Different types of garage doors

At the same time when you decide about the size of the garage doors, you probably also think about the type of garage doors that you are going to install. In many cases you can get any of the popular garage door solutions to fit your opening, however, it is still smart to check out the specific characteristics of different types of garage doors and which ones will be the most fitting to your situation.

Common garage door types

These are the most common types of garage doors:

• Roller garage doors (also called roller shutter garage doors)
• Sectional Overhead Garage Doors
• Up and Over Garage Doors
• Swing hung garage doors (also called Side Hinged Garage Doors)
• Side opening sectional garage doors (also called Sliding sectional garage doors)

Let’s take a quick look at each of them.

Roller garage doors (also called Roller shutter garage doors)

Roller shutter garage doors are generally the lightest of them all. They operate the same way that the windows roller shutters but in most cases they are motorized and operated by a remote control. They are fairly easy to install and do not require a lot of space – a bit on each side for the rails and at the top for the box where the shutter is stored. They are very suitable for places where there is limited space in front of the garage or in the garage because they are vertical rise garage doors – they move just up and down. The downside is the strength of the doors which is not as strong as some of the other options.

The size of the roller shutter garage doors can be almost anything you want. Because they are light and fitted above the entrance, there is virtually no limitation to height or width of the shutter and can be custom made to any required dimensions.

Sectional overhead garage doors

Sectional overhead garage doors are among the most popular on the market. They can be hand operated but in most cases they are motorized. They provide a quality protection and don’t require any space in front of the garage (vertical rise). However, you need to have a fair amount of free space inside the garage to install them. You need rails on each side and they also have to be fixed to the ceiling, this is where they consume the most space. In order to install and operate them you need free space for the entire length of the doors – when they are open, they slide in under the ceiling (over the head).

The size of the sectional overhead garage doors can be up to 24 feet in width and up to almost 10 feet in height. There are many standard garage door sizes available for this type of doors so you don’t need to have them custom made.

Up and over garage doors

Up and over garage doors are very well known as they have been on the market for a long time. There are two basic types of these doors: canopy type and retractable type. Canopy type is the simplest and usually cannot be motorized, while the retractable type can be operated manually or by a remote control and a motor. They can be made of different materials (plastic, metal, wood) which determines how strong they are and they require some space in the garage as well as in front of the garage. To open and close them you have to swing them outside which means there has to be some room left – you can’t leave your can very close to the door. On the inside you need rails on each side and space at the ceiling to fit them (only retractable type) and place them when they are open (both types) which is very similar to the sectional overhead doors.

The size of the canopy up and over doors (no springs) can be up to 8 x 7 feet, while the retractable type can be wider and even sizes up to 14 x 7 feet are available.

Swing hung garage doors (also called Side hinged garage doors)

Swing hung or side hinged garage doors are just what the name says – typical doors that are opened just like any other ordinary doors. They are fitted on hinges so they can be very strong and heavy made of any number of materials, but they require a lot of space in front of the garage to open them (much more than up and over garage doors). If you have lots of space in front of your garage you may like to consider getting them. They can be operated manually but they can also be motorized so you can open them with a remote from your car.

The size of the swing hung garage doors can be up to 10 feet in width for standard doors. If you want them wider, they will have to be made stronger and special hinges will have to be used to support the weight. The height of these doors can be as high as you need them.

Side opening sectional garage doors (also called Sliding sectional garage doors)

Sliding sectional garage doors are a bit different to all the others above. They do not require and space in front of the garage or on the ceiling, but they need rails on one side of the garage where they slide – much like the sectional overhead garage doors do under the ceiling. They slide on the floor which caused problems in the past because of stones and other debris that blocked their way, but modern rails are made in way that enables sliding without problems. They are generally motorized but can also be manually operated.

The size of the side opening sectional garage doors can be made to your wishes. Because they stand on the ground and the rail is fitted to the wall the weight of the doors is not an issue and can be made in very large dimensions.

The above overview of the different garage door types and available sizes for each type is supposed to help you get the idea about possibilities for each of these types. If you have a specific question or you want info about a garage door type that is not included here, please leave a comment and we will try to answer.