The six popular types of garage doors are roll-up, side-hinged, sectional, sliding, tilt-up, and tilt-up retractable.
When it comes to your garage door, you have choices to make. There are several different types of garage doors available to choose from. The six most popular ones are shown above, so read on to view our in-depth analysis of each type to help you decide which one may be right for your situation.
6 Types of Garage Doors.
Sectional Garage Doors.
What are sectional garage doors?
Sectional garage doors are the most widely used doors in the U.S. constructed using panels that are connected with hinges, and have wheels on either panel edge to allow the door to roll up tracks secured to each side of the garage door opening.
Advantages of Sectional Garage Doors.
• They are highly reliable and very hard-wearing.
• They come in a variety of styles and colors.
• They can save space inside the garage.
• They can be operated either manually or with an automatic remote control door opener.
Disadvantages of Sectional Garage Doors.
Sectional garage doors have disadvantages if:
• There is very little headroom above the door opening.
• There are any obstacles near the opening.
• They prove to be too expensive for your budget.
• The noise they produce when operating is unacceptable.
• You have concerns about possible damage to the panels.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Sectional Garage Doors.
The cost to have a sectional garage door installed can vary between $750 and $2,500 depending on where you live, and the material chosen.
Maintenance of a sectional door should be done twice a year and should include checking items such as:
• Any unusual noises when the door is in motion.
• Testing the reversal operation.
• Check all bolts and brackets are tight.
• Inspect all rollers for free movement.
• Check for signs of damage.
Roll-Up Garage Doors.
What Are Roll-Up Garage Doors?
Roll-up garage doors are usually found in commercial environments, and as the name suggests, when it is opened, the door winds up in a roll at the top of the door opening.
Advantages of Roll-Up Garage Doors.
• If you have limited ceiling clearance, then roll-up doors are ideal.
• They are designed to be hard-wearing and can be installed in areas prone to hurricanes.
• They improve the security of your property as the motor acts as a secure lock.
• They are available in a wide range of materials including fiberglass, aluminum, and steel.
Disadvantages of Roll-Up Garage Doors.
• They can be costly to install compared to other garage door types.
• They tend to have an industrial appearance.
• They cannot be installed by a DIY enthusiast.
• They are one of the heaviest types of garage doors on the market today.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Roll-Up Garage Doors.
You can expect to pay anywhere between $900 and $3,000 for a roll-up door and installation.
Maintenance of a roll-up garage door should be performed carefully, not only because of the weight of the door but also because all the moving parts work in conjunction with each other ensuring smooth operation. You should inspect items including:
• All the fasteners and brackets.
• The door guides.
• The fascia and hood.
• The motor and drive chain.
• The inertia safety brake.
• And lubricate all moving parts.
Side-Hinged Garage Doors.
What are Side-Hinged Garage Doors?
Reminiscent of barn doors, side-hinged garage doors open and close by swinging outwards from the garage opening, and are secured to a frame by hinges.
Advantages of Side-Hinged Garage Door.
• Side-hinged doors are available for garage openings as narrow as five feet.
• They are available in various materials including softwood and hardwood, glass fiber, and steel.
• They can be made with or without insulation.
• Many come with a pre-fitted steel frame for easy installation.
Disadvantages of Side-Hinged Garage Door.
• They cannot be as wide as other types of garage doors.
• It can be expensive to have them automatically open and close.
• If your driveway slopes down towards the garage, then opening the doors may be problematic.
• They are not as secure as sectional or roll-up doors.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Side-Hinged Garage Door.
Depending on the material, size, and installation costs, the average price for side-hinged garage doors can be between $500 and $1,000.
Maintenance considerations for side-hinged doors are probably the simplest of all the types of garage doors. Hinges and locks should be periodically inspected for any wear and tear and lubricated at least twice a year to keep them in good working order.
Barn Style/Sliding Garage Doors.
What are Barn Style/Sliding Garage doors?
Barn style/sliding garage doors are doors that hang from a heavy gauge solid track that is mounted above or inside the garage door opening. They can be either two doors that slide apart from each other or one single door that slides to one side of the opening.
Advantages of Barn Style/Sliding Garage doors
• They are easily opened or closed manually in the event of a power outage.
• If a motor is fitted for automatic opening, the noise created is minimal.
• They always open to their full height, unlike overhead doors where you may have to duck under the door to gain entry.
• With an overhead door, you have to open it fully to retrieve anything from inside the garage, but with barn style sliding doors you only have to open it wide enough to get through.
Disadvantages of Barn Style/Sliding Garage Doors.
• They require extra wall space for them to open, either on both sides or on just one side of the opening.
• They are generally more expensive compared to other doors, but materials, size, and design play a large part in the overall costs.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Barn Style/Sliding Garage Doors.
Prices for barn style/sliding garage doors range from $750 to $2,000 for a single door and from $1,750 to $4,000 for a double garage door with installation costs ranging from $450 to $950.
Maintenance items include paying attention to the tracks, rollers, brackets, and fasteners making sure they are all secure and lubricated where appropriate.
Slide-to-the-side Garage Doors.
What are Barn Slide-to-the-side Garage Doors?
Slide-to-the-side garage doors do exactly that—they slide to one side of the garage door opening by curving round to finish parallel to the garage wall.
Advantages of Slide-to-the-side Garage Doors.
• They provide maximum space in the garage by sliding along the wall.
• There is heightened security with slide-to-the-side doors due to the construction of steel frames, corners that are reinforced, and secure locks.
• They don’t take up any ceiling space as with traditional garage doors.
Disadvantages of Slide-to-the-side Garage Doors.
• They are difficult to convert to automatic.
• The wall space where the door comes to rest must be free of obstructions.
• They tend to have an industrial appearance detracting from the overall curb appeal.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Slide-to-the-Side Garage Doors.
Because slide-to-the-side garage doors are not the most widely used type of garage door, prices are higher than normal and can range from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on materials and design.
Slide-to-the-side garage doors require very little maintenance compared to others because of the low number of moving components.
Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Canopy Garage Doors.
What are Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Canopy Garage Doors?
Tilt-up or up-and-over canopy doors are similar to sectional doors except for one crucial difference. They are a “one-piece” door, and instead of rolling up on tracks, this type of door tilts up and back along the track at the ceiling level.
Advantages of Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Canopy Garage Doors.
• They are convenient, and because they are lightweight and made using a single panel opening the door doesn’t require a lot of strength.
• They are usually less expensive than other types of garage doors.
• They can come in various designs and materials to suit your budget.
Disadvantages of Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Canopy Garage Doors.
• They are less secure than the popular sectional door since there is no bottom seal to the door making it easy to force the door up.
• The weather resistance is lower than other types of doors.
• If the door suffers any damage, then the whole door may need to be replaced, unlike a sectional door where just the damaged section is replaced.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Canopy Garage Doors.
The average price for tilt-up/canopy garage doors ranges from $500 to $1,500. Size, installation, and materials chosen will affect the overall costs.
Because the mechanism that is built into this type of door is a basic hinge that allows the door to pivot upwards, the maintenance required is fairly basic. Checking the pivot points periodically and lubricating them is almost all that is required on a monthly basis.
Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Retractable Garage Doors.
What are Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Retractable Garage Doors?
Unlike tilt-up or up-and-over canopy doors where approximately one-third of the door protrudes out of the top of the opening, retractable tilt-up doors move all the way into the garage.
Advantages of Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Retractable Garage Doors.
• Their design allows them to be installed with an automatic door opener.
• They are more trouble-free to use.
• Compared to canopy garage doors, they produce less noise when operated.
Disadvantages of Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Retractable Garage Doors.
• Their construction is more intricate increasing the possibility of mechanical failures.
• They do require more free ceiling space within the garage.
• They generally are not insulated and have no seals.
Cost and Maintenance Considerations for Tilt-Up or Up-and-Over Retractable Garage Doors.
Costs for this type of garage door can range from $600 to $2,000 depending on dimensions and materials.
To keep your tilt-up or up-and-over retractable garage door working in good order, you should clean the door monthly, lubricate tracks, rollers, and hinges every three months, and have it professionally serviced annually.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Garage Door Type.
Garage size and opening measurements.
Do you require a single or double garage door? Since most garage doors come in standard sizes, you need to determine the height and the width of your garage opening.
Budget.
You should have a budget for the garage door and calculate what type and style of garage door will fit within your budgeted amount. Many factors govern the price of a garage door. Different materials are available, from steel to high-end wood. Steel door prices can vary from $650 to $1,800, while with wooden garage doors, prices range from $2,000 to $10,000 depending on the species of wood and the finish.
Climate and weather conditions.
Your local weather conditions may play a large part in the type of garage door you choose. If you reside in an area prone to hot summers, then an insulated garage door can make all the difference to the interior temperature of your garage. An insulated garage door helps keep a more regulated temperature inside the garage and is especially useful if the garage doubles up as a workshop.
If you live in a high-humidity area, then you should consider choosing a material that is corrosion-resistant such as fiberglass or aluminum. These garage door materials go a long way to extending the life of the door.
Desired level of insulation
When selecting an insulated garage door, the R-value of the insulation is particularly important. An R-value represents the amount of thermal resistance, critical if you stay in a region that is subject to high summer temperatures. The higher the R-value the better the insulation will be to maintain a reasonable inside temperature.
Noise considerations
Noise reduction is possible when it comes to garage doors by keeping vibrations to a minimum. Nylon rollers move along the tracks with very little effort and are more often than not quieter than the usual metal rollers. The automatic door opener is also a source of noise. Belt-driven door openers are generally quieter than other types.
Aesthetic preferences
If your garage door is several years old, then the style of door that may have once blended in with the home’s exterior decor may now be outdated. New styles, materials, and types of garage doors available in today’s marketplace can often be the answer to bringing your garage up to date.
Frequency of use/traffic
If you use your garage door frequently, or you have small children or pets, then your garage door must have safety sensors fitted to either side of the garage door opening.
Most garage doors weigh upwards of 500 pounds, which means they are usually too heavy for one person to lift manually. If the door was to come down on an animal, child, or adult, it could cause serious injury or perhaps death.
Safety sensors work by detecting any object that breaks the light beam and immediately stops and reverses the direction of the door.
Garage ceiling height
The height of the ceiling inside the garage, also referred to as headroom, is an important factor when selecting a garage door. The standard residential garage ceiling height is approximately eight feet, and the recommended space above the door opening is 12 inches for manually operated doors, and 15 inches for automatic openers. If you have less than the minimum 12 inches, you may have to select a garage door that requires less headroom, such as a slide-to-the-side door.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 6 types of garage doors and how to choose one?
There are six most popular types of garage doors and each one comes with advantages and disadvantages.
• Roll-up garage doors.
• Side-hinged doors.
• Sectional garage doors.
• Sliding to the side doors.
• Tilt-up canopy doors.
• Tilt-up retractable doors.
When selecting a new garage door, you should consider a few important factors to make sure you choose the right one for your property.
• Dimensions.
• Style.
• Internal garage space.
• Security.
• Weather conditions.
Before purchasing garage doors, you should ensure that whatever type of garage door you are considering will fit.
What is the most popular type of garage door?
If you ask someone to imagine a garage door, they will probably describe a sectional door, which is at the top of the list of all the garage door types.
Sectional doors are reliable and robust, and with an automatic opener, they are easily opened and closed.
What type of door is best for the garage?
If durability is high on your list of criteria, then think about steel, vinyl, or wood garage doors. If you don’t want to be constantly maintaining the doors, look at wood composite or vinyl doors. Price is always important; therefore, vinyl or steel will be your best bet as they cost less than the other materials.
What is a 5-layer garage door?
Five-layer garage doors are manufactured using steel for their durability and strength, combined with insulation and composite materials for energy efficiency and visual appearance.
The five layers are:
• steel,
• insulation,
• steel,
• composite cladding,
• composite veneer.
The most popular type of five-layer garage door features a woodgrain overlay to give the appearance of real wood. This overlay is molded from real wood sections reproducing the grain and texture of the wood they are emulating.
What is a standard garage door?
A standard garage door, in most cases, is 8 to 9 feet wide and 7 to 8 feet high for a single-car garage. Two-car garage doors have a standard size of 16 feet wide and 7 to 8 feet high. It is not uncommon, however, for new construction to offer single garage doors that measure 9 feet wide by 7 feet high.
What is a modern garage door?
Modern garage door is a term that doesn’t refer to one particular thing, nor does it mean the newest model in the garage door industry. Modern garage door refers to the style of door and one that features:
• Geometric patterns.
• Neutral colors.
• Asymmetric lines.
• A streamlined appearance.
• No ornamental extras.
In contrast to traditional garage doors, modern garage doors have flat panels, no fancy hinges or handles, and garage door windows that are placed either on the left or right side in a vertical arrangement rather than the traditional horizontal way across the top of the door.
What is the safest type of garage door?
Out of the six most popular types of garage doors, the two that are considered the safest are roll-up and sectional doors. With electric automatic openers connected to these doors, they become extremely safe, not to mention secure. The safety aspect comes in the form of the automatic reverse function linked to safety beams fitted at floor level. If anything, or anyone breaks the beam while the door is closing, it triggers the auto-reverse function thereby preventing damage or serious injury.
What type of garage door is most durable?
Although steel garage doors are still the most popular material, the most durable of all the garage door types available to choose from, fiberglass doors are at the top of the list. They are more impervious to dents and resist corrosion or rust, which makes them the ideal choice for coastal environments, plus the fact that fiberglass needs virtually no maintenance.
What is the new trend in garage doors?
According to www.housegrail.com, homeowners are incorporating bolder colors, and to enhance the curb appeal of their garage, they are opting for custom finishes to garage doors adding to the overall value of their property. Sliding and swinging garage doors are becoming more popular as they are hand-crafted from select wood species giving an impressive look.
What is a 4-layer garage door?
A 4-layer garage door is similar to a 5-layer door, except that the composite cladding is omitted. The construction features:
• 4 layers consisting of steel, insulation steel, and composite veneer or overlay.
The veneer is usually a faux wood-grain layer, in various colors including walnut, slate, white, and black.
What are the two main categories of doors?
Garage doors fall under two main categories, residential and commercial/industrial. As the names imply, they are used for distinctly different situations.
While residential garage doors are generally 8 to 9 feet wide and 7 to 8 feet high for a single-car garage, commercial garage doors can be up to 12 feet high with the width dependent upon space available and application preferences.
Another difference is the material used. Residential doors are normally made using wood, aluminum, steel, etc., and commercial doors are constructed using aluminum and zinc-coated steel for extra security and durability.
