When you’re going to select your new garage door, there are 4 different materials to choose from. Each material offers you several benefits and disadvantages. Here’s what you need to know about garage door materials:
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Wood
Benefits: As you know, the first garage doors were made of wood. Wooden garage doors boost your home’s attractiveness… and they give your house a unique, distinguished look. In addition, wooden garage doors can endure harsh winters (and dents) better that other materials.
Disadvantages: Wooden doors are high-maintenance, require periodic painting/staining, and they agonize under heavy rain or direct sunlight. This type of door has a short life (one-year warranties are the standard for wooden doors), and will suffer cracks, splits, expansion, or shrinkage when it’s not well-maintained.
Steel
Benefits: Affordable, durable, almost zero maintenance. The material of choice for today’s garage doors. A top-quality steel garage door – made from 24-gauge steel – will easily last for at least ten years, and the manufacturer will give you an appropriate warranty. Also, there’s a wide array of designs to choose from, including steel doors painted to look like legitimate wooden doors.
Disadvantages: Low-quality steel is weak against dents, and low-end garage doors will rust over time. Moreover, steel isn’t a very good insulator, and you’ll need to install insulation (or buy an insulated steel door).
Aluminum
Benefits: Lighter and less expensive than steel, it will never rust even if submerge your garage door in saltwater.
Disadvantages: Aluminum is twice as likely to dent as steel, and it requires more maintenance. Additionally, a high-quality aluminum door can be quite expensive.
Fiberglass
Benefits: An aluminum frame supports translucent fiberglass panels. The aluminum frame it’s extremely durable, and this kind of doors are more dent-resistant that steel. Due to fiberglass’ chemical composition, these doors will never rust or corrode… making them the perfect doors for coastal homes. Besides, fiberglass doors need almost zero maintenance.
Disadvantages: Unfortunately, fiberglass is a very poor insulator, and it’ll also break down in the winter. Moreover, the panels can turn yellow as the time passes.
As you just read, every different garage door material offers you several benefits (and disadvantages), depending on your specific conditions. Before installing a new garage door… or replacing your old garage door… you’ve got to talk to a garage door specialist. The good people at Hudson Valley Overhead Door & Operators are the leading garage door experts in the Hudson Valley… and they will help you select the right material for your garage door, and ensure your door will suit your tastes and meet your expectations.
Hudson Valley Overhead Doors and Operators has been providing professional garage door installation and service in the Hudson Valley for more than a decade. A few of the services Hudson Valley provides are LaGrange Garage Doors, Germantown Garage Doors, Hudson Garage Doors, Somers Garage Doors, and Yorktown Heights Garage Doors.