead Storage here)
• Higher Price Tags: Unsurprisingly, the ‘Rolls Royce’ of garage door types can have eye watering price tags to match. 

3. Side Hinged Garage Doors

Question - When are garage doors not garage doors? Answer – When they’re side hinged garage doors.

Why so? Because side hinged garage doors don’t look like most other types of garage doors.

The clue is in the name. These garage door types are side-hinged, just like your patio doors. 

They’re easily customisable in 50/50 or 70/30 ratios, in a variety of different colours and materials to suit your specific wants and needs. 

What are the Pros & Cons of Side Hinged Garage Doors?

👍 Pros

• Safe and Secure: Side hinged garage door types are as sound and dependable as any.
• Great for ‘Non-Garage’ Garages: Their homely style often makes them the first choice of people who use their garages as offices, studios, workout spaces, hobby rooms or wo/man caves.
• Good Range of Price Points: Side hinged doors offer ample opportunity for customisation. As a result, you can match your doors to your budget. 

🚫 Cons

• Less Practical for Vehicles: These aren’t the most accessible and handy types of garage doors for getting cars in and out of. 

4. Retractable Garage Doors

The retractable door, also known as the up-and-over door, is the most commonly used of all the garage door types.

It’s made of one single solid door panel, which opens vertically and glides over the garage ceiling, courtesy of a pivoting hinge conducting the operation. 

What are the Pros & Cons of Retractable Garage Doors?

👍 Pros

• Ease and Speed of Installation: Retractable doors offer ultimate speedy and hassle-free installation.
• Most Affordable Garage on the Market: Simple as. No further explanation necessary. 

🚫 Cons

• Reduced Drive Through Width: The side lifting arms of the hinge mechanism devour take up a lot of space. This can be a deal breaker if you’ve already got a smaller garage opening.  

Where to buy Garage Doors

Here are some useful links where you can different types of garage doors for sale

• B&Q
• Wickes
• Screwfix
• Garage Door Sale
• Garage Doors Online 

If you have questions about the best type of garage doors for your garage opening be sure to contact the Customer Service teams for one of the above websites

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