Garage doors in days past were strictly for practical purposes, selected based on functionality, durability, and any safety features that may be incorporated. No one truly paid attention to this part of the home with the familiar white-colored pain. Whether you had a single or double, they typically just blended into the background.
Modern times have certainly changed all of that. Today people take great pride in the curb appeal presented by their home, and the garage doors add significantly to the effect. Custom options, jmacdoors.com, seamlessly mold into the aesthetic of the outdoor space with more choices coming available all the time. It’s no longer all about the entry door.
What’s All The Excitement About The Garage Doors?
A home having an attached garage with doors facing forward towards the road will be mercilessly judged by those driving by and anyone visiting. These are a broad expansiveness spanning the face meaning it will provide the very first impression, and as they say, ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Everything people intend to presume about you will come from that initial peek, whether it be the era, cleanliness/neatness, flamboyance, reservation, confidence. So many things can be determined just from design choices, paint colors, and how something is maintained. That is one reason the choices you make on the outside of your home need careful consideration.
It can prove challenging and overwhelming with the numerous factors involved in selecting among the available doors. Not only do you need to choose among the various types, but there is also the need to pick a material, the finish, the best color choice, and the added features such as insulation, windows, and hardware to be installed. Read for tips on replacing your garage door. Let’s break it down:
- The Sectional: The claim is that this is the door chosen the most often within the United States. It comprises paneled sections connected by hinges with wheels at the edge of each section that roll on a vertical track on the sides of the door as it opens and closes. There are high-tension springs attached by cables responsible for its operation as well as holding it in place when leaving it partially open.
These note to be low maintenance and consist of steel material that you can customize using certain textures, hardware, window inserts, insulated/non-insulated, or any color.
- Doors that roll-up: Primarily, these types will be implemented for commercial use as opposed to residential offering a fundamental design aesthetic and manufactured for spaces that provide limited ceiling capacity. The design features 2-3″ slats of steel in sections that wrap around a drum. These are made to endure harsh conditions and abuses, unusually excessive use with preventative measures instilled against corrosion, rust, and freezing.
The exceptional performance of this unit comes at a higher price point than the more common sectional system.
- Sliding System: Selecting the slide to the side model will give you a system that bends to one side in the space and sits parallel to that wall. The claim is that this unit was among the first styles originally used in areas with minimal headroom. Their function is such that the flexibility of the low trolleys where they run works despite sloping in the ceiling or floors. These have no balancing spring but come fitted with a retractable motor, which allows automated operation with no need for ceiling mounts.
- A Side Hinge: This design is old-fashioned in nature with doors that swing open and closed via hinged frames on each side of the opening reminiscent of barn doors with most often wood material except in commercial use when galvanized steel is incorporated. The classic door has become more popular particularly for those areas that produce obstructions for other models or have limited headspace. A version like this has a pre-hung option with a steel frame or it can fit an existing opening. It’s also possible to automate with conversion arms.
- The canopy: Like the side-hinge in that it’s made of a solid piece is the tilt-up canopy door. The tilt-up in the garage using a pivoting hinge. The ‘canopy’ when open will sit parallel to the ceiling but extend past the front of the home.
With a lot of the older doors in the days gone by, there were not many safety features that proved to be a danger, particularly to small children and pets. Without any detection or sensors, there was potential for injury or worse if someone were to get in the way when the system was closing. With today’s modern features, preventative measures are in place to keep the unit from closing with anything or anyone in the way.
Sensors can detect when there is something in the path where the door would come down. When the door reaches a certain point, the sensors activate, and the door re-engages itself back up, allowing the person or animal to walk away.
If you notice any indication that your system is not working correctly, it’s essential to contact a professional repair service immediately for safety purposes. It could be something simple for which you feel you may be able to DIY, but if you take care of the wrong problem or if you fix it improperly, it could result in serious injury to someone. Always consult an expert to inspect the reason for the malfunction or for basic maintenance to ensure optimal operation.
Final Word
One of the primary considerations in choosing the ultimate door for your home, aesthetics aside, is the safety features that it employs. Household accidents are considerably prevalent in the United States, and this is in part due to homeowner’s neglect. Some of that is because we’re basing product selections on appearance over performance for fear of what people think. It is genuinely essential to have curb appeal in every neighborhood absolutely for the betterment of the community, but always remember to make that second to your overall safety in the choices you make regarding home and family.
