What Type of Garage Door Should You Choose?

What type of garage door is appropriate for your home? There are four primary material choices to start with: steel, aluminum, wood or fiberglass. What are the pros and cons of each? Consider a few of the primary issues involved with each one:

Steel: Steel is the most durable choice out of the group. Thanks to modern technology, steel doesn’t even have to look like steel—it can be made to recreate the look of wood without much hassle. Steel doors will not warp, crack or fall apart. However, it can be dented and is costly to repair.

Wood: Wood is well-liked because of its natural appearance and affordability, not to mention its easy tooling. On the downside, because of the expanding and contracting nature of wood, it does require regular maintenance.

Fiberglass: Residential garage doors made from fiberglass may be pure fiberglass or have an aluminum frame with fiberglass sections. This is very lightweight material and is yet still highly resistant to corrosion and translucency. However, it has poor insulation properties, tends to turn yellow after some time, and breaks in very cold weather.

Aluminum: Similar to steel, and also can be made to look like wood. They are also lightweight and resistant to rust. This is an inexpensive choice, but it is also very easy to damage.

There is a variety of residential garage doors available and each one has its own list of pros and cons. Economically speaking, wood and steel tend to be the most expensive—to build and to maintain. This is why many companies now offer sectional garage doors of wood, fiberglass or even glass. A garage door should be professionally installed for optimal performance.