Replacement Garage Doors

18 years ago

Need to replace old wood ones and cannot find any kind of information about the pros and cons of various brands or on various installers. Has anyone seen any iformation on this subject anywhere?

Thanks

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Comments (5)

richard904
18 years ago
I am going through the exact same process now, i.e. replacing old wood doors in bad shape which I need to do since I will be selling the house. I searched for four local vendors to submit bids after I defined my requirements - what type of door and what I wanted in a door opener. I would guess that the only way to find competitive pricing is to ask for proposals. The door manufacturers can then be investigated on their web site and through the brochures of information given by the installment vendors. I also do a Better Business Bureau search of each vendor I ask to submit a proposal. Usually the garage door installers nowadays have their own web site. I could find no sites that investigate garage doors and say this one is better than that one, or even to say what one should minimally look for in a garage door. Consumer Reports does not do garage door comparisons, but they did do garage door openers in 2002.
imjustagirl
18 years ago
I'm going through the same thing right now. We've totally remodeled our home in the last year and I've been able to search the internet for great information about every product/project up until this garage door! I can't believe how little reviews and information are out there!

I'll definatly let you know if I find a site with good information :)
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I think my first question would be why is it cracking, and where is it cracking. Top Section, center? Steel garage doors can be painted, after a good cleaning, with a GOOD quality latex paint. If your opener is working well.. then yes you can replace just the door and keep the existing op. Might be a little difficult to diagnose whether an op is "about to go". For me, it would depend on how it has been running, the name brand and the age of the opener. The co. I work for sells a few different brands of openers(including our own brand) and I service all of them plus one's we don't sell. I get the fewest service calls on Liftmaster Ops. NO, I do not work for Liftmaster, but I do have one in my garage :)
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durk
18 years ago
I'm also in the same situation - I find more info on chewing gum reviews! Anyway, the best I could find is at the following web site:

http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/garage.html

IF ANYONE HAS INFO ON STEEL DOORS THAT THEY REALLY LIKE OR DON'T LIKE - PLEASE POST A FOLLOW UP. I hate to spend this kind of money & have no idea on recommended brands.

below is the specific info from there on Steel garage doors - very general, but at least it gives some things to look for in replacement doors....

Steel Garage Doors. Steel garage doors are much stronger and more secure than wood, aluminum, or fiberglass ones. Thanks primarily to new technologies in embossing metals with wood-grain patterns, and new durable coatings, today's steel doors rival the look of wood without the maintenance headaches. Steel doors won't warp, crack, delaminate or fall apart because of weather. And, because most are made of hot-dipped, galvanized steel that is vinyl clad or given a baked-on polyester finish, they don't rust or require repainting as often as wood doors. Most warranties guarantee the door won't rust for as long as you own the house, but do not protect against fading. On the downside, steel does dent and can be difficult to repair.

Premium-quality garage doors have cores of rigid polystyrene or polyurethane foam insulation. Not only does this insulation help keep the garage warm in winter and cool in summer, but it makes the door lighter, quieter and easier to operate, and less likely to sag or warp over time.

You can usually discern a steel door's quality both by its thickness and by the thickness of its cladding. A premium door is often a full 2 inches thick, filled with insulation, and clad in 24-gauge steel. Less-expensive doors are usually thinner and made of 28 gauge steel (the lower the number, the thicker the metal).

Doors may be single skin, with a frame that shows from inside, or double skin, sandwiching the foam insulation between panels on both outside and inside. The double-skin construction is much more durable and is attractive from inside the garage.

Weatherstripping is another measure of quality. The best-made doors have a full-width vinyl bubble weatherstripping along the bottom edge of the door that conforms to the floor. They also have rigid-vinyl end caps along the sides of the door panels, a vinyl top cap and weather seals between each section.

Styles imitate those of wood doors: flush, recessed panel and raised panel. You can also get metal doors with a horizontal, ribbed design.

For an average-sized steel door (16 by 7 feet), expect to pay from $750 to $1200 installed.

-durk
installer01
18 years ago
Don't buy Lowes Durabuilt. I am a Amarr-Clopay Dealer in New haven,CT. I would say stay with a product or dealer that is common in your area. See what they recommend. Some people buy some really strange stuff and then can't get service by local dealers when the time comes. Do a google search and you will get lots of doors. Amarr, Clopay, Wayne dalton, Overhead Door :( Martin, Ankmar, Able, Doorlink, Artisan, Northwest Door Inc, Steelhouse, windsor republic doors, Garaga doors, Track-rite, Raynor doors, I am sure there are more...Dan
jeffwiegner
12 years ago
Go here for many questions answered for garage doors. You will find many good questions about garage door openers also. Maybe try this site for other garage door questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Precision Garage Door Service