Did you know a garage door replacement is the only project in that can provide an uptick in value compared to the previous year of your homes value.
If you’re looking to investigate and learn about styles and options for your new garage door, take a deep breath. This is not a small topic for the faint of heart, as you will be dreaming about doors once you’re finished learning all the different options you have to chose from. Wayne Dalton as an example has 12 design options, 10 window patterns, and 15 colors for its Model 9700 door alone. Let’s do the math: That’s a possible 1,800 combinations! Exhale!
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Luckily, many manufacturers are aware of all the different options available and how it can be overwhelming. Because of this many of their websites are equipped with digital visualization tools.
- At Wayne-Dalton’s slick Garage Door Design, you can upload a photo of your own house, then overlay hundreds of styles, window shapes and colors. No photo? Choose from stock images to approximate your home.
- The Door Designer from Amarr Door is a simple program that uploads architectural renderings onto stock house designs. When you’re done, e-mail the finished design to Amarr for a price quote tailored to your area.
Similar to the modern day car wash doors, this modernist construction is essentially tempered, all-glass or acrylic panels set in anodized aluminum frames. Choices of frame finishes and glass types make for contemporary cool.Heads up: Glass is fragile.Insulating value: negligibleCost for a 16-by-7-foot double door: $1,500-$2,000.
High quality steel doors feature outer layers of heavy-gauge steel which is embossed to mimic wood grain or stucco. Overlays, such as moldings or cross-buck designs will give the look of carriage doors. Foam cores can also add strength and insulating values. The majority of steel doors can be purchased with factory-applied finishes. Although color choices are somewhat limited, these doors are virtually maintenance-free. Also, steel can be ordered primed, or painted to match house colors.Heads up: Steel can dent.Insulating value: R-6 to R-17Cost for a 16-by-7-foot double door: $750-$3,500.
All wood garage doors are made from moisture resistant cedar. While redwood and cypress will give you bragging rights for the best-looking garage on the block this isn’t always the most cost effective. Not as strong as steel nor as tough as fiberglass, wood will hold nothing back from curb appeal. Note, however, that even wood comes in various prices — and levels of quality. The best doors feature all-wood frames and panels.Opt for polystyrene backing to add insulating value. The prefinished stain options are beautiful.Heads up: Needs periodic refinishing.Insulating value: R-3 to R-6.Cost for a 16-by-7-foot double door, low quality: $400-$700; superior quality: $1,200-$4,000 and up.
Rapidly gaining market share, fiberglass doors are known for their resistance to moisture, insects, warping and changes in humidity. Thick outer skins of fiberglass surround an inner foam core and a steel framework that provides strength and stability.Fiberglass excels at mimicking the colors and grain patterns of real woods such as cherry, oak and mahogany.Heads up: Single-layer versions can be brittle.Insulating value: R-4 to R-12Cost for a 16-by-7-foot double door: $1,100-$1,800.
A sandwich style construction make for a strong design, insulated core of polystyrene wrapped in composite wood: panels made from wood fibers and weatherproof resins. A lot of thes like to use manufacturers recycled or wood fibers for the panels, this will provide little green factor.Molded with grain patterns, composite wood can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Unlike wood, however, composite doors won’t split, crack or rot. Composite doors come factory finished, or can be custom stained or painted.Heads up: Nearly as costly as real wood.Insulating value: R-5 to R-8.Cost for a 16-by-7-foot double door: $1,200-$2,200.
Turn your old door into a carriage door look-alike with glue-on urethane and resin plank kits from companies such as Garage Door Refacing and GarageReface. These smaller companies may be localized, so check your Yellow Pages.Cost for a 16-by-7-foot door: $1,200-$1,400.
Standard construction sees layers of durable, weatherproof vinyl surrounding an inner core of foam insulation, although the cheapest models lack the foam core. Lightweight and impervious to insects and rot, vinyl doors are durable players. Colors extend throughout the vinyl layers, so scratches don’t show.Unlike steel, vinyl is resistant to dings and errant baseballs; many types come with lifetime warranties. Despite their higher price, over the long run vinyl doors may be a more cost-effective option than steel.Heads up: Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is considered environmentally unfriendly.Insulating value: R-4 to R-12Cost for a 16-by7-foot double door: $900-$1,500.