What type of garage door meet your needs best?

Replacing your garage door was recently ranked as one of the top remodeling projects a homeowner can do to increase their home's value, with up to an 85 percent return on investment, mostly focused on improving the home's curb appeal. It's important that when shopping for garage doors, you pick one that is both secure and stylish. This guide will walk you through the different garage door styles, such as overhead garage doors, insulation options, features and more.

Garage Door Styles and Materials

Garage doors are available in a wide variety of styles to match any home, but there are two main styles: the classic style and the carriage house style.

Classic Style

Multiple color and insulation options.

Very customizable: you can add windows, hardware and more to match your home.

Can be raised manually or using a garage door opener.

Most economical choice.

Carriage Style

Resembles historic carriage house doors.

Adds a distinguished look to your home.

Offers swing-out look with upward operation.

Available in a range of materials.

Garage Door Materials

The five most popular garage door materials are wood, steel, aluminum, vinyl and fiberglass. Each has a number of advantages and disadvantages, so simply choose the best garage door material to fit your particular lifestyle and budget.

WOOD OR WOOD COMPOSITE

Pros:

Aesthetically pleasing

Easy to customize

Heavy

Cons:

Expensive

Heavy (wood composite is lighter)

Needs refinishing annually

Not as durable as other materials over time

Short warranty 

STEEL DOORS

Pros:

Lower maintenance than wood

Longer warranty life, up to 20 years

Cons:

Susceptible to rust and dents

Heavy

ALUMINUM DOORS

Pros:

Lightweight

Dent-resistant

Cons:

Expensive when sold with heavy frames

Inexpensive doors will dent

FIBERGLASS DOORS

Pros:

Mimics other materials easily

Affordable

Easy to customize

Cons:

Less durable in cold climates

Weathers poorly over time

Can take on yellow tinge as it ages

Garage Door Installation

Garage doors can be installed differently depending on the spring system you use. While installing your garage door can be a DIY project, we recommend leaving such a large task to the professionals.

Torsion springs are the standard springs used for residential garage doors and are able to support more weight than extension springs. They will typically use either one or two springs, depending on the door's weight, and are installed to a metal shaft above the garage door.

Look for easy-setting torsion springs, similar to standard torsion springs, that are much easier for the standard DIY-er to install as you do not need to manually wind the springs.

Extension springs  stretch to provide lifting power for the garage door. They are typically made of spring steel and designed to be mounted above the horizontal track of the garage door. Look for springs that have a safety cable to prevent injury in case of accidental breakage.

Garage Door Features

Different styles of door construction provide advantages in security, noise control and other feature benefits. Personalize your garage door to meet your family's needs by adding a garage door screen, windows, paint and more.