Remote Control:

One of the first things you should consider when purchasing an automatic garage door is the remote control unit. Some remotes have a single button, whilst some may have two or more. If you have two garage doors, then you should look for a remote control that has two buttons. These garage doors will allow you to control each door separately so that you do not have to open both at the same time.

Drive System:

The next aspect to consider when choosing an opener is the drive system. Screw systems are used to actually lift the garage door and have relatively few moving parts and so require less maintenance. Chain driven systems use a metal chain to move the door along a track. These types of garage door openers are generally less expensive, but can generate more noise than the screw variety of units and may require more maintenance.

Power:

When buying a new garage door opener the amount of power also needs to be considered. You can choose between a door with 1/3, 1/2, or 3/4 horsepower. This decision is essentially based on the weight and type of door you have. If you have a double garage door, then you should buy an opener with a minimum of 1/2 horsepower.

Speed:

Garage door openers also come in different speeds. More expensive types open the door quickly so you do not have to wait so long. However, even these garage doors will always be closed at a slower speed for safety reasons.

Lighting:

One last aspect to consider when buying a garage door opener is lighting. Some models include a security light incorporated into the opener. The light is activated when you open the garage door. Some remote controls can actually turn on the light without opening the garage door as well.

Hopefully these simple tips should help you in your research and purchase of a new garage door opener. Check out also these tips for buying a garage door.

There is no doubt that integral garages can significantly affect the temperature of rooms adjacent to and above the garage area. The garage door itself can represent the largest single source of heat loss in your home and this all mounts up in terms of additional heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

Just as your garage doors are the largest, most visible, yet most frequently overlooked aspect of your property, so the garage space itself is almost certainly the largest un-insulated space in your home. Like many so-called “green” initiatives, insulating this large space helps conserve energy which is not only environmentally beneficial but also translates directly into saving quite a bit of money (as well as making your house more comfortable to live in).

If you live somewhere that is not susceptible to extreme climatic conditions then a wooden garage door provides much better intrinsic insulating properties than a steel door since wood is a very good natural insulator. However, extreme weather and large temperature fluctuations can mean that because wood garage doors are already quite heavy they are effectively impractical when it comes to adding heavy duty insulation. In these situations a well insulated metal door may be the better option (there are many considerations to weigh up in the debate over steel vs. wood garage doors).

There are several methods of garage door insulation that you can use. One of the best ways of providing good garage door insulation is to check with the door’s manufacturer. Some garage door companies sell kits that are designed to work with their doors, which can make insulating the garage door very easy and effective, although the overall price might be a little higher. But if you’re in the market to buy a new garage door rather than upgrade an existing one then it makes a lot of sense to have this option pre-installed for you.

An off-the-shelf insulated garage door will look better, last longer and out perform an after-market kit. It is also possible these days to purchase insulated wooden garage doors, combining the quality and good looks of a traditional wood panelled door with a fully insulated metal one. These comprise an outer skin of real wood that has been professionally treated and finished to resist the elements and look great. The inner skin is again real wood, which can be finished in any style you can think of (faux wood panelling, fake interior walls, etc). Sandwiched between these two layers of wood is a thick layer of polystyrene insulation which provides superb insulation (often better than the walls) and also reduces the weight that would otherwise be present in a solid wood door.

Alternatively, you can purchase garage door insulating kits that are not designed specifically for one brand of door, but which work well on most garage doors. These generic insulating kits are often a bit less expensive than those provided directly from the door manufacturer but are still quite effective.

Garage door insulation kits use one of 4 basic materials:

• Fibreglass panels are pre-formed units covered with a protective, washable vinyl finish. They usually come with an integral fastening system and you would typically use about 8 panels for a single door.
• Foam panels are similar but consist of an expanded polystyrene interior with a laminated plastic covering to protect the panel and make it easy to clean. These panels are fitted into the channels of the door frame rails and a typical kit is usually sufficient for a single door.
• Insulating foam (polystyrene) is injected behind a plastic membrane that is fitted flush to the inside of the door; the foam then bonds to the surface of the door which keeps it in place and ensure complete coverage.
• Reflective foil is for solid (i.e. wooden) garage doors that thus don’t have the integral space and cannot take the additional weight of panel inserts. It is a very simple system whereby the foil is cut to shape and simply stuck to the inside of the door. It is generally available in varying degrees of thickness o suit.

You can also purchase your own garage door insulation supplies and do the job yourself without using a kit. There are three main areas on a garage door that benefit from insulation.

• First, you can use foam panels on the inside surfaces of the garage doors to provide extra insulation to the door itself, especially if the doors have glass windows.
• Second, the weather stripping on the sides of the doors needs to be in good condition. If this weather stripping has pulled loose or is in poor condition, this should be replaced to keep cold air from getting in around the edges of the door.
• Third, the garage door should have a compression bubble on the bottom edge that will effectively seal the bottom of the door when it is closed, keeping cold air from getting in. This should be checked, and if it is missing or it has become stiff, brittle or cracked, it should be replaced.

It’s hard to make any plausible case that a solid block of vinyl enhances visual appeal, and the ease with which metal dents and deforms quickly makes metal garage doors look as though they have seen better days. By contrast, wooden garage doors are naturally attractive and retain their beauty with age. Scuffs and scratches actually lend them character and are anyway easily repaired if needs be requiring little more than basic handyman tips to deal with most situations.

It’s no coincidence that wood garage doors are still first choice among architects, builders and homeowners; solid wood garage doors always add a touch of quality in the same way that solid wooden window frames totally outclass aluminium and uPVC window systems. It is also much easier to match wood types and colours to existing architectural features such as the main doors and windows of a house.

As already mentioned, wood is easy to work and repair and when properly treated wooden garage doors can easily outlast so-called maintenance-free materials such as steel, aluminium, fibre-glass and vinyl (also called polyethylene).

Metal doors are prone to attracting dents and to buckling (even simply kicking a ball against a metal garage door can ruin its appearance), and while steel doors tend to be less susceptible than aluminium, steel is heavier and will eventually rust. Fibre-glass and vinyl, while being lightweight and initially robust will over time degrade and become brittle and crack due to exposure to ultra-violet light and they are not realistically repairable once that happens.

Classic wood garage doors also provide a useful lesson in simplicity of design. Using solid wood rails and legs with panels channelled into them and typically swinging outwards on hinges there is no complicated internal framework just waiting to fail or extraneous fastenings to corrode. Most metal and vinyl garage doors on the other hand employ either an “up-and-over” system or the more recent “carriage style garage doors” design that looks as though it might swing outwards but in fact is sectioned and rolls upwards.

In both cases, complex mechanisms using garage door springs are vital to the operation of the door. And it is a near certainty that, even if you regularly maintain the mechanism, you will at some point be required to adjust your garage door springs and possible repair and/or replace them which is not a trivial task.

Get behind any set of garage doors though and the full story is revealed. Only solid wood doors look good on both sides and are not just an outer shell concealing latch mechanisms on the inside. This is critically important to anyone considering using their garage as a secondary living space.

Not only do wood garage doors look good both from outside and inside the garage, they offer superior insulation and security characteristics – heat simply flies through metal and vinyl and neither material supports the sort of proven, quality locking mechanisms typically found in solid wood doors. Although it is relatively simple to add insulating panels to the inside of a metal door, the result is never especially easy on the eye and the result compares poorly against a pre-insulated wooden garage door.

For those looking for ultimate protection then high security wooden garage doors internally reinforced with steel are able to resist even the most determined attackers for a considerable length of time. These not only protect your property but can form the basis of a garage “safe room” to prevent intruders threatening or harming you or your family.

In summary then, wooden garage doors are not only the best looking option, but last better than the alternatives and are simpler, more environmentally friendly and score highly where security and insulation are concerned. There’s no escaping the fact that a wood panelled door is far and away the most expensive option, but there’s always a price to pay for quality and don’t forget either that wood garage doors can increase the value of your home.

As the term suggests, custom wooden garage doors can be constructed in almost limitless configurations and from many different types of wood, most commonly Cedar, Redwood, Hemlock and Oak. Manufactures specializing in wood doors build quality products that will last for many years. However there’s no getting away from the fact that wood, being a natural material, requires more maintenance (i.e. regular painting or treating with stain) than metal or composite garage doors.

On the plus side, any wood garage door (whether custom or standard) brings a number of benefits to outweigh the higher maintenance regime. Wood doors off a variety of insulation options and even an entry-level wood door can provide a better R-value than a similar non-insulated steel door.

But although wood is naturally a good insulator it is not recommended for areas that suffer extreme cold or if you intend to heat or cool your garage. Likewise, for high wind risk areas such as Florida and the Gulf Coast in general, custom wooden garage doors are most unlikely to comply with high wind codes such as the Miami-Dade wind code – doors designed to withstand hurricanes are typically made of high gauge steel.

But extreme weather aside, wooden garage doors will actually take quite a bit more day to day punishment than steel doors which is definitely something to consider if you have children that play near the doors (or bounce balls off them).

The versatility of wooden garage doors is probably the true key to their enduring popularity though. Homeowners who want customized garage doors to match their home invariably choose wooden garage doors. Think about it. Is your home curvaceous with arches, or is it all straight lines and box shaped? Does it have feature details such as panels or wood trim? Are the window and door frames made of a distinctive wood, are they stained or painted a particular color?

Carriage style wooden garage doors, with their graceful curves would perfectly complement a house with curved windows. A rustic looking garage door would be a great match for a Spanish villa style house. A stylish, contemporary home could look stunning with garage doors sporting glass or wide horizontal panels. Whatever your house style – Colonial, Tudor, Mediterranean, Country, Contemporary – you can customize garage doors to match it.

Custom doors are the most expensive garage doors. These are the doors that are designed to the home owner’s specifications, and can be built to fit odd shaped or custom garages. Typically these doors are made of high quality hardwoods, and incorporate lots of architectural interest.

In most cases a custom wood door will cost much more than a metal door. Although there is some overlap in pricing, with some top-end metal garage doors being more expensive than some more basic wooden varieties, the price differential between a really cheap metal door and a quality custom wood door can be as much as ten times.

The question then is whether the difference in quality and the long-term value-add to your property justify the outlay for doors that are custom designed to your own specifications or built to fit an unusual garage arrangement.

If fully custom designed wooden doors are a stretch though, semi-custom doors are a good compromise, and in fact account for the majority of garage door sales. Semi-custom doors allow you to choose styles, materials, colors, and windows based on a set menu of options. The number and shape of panels, materials, insulation or not, and ancillary hardware can be configured to provide a garage door that appears custom made in many respects but at a fraction of the price of a bespoke wooden garage door.