You need to take in consideration several factors when you replace your garage door or the door opener.
First and I think the most important is the aesthetic aspect. Your garage door must to match with the overall look and the style of your home, especially if the garage entrance is in front of the house.
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A garage door as other surface area of your home has a great visual impact. A new garage door can increase the value and the curb appeal of your home.
Garage doors come in a wide range of materials, styles, sizes and colors.
Generally, garage doors are made of wood, steel, fiberglass or other materials such as aluminum and glass, zinc, copper.
1. Wood Garage Doors
Garage wood doors have a special appearance. They have style and class giving a feeling of opulence and luxury.
However, they have a major disadvantage. They require a constant maintenance. Due to weather conditions, garage wood doors can crack, peel or warp. Therefore, to keep their great look you need to recondition and repaint them regularly.
How to Choose the Right Garage Door Opener (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
2. Steel Garage Doors
Steel garage doors are the most common types of garage doors.
They have a great look, due to their polyester and vinyl finish. Also, they do not require to be repainted, making them almost maintenance free.
Unfortunately, steel garage door have some disadvantages such as:
– They are exposed to dings and dents; is not the case for a heavy steel garage door but a light steel garage door can be easily deteriorated.
– These doors require isolation, especially if the garage is attached to your home.
3. Fiberglass Garage Doors
Fiberglass garage doors are a great option, especially for the coastline areas where the salt air can affect and deteriorate the steel or wood garage doors.
They are free maintenance and resistant to dents and dings.
The only disadvantage is that they are more expensive than steel or wood garage doors.
4. Garage Doors Made of Other Materials
There are many other options available regarding the garage doors that give your home a specific look.
– Steel and Glass;
– Aluminum and Glass;
– Wood and Zinc or Cooper;
These are just some examples. In fact, the offer is practically endless. These doors have a stylish and a unique look, increasing the curb appeal of your home.
The only disadvantage is that they are pretty expensive.
Garage Door Opener
You can conceive of a garage door without a remote control garage door opener.
There are several garage opener types such as:
1. Screw-Drive Opener
This style of garage door opener is known as a low maintenance door opener. It has only a few parts and the working principle is very simple. An electrical reversible motor drive and turn a threaded steel lever. This lever closes and opens the garage door.
2. Chain-Drive Opener
These openers are the most frequently encountered garage door openers. Instead of a threaded steel rod, these types of door openers use a chain that lifts your garage door.
They are quite inexpensive but they require periodically maintenance and are noisier than other door opener types.
3. Belt-Drive Opener
Belt-drive opener use a belt (rubber or synthetic belt) that drive and lift your garage door. They are quieter than chain-drive opener but more expensive.
Before investing in a garage door opener, make sure this garage door opener is the right size as capacity for your door. However, it is indicated that your garage door opener to be slightly larger than necessary.
It is contraindicated to install by yourself a garage door opener. A professional technician can do that for you. The garage door is pretty heavy and opener request mechanical and electrical skills.