Residential Garage Door Lines

Garage doors have been made from wood, steel, aluminum, and fiberglass. Each of these materials has its benefits, though wood and steel doors are by far the most popular homeowner choices. Today Joe Wilde Company strictly sells steel garage doors.

Steel doors are much stronger and more secure than wood, aluminum, or fiberglass models. Steel doors have many design options ranging from standard raised panel to unique carriage style designs. Today’s steel doors can rival the look of wood doors without the need for regular maintenance.

Steel doors are made in several ways. The simplest, least expensive includes a single sheet or panel of steel that forms the door. These doors also tend to be flimsier than their more solid counterparts. The other types of steel doors are made with a front and back panel for greater rigidity. An option with these doors is the availability of insulation that can be installed between the two door skins.

The steel used to make garage doors comes in several thicknesses referred to as “gauge thickness” and ranges from 20 to 28 gauge. The smaller the number, the thicker the steel which means a 24 gauge door has thicker skins than a door with 28 gauge steel.

When you shop for garage doors you might see reference to the quantity of “layers” with regard to a door’s construction. For example, a 4-layer door might consist of a composite overlay on top of a steel front panel. The back is made up of another steel panel and in between is an insulated core.

Similarly, a door with a steel front, polystyrene insulation and no back panel would have 2-layer construction.

Insulation is important in a garage door for many reasons. Insulated doors help control the temperature of the garage allowing less heat to escape in the winter and less heat to get in in the summer. This reduces the amount of energy required to cool or heat your home which saves money! Insulated doors also reduce noise from the exterior of your home. In addition to helping control the temperature, insulation adds strength to your door while reducing exterior noise.

The amount of insulation a garage door provides is represented in its R-value, which represents its resistance to heat flow. It is important to select a garage door with an R-value that is consistent with your local climate and lifestyle. Ask yourself these questions when deciding the R-value that best fits your needs:

• Is my garage climate controlled? If you heat or cool your garage, insulation is very important. Having a well-insulated garage door will keep your heating or cooling costs down by reducing the heat flow through the door.
• What climate do I live in? Someone living in an extreme hot or cold climate would likely require a garage door with a high insulation value. Even in milder climates, having an insulated door can still affect the temperature in your garage by a noticeable amount, as well as provide additional benefits.
• Is my garage attached to my house? If your garage is attached to your house, the insulation value of your garage door affects the insulation of your whole house. The R-value of your walls affects how much heat escapes from your house into your garage, and the R-value of your garage door affects how much heat then escapes into the environment. Insulating your garage well will help keep down the heating and cooling costs of your home. In addition, Insulation helps reduce the noise of your garage door as it opens and closes.
• Do I spend a great deal of time in my garage? People who like to work on their cars or who have workshops in their garages may want their garage to be more insulated, especially if in a colder climate.
• Is there a bedroom or other interior room above my garage? Many houses are built with rooms over the garage. Whether this room is a part of the house or is a separate apartment-style room above an unattached garage, the insulation value of the garage can greatly affect the insulation of the room. And, again, a higher insulation R-value can equal lower heating and cooling bills. In addition, insulation helps reduce noise.

Your overhead garage door is the largest piece of moving equipment in your home. Most families use their garage door more than their front door. In order to ensure a properly working door and operator, you should have your overhead garage door and operator serviced every year.

The noises your door or operator make are your initial “warnings” that something is not quite right. The longer you put off the necessary service, the more damage may result. Regular service can extend the life of your door and operator.

The most common torsion springs have an expected life of about 10,000 “cycles”. A cycle is one opening and one closing of the garage door. The steel spring experiences tremendous force each time the door opens or closes. Gradually, the steel fatigues with each flex, and eventually cracks and breaks, usually releasing its stored energy in an instant with a loud noise or bang. In garage door repairs, most accidents occur during the replacement of the springs. While many door companies quote a flat fee for spring replacement, we prefer to quote a range and charge our customers for the actual cost of the spring that is on their own door. (Springs can vary in price by more than $30/spring.) Also, if one spring breaks and they were installed at the same time, it is likely that the other will not be far behind since they both have the same wear and tear. For this reason, we suggest changing both springs at once (we always replace both if they are extension type) to save you the expense of a second service trip.