Our garage door needs to be replaced. What are the
options?
Historically garage doors have been made of heavy
wood and will eventually warp, crack or rot. Although wood doors provide a range
of textures and styles, the problems resulting from moisture and the reality of
poor insulation remain. Fiberglass doors are an inexpensive alternative. They
are easy to lift, resistant to salt corrosion, and require little maintenance,
but they also provide little insulation or security.
Most
residential garage doors today are made of steel. Nearly maintenance-free, they
are durable and do not warp. Insulated ones are a sandwich of bonded steel and a
variety of insulating materials. Various textures and colors, as well as a
stainable surface, are available to match your style. You also can add windows,
including ones that reflect the light but obscure any view into the
garage.
How can we be sure our new door will be
safe?
Automatic reversal systems have been required by law
for all garage door openers in the United States since 1991. Optical sensors
became a requirement in 1993. If something gets in the way of the sensor's beam
while the door is going down, the sensor sends the door back up. These features
have improved the safety of garage doors while new designs have provided more
security and quieter operation.
Screw or chain-driven openers
have been the only choices in the past, with screw-driven the better choice for
quiet operation, strength and resistance to forced entry. Today's quieter
options are a belt-driven trolley made of Kevlar, or screw-drive models with a
plastic-lined track to lessen the noisy contact of
metal-to-metal.
Increased concerns of security, convenience,
and safety have led to many changes in remote controls. Several are
multifunctional with buttons to turn on lights or appliances in your home.
Child-safe lock-out buttons also are an option, as are rolling security codes
which automatically change every time the garage door opens to prevent the theft
of your opener's code.
Even with all of these improvements,
safety and security are not a given. It is best that installation, especially of
a new garage door, be done by a professional who can make the adjustments that
will allow the sensitive equipment to provide you with maximum convenience and
confidence.
We have a home with a very unique color. Can we
get a steel garage door to match?
Absolutely. Metal doors now come in hundreds of
styles and colors. And if you cant find that perfect color already fabricated,
you can paint them. You can find a garage door specialist right here on the
Home Improvement Hotline!
