Selecting Your New Garage Door: A Concise Guide
Embarking on the journey to find a new garage door can feel overwhelming, given the abundance of information required to make a well-informed decision. This brief guide aims to simplify your understanding of the various garage door types and the reasons behind their existence.
Each category below includes a link for more in-depth information on that specific door style. Should you have any questions not addressed here, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email or by telephone at 01926 463888.
Up & Over Door
Still the most instantly recognizable door style in the UK, this proven one-piece panel design performs exactly as its name implies: it moves up and over into the garage opening as a single unit. Immensely popular for good reason, the Up and Over door easily fulfills the fundamental purpose of a garage door. It is generally the most straightforward garage door type to purchase and install.
Advantages:
- Typically the simplest to install, arriving as a single, pre-assembled piece.
- Suitable for both manual and electric operation.
- A reliable, time-tested design and mechanism.
- Provides effective weatherproofing.
- Offers a vast selection of designs, colors, and materials, including options to create your own bespoke look.
- Features two distinct opening mechanisms: Canopy or Retractable.
- Security Rated options are now available, including LPS1175 SR1 rated models.
- Some versions include a pedestrian door integrated directly into the main door panel for convenient walk-in access.
Sectional Garage Door
Featuring a slightly more intricate mechanism, these garage doors are constructed from individual panel sections that open by sliding upwards, then curve back into the garage along horizontal rails. Perfectly suited for automation, these doors offer a valuable space-saving alternative to Up and Overs. Sectional doors can achieve exceptional levels of insulation and security, often surpassing what’s possible with other garage door types.
The sectional door should always be a strong consideration when evaluating roller garage doors, as it delivers significantly higher performance and proves to be a far more durable long-term garage door solution.
Advantages:
- Outstanding security and structural strength.
- Impressive insulation qualities, with available stated U-values.
- Excellent for short driveways or garages requiring maximum drive-through dimensions.
- Stylish and exceptionally well-engineered.
- Vertical Opening: Allows you to park directly against the door for operation.
- Available in very large dimensions for bigger garages – up to 8m wide!
- Options for double-glazed windows are available.
Side Hinged (Swing) Door
Opening like traditional double swing doors, Side Hinged Doors offer a timeless choice for a garage entrance, proving ideal for garages that require frequent pedestrian access. With a significant resurgence of this door type in the UK, numerous double-skinned insulated options are now available, presenting a genuine choice for a secure, insulated, and easily operable garage door.
Modern options exist to faithfully recreate the beauty and styles of period-type hinged doors, but with all the benefits of contemporary security, insulation, and durability. You can also acquire very high-specification doors with various ratings for security and insulation, which may be a requirement for your specific project.
Advantages:
- Allows quick and easy pedestrian access – perfect when your garage isn’t primarily used for a car.
- Boasts stylish, traditional appearances.
- Available in a range of materials: softwood and hardwood timber, steel, GRP.
- Good insulation capabilities for garages used as additional rooms, with stated U-values available.
- Generally easy to install, especially when supplied as a doorset with the sub-frame already fitted.
- Low maintenance, simple operation.
- Automation is optional on all types and sizes.
- Security-rated specifications are available: LPS1175 SR1 and SR2, RC2, and PAS 24.
Roller Shutter Door
Roller Doors operate vertically, but instead of retracting into the overhead space like Up and Over or sectional doors, these doors neatly coil into a compact roll above the opening. They are well-suited for installations with limited headroom while still offering strong security and insulation. The roller door is the most versatile in terms of installation, as it can be fitted inside, between, or outside the garage opening. It is the most frequently emulated door type in the UK, and while many might appear similar, it’s crucial to investigate further to understand the genuine differences between specifications and components.
Advantages:
- Vertical operation.
- Generally easy installation for branded models.
- Strong security properties when equipped with suitable locking mechanisms.
- Suitable for both automation and manual operation.
- Good insulation qualities (though only one model currently has a stated U-value if this is a critical factor).
- Space-saving, making them perfect for small or obstructed garages.
- Security-rated options: LPS1175 SR1, Secured by Design accreditations.
Round-the-Corner Garage Door
No prizes for guessing where this door goes! A Round-the-Corner Door functions as a hybrid between a sectional and a roller, sliding off to one side and along an inside wall. It’s excellent for easy pedestrian access and partial opening. Available in wider-than-average sizes and requires very little headroom.
Advantages:
- Horizontal operation.
- Perfect when limited headroom prevents other door types.
- Even weight distribution ensures smooth, easy opening.
- Partial opening capability for convenient pedestrian access.
- Suited for large and very large openings.
- Easily maintained.