A truly effective garage door offers more than just security; it seamlessly combines appealing aesthetics with effortless operation. Whether you envision a classic design or a contemporary, automated solution, there’s a multitude of factors to weigh when selecting a new door. Here’s a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know.
Exploring Different Door Types
There are five primary garage door types available: up-and-over, roller, sectional, side-hinged, and round-the-corner. Each comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s examine each one in detail.
Canopy Up-and-Over Doors
The traditional canopy up-and-over garage door remains the most prevalent style in the UK. This fundamental type opens by moving upwards and outwards, then partially retracting across the garage roof. Crucially, the door doesn’t fully disappear into the garage; approximately one-third of it remains extended horizontally, forming a canopy—hence its name. This design proves useful in situations where an obstruction might prevent the door from fully sliding back into the garage.
Entry-level models can be quite affordable and are often crafted from GRP (glass-reinforced plastic, a type of fiberglass). However, more premium canopy doors are also available, made from steel, aluminum, or timber. Budget-friendly options typically come in limited colors, often just white, while mid-range and high-end versions offer a wide selection of powder-coated colors and wood-effect finishes. The operation of up-and-over doors can be automated, which is particularly beneficial for heavier doors spanning wide openings. Nevertheless, retrofitting a motor to an existing up-and-over door may not be a simple or inexpensive task.
Because this type of door swings outwards, you must always ensure adequate clear space outside for its operation. For this reason, up-and-over doors are less ideal for constricted driveways where you might need to park very close to the garage.
Retractable Up-and-Over Doors
A distinct variation of the up-and-over door is the retractable up-and-over. While operating similarly, this type fully retracts into the garage. These doors tend to be more substantial in construction and are generally easier to automate.
Roller Doors
Roller garage doors, also known as roller shutter doors, neatly coil into a cylinder positioned across the top of the opening inside the garage. Their narrow slats can be insulated and are typically made from aluminum or steel. You can even incorporate transparent sections to allow natural light into the garage. These doors are almost always electrically operated. They are perfectly suited for tight spaces: you can park very close to them, and nothing encroaches on the internal height clearance of the garage.
Sectional Garage Doors
Sectional garage doors combine features of both roller and up-and-over doors. The door is divided into broad horizontal panels, which slide upwards and then curve to lie flat against the garage ceiling. They are constructed from steel with ribbed or paneled designs and are available in a comprehensive range of colors. Glazed panels can also be incorporated into a sectional door. Like roller doors, they are an excellent choice if driveway space is limited and you need to park close to the garage door before opening it. They are frequently operated electrically.
Side-Hinged Doors
Side-hinged garage doors are simply wide doors that open like conventional house doors. They can be configured to open from the center or to one side, forming a standard-sized “traffic” door. This allows people to easily enter and exit the garage on foot without needing to open the full width of the doors. They are available in various materials to achieve either a contemporary or traditional look and can be fitted with automatic openers.
Round-the-Corner Doors
Round-the-corner doors are composed of vertical slats rather than horizontal ones. They are suspended from a track that curves around the corner of the garage. The door opens by sliding horizontally along the track to tuck away neatly along the inside of the garage wall. A second track guides the bottom of the door. Easily motorized, these doors are well-suited for covering large openings. They perform exceptionally well in garages with high ceilings or where ceiling space is used for storage, and they allow you to park close to the garage on the driveway. They also offer the convenience of opening just a small portion if you simply need to walk in or out of the garage. Modern, tracked round-the-corner doors are superior to earlier models where ground tracks were prone to accumulating debris. These doors can be crafted from steel, aluminum, or wood.
You can explore the various door choices on the website of the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF), the UK’s trade body for garage door manufacturers and installers.
Safety Considerations
Electric garage doors, if not equipped with the appropriate safety features, can pose hazards. It is absolutely crucial to be vigilant for children and pets whenever you operate an electric garage door.
Electric garage doors must adhere to various pieces of legislation, such as the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations (Machinery Directive) and the Construction Products Regulations, and meet various safety standards. These mandates stipulate that a door must incorporate a mechanism to prevent it from crushing anyone and a system to prevent it from falling if its balancing mechanism fails.
Several safety features can be employed to prevent entrapment in electric doors:
- A safety edge (sometimes called “collision detection”) is the most effective way to ensure nothing gets trapped. This is a pressure-sensitive rubber strip attached to the bottom of the door, designed to detect contact with an obstruction and immediately halt the door’s movement or reverse its direction.
- A hold-to-run (deadman’s) switch, which must be within the operator’s line of sight of the door. This is safer than a remote control because the operator must maintain contact with the switch to keep the door moving. Therefore, positioning the switch close to the door should mitigate potential issues. If a remote control switch is used, it should only function at a very close range (1-2m) so the user can clearly see if anyone is in the door’s path. If you desire a remote control with greater operating distance, additional safety measures will need to be installed.
- A light beam curtain spanning the door opening will interrupt the electrical current to the motor if anything is detected in the door’s path. This is significantly safer than a single beam.
- A sensitive drive unit with force limiters in the motor can detect a surge in current when the door is obstructed and automatically cut the power.
You will also want your door to feature:
- Finger-trap protection both between sections and within door hinges.
- Fall-back protection to prevent doors from suddenly descending.