Thinking about installing a new garage door? It pays to do your research. And one of the first things to understand is that garage doors come in a variety of materials. Each has various advantages, shortcomings, and cost considerations. Here’s a brief breakdown on some of the most common garage door materials and what you need to know to select the best option for your new garage door. That’s the low down from us — the garage door repair and installation professional!

Steel Garage Doors

There’s a reason steel is the most popular material when it comes to garage door installation. It’s affordable, durable, and low maintenance. These garage doors require few repairs. These garage doors are also impossible to dent. Steel garage doors can be painted a variety of colors. Even older steel doors can look brand new after a fresh paint job. Like the natural look of real wood? Steel is available in textures that mimic wood.

The main drawback is steel is a poor insulator, so consider getting decent insulation that has an R factor of at least 16. Even in temperate areas like El Dorado Hills, an insulated door can minimize your heating and cooling bills, especially when it comes to air conditioning.

Though steel is highly durable, pay attention to thickness. Low quality and less expensive doors have thin panels of 27- or 28-gauge steel. These won’t stand up to impact, say by a kicked ball. The lower the gauge number, the thicker the steel. Higher quality doors will have 25- or 26-gauge steel, and your best doors at least 24-gauge. You can get commercial overhead doors that have even thicker steel.

Aluminum Garage Doors

Aluminum doors are very popular for commercial businesses where the overhead commercial garage door is an aesthetic feature of their business, say a restaurant or brewery that wishes to have rolling garage doors to enjoy the sunny weather of California. Modern and higher quality aluminum doors are not prone to denting.

Wooden Garage Doors

Wooden doors have a natural, authentic appeal. That’s why they are a popular choice when it comes to new garage doors. They come in a variety of styles, including carriage style doors for the true traditionalists. Popular woods including cedar, redwood, fir, and meranti (luan). These garage doors can be a bit pricey and require more upkeep and repair. They’ll need to be sanded and painted regularly every few years. Wooden doors may be factory-stained, painted or finished on-site.

Wood Composite Garage Doors

Composite wood garage doors include a wood frame covered with sheets of fiberboard. Some of the higher quality composite doors feature fiberboard skins with realistic detailing like overlays and grooves that stimulate the natural appeal of wood. These types of doors can be insulated for better energy efficiency. If you love the natural appeal of wood but also value practicality, these doors make an excellent choice for new garage door installation.

Fiberglass Garage Doors

These doors are not as popular as steel, but tend to be less prone to denting. Fiberglass doors are generally encased in aluminum frames, especially commercial overhead garage doors. These doors are light but may fade in sun exposure. They are salt resistant, so ideal for surviving the wet winters of Granite Bay, California.

Vinyl Garage Doors

The beauty of vinyl garage doors is they’re “kid proof,” i.e. less prone to dents or breaking. They are typically built on top of steel frames that are typically insulated. Vinyl garage doors are highly durable and require little maintenance. They tend to be available in fewer colors than fiberglass.

As garage door repair and installation professionals, we’re always here for help and advice. We install and repair garage doors as well as garage door openers for the Sacramento area.