Shopping for a garage door can be a little bit daunting – it’s an investment in your home and something that will be visible for years to come. Since most people only purchase one to two garage doors over a lifetime, they aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of garage doors. To help, we’ve come up with a few factors to consider in your search.
Design
Appearance is often the top priority for homeowners when choosing a garage door. Garage doors often take up a significant portion of the house’s exterior and choosing the right garage door can have an immediate impact your home’s curb appeal.
Thirty years ago there were two options for garage doors: white or almond. Now, there many different materials, designs and windows to choose from. Our
Classic Steel garage doors offer traditional raised panels in short or long panel designs.
Carriage House Steel garage doors have the look of swinging stable doors for a more rustic look. For modern homes, our
Contemporary Aluminum garage doors make a dramatic statement.
We also feature a wide range of paint and stain options to complement whichever style you choose, including
TruChoice™, our custom color system with more than 6,000 colors. When thinking about the color of your garage door, consider if you want the garage door to match the siding, trim or shutters on your house.
Along with color, windows can make a significant impact on the look of your garage door. Not only do windows let natural light into your garage, but the window design can reflect the home’s architecture and enhance the impression your garage door makes on your home. Worried about privacy? We have several non-transparent glass options to choose from.
A home’s architecture is an important factor in choosing a garage door design and the windows in the garage door. Some homes look great with any design, while some homes look better with a particular style of garage door (Classic vs. Carriage House). See how our garage doors on your home with our
Garage Door Design Center. Try different designs, colors and window options to see what looks best!
Questions? Check out our
video on choosing the right design for your houme.
Material
How long your door will last, what kind of punishment it can stand up to or even how much annual maintenance the door will require is strongly determined by the material used to make the door.
The beauty and craftsmanship of
Wood garage doors is hard to resist. Wood garage doors take extra care, requiring painting or staining every year or every few years. The effort is worth it when you see how the charm of real wood adds to the curb appeal of your home.
For the beauty of a wood garage door without the maintenance, our
Designer Fiberglass garage door is perfect. A natural-looking wood grain fiberglass surface is combined with durable steel construction, resulting in a door with the look of wood that won’t crack, warp or rot. The only maintenance is a clear coat once every one to three years depending on sun exposure.
Steel garage doors, such as our Classic Steel, Designer Steel and Carriage House Steel collections, are extremely durable, with only the occasional need for cleaning or touchup. Vinyl garage doors can last even longer, especially in areas with a lot of moisture, and are more resistant to dents, are rust-free and never need to be painted.
Our
Contemporary Aluminum garage doors are made with aluminum frames and glass panels in a variety of colors and glass options. These garage doors are relatively maintenance-free, however, they do not have as much insulation as many other garage doors, so they may not be ideal for areas with extreme temperatures.
This
video has more information on which material is right for your home and location.
Insulation
With today’s high energy costs, garage door insulation is just as valuable as anywhere else in your home. The thermal property of insulation is expressed as an R-value. A higher R-value can help the door operate more quietly and reduce outside noise.
There are two types of garage door insulation: polystyrene and foamed-in-place polyurethane. Polystyrene comes in sheets (it is similar to Styrofoam), so the insulation fits between the front and back panels of the door, but does not fill the entire cavity. Doors with polystyrene insulation can be thicker, but have a lower R-value than polyurethane-insulated doors.
Polyurethane insulation is foamed-in-place and expands during the manufacturing process to tightly fill the cavity between the front and back panels of the door. Due to this, a polyurethane-insulated door might look thinner but will offer a high R-value. Garage doors with polyurethane are better insulated, stronger and quieter than uninsulated doors or doors with polystyrene insulation.
For more information on the benefits of insulation, watch this
video.
Price
Many people are surprised by how affordable garage doors can be. Most guess twice as much as what the actual price is. So how much should you spend on your garage door? As a general rule, the garage door should be approximately 1% of the value of your home. More information on garage door pricing is available in this
video.
When considering what to spend, remember that this purchase won’t be made again for many, many years, if ever. What door you put on your garage can have a significant impact on the rest of your home. Spending a few extra dollars now can help raise the value of your home. According to Remodeling Magazine, one of the top projects for homeowners is replacing the garage door, earning more than 90% return on investment. Learn about curb appeal and how it impact’s your home’s value in this
video.
Good warranties can offer peace of mind and security should the door happen to fail for reasons noted in the warranty. Each Wayne Dalton garage door comes with a warranty and many of our models come with a lifetime limited warranty.