Is it time to install a new garage door? For any homeowner, it’s a rite of passage. Own a home long enough, eventually you’ll need a new door. Most homeowners install at least one or two new doors in their lifetimes. And one of the first things you’ll need to decide when choosing your new door is material. Here is a breakdown of the most common materials, their advantages, drawbacks, and cost considerations.
Steel Garage Doors
The beauty of steel garage doors is their durability, far better than any material, including aluminum, wood, or wooden composite. These doors are highly resistant to damage. Hit it with your car, and the door will likely only be bent (we can’t vouch for the car, however). Bent doors are fairly easy to fix. You never have to worry about a steel door cracking.
Steel garage doors also tend to be very affordable, depending on the gauge of galvanized steel. But even if you get a thicker door, the quality is usually more affordable than you’d get with other types of doors.
Wooden Garage Doors
Wooden garage doors are very popular for their natural beauty. They can make a home look more vintage and authentic. Modern wooden doors can be pressure-treated with special chemicals to preserve the wood, protect against fire, and deter pests.make it more fire resistant, and create a deterrent against pest damage.
The catch with wooden doors is they tend to be more expensive. They also require more care and upkeep. You’ll need to paint, sand and weatherproof a wooden door every few years.
Wooden Composite Garage Doors
Wooden composite doors have the natural look of wood but the practicality considerations of other materials. These doors are a variety of materials held together with adhesives to form one solid material. These doors tend to be cheaper than wood and don’t require as much care and upkeep as a wooden door.
Aluminum Garage Doors
The beauty of aluminum garage doors is they don’t require as much care and upkeep as wood and they are lighter than steel. They cost a little less than wood, but more usually more than steel, depending on the quality of the gauge. As long as you don’t go too cheap on an aluminum door, modern options are highly resistant to dents.
Vinyl Garage Doors
The beauty of vinyl is its low cost. You don’t have to spend a lot on a vinyl door for it to look good. They also don’t require much maintenance. The downside is vinyl doors are more delicate than other doors. They might crack if hit hard enough.