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Tilt-up doors consist
of a single panel of material. To open the door,
you have to pull it out and pivot it up to slide
it along the roof of your garage. Sectional
roll-up doors, on the other hand, are made of a
number of horizontal sections. Each section is
hinged to the next section, allowing the door a
certain degree of flexibility. Because the door
is mounted on rollers, to open a sectional
roll-up door you just have to lift the door and
it will roll into place along the roof of your
garage.
Sectional roll-up doors are superior to tilt-up doors.
From a purely practical point they take up less
room. Because you don’t have to pull the door
out, there will be more room in front of your
garage door for things like your car. The door
will also take up less room in the garage, since
it can be placed higher up than a tilt-up door.
What should my Garage Door be made of?
Garage doors, both tilt-ups and sectional roll-ups, are
primarily made from wood or steel. Of these two
materials, wood is the cheaper and – arguably –
more attraction option. If you decided to get a
wooden door please keep in mind that just like
your deck, a wooden garage door will be more
easily damaged by the weather than a steel door.
If you live in a particularly hot or cold
climate, you may find your self with a warped or
damaged garage door.
Steel garage doors are more expensive, but you
will not face the same problems that you would
encounter with a wood door. If you decide to get
a steel door the main thing to check is that it
has been properly prepared to prevent rust.
Garage doors are also occasionally made with
aluminum or fiberglass. While both of these
materials are less expensive than steel doors,
you should be careful when using them. Neither
material is as strong as steel so they will not
hold up to the usual wear and tear of a garage
door. And once again depending on your climate,
they will not be as energy efficient as a steel
door if that is a concern to you.
How do I look after my Garage Door?
Just like any other exterior surface on your house,
your garage door will need periodic maintenance
to keep it working smoothly and looking as good
as the rest of your house. You’d be surprised
how the look of your garage door not only
affects the overall look of your house, but the
perceived value of your house too.
No matter what material your garage door is made of, it
should be washed regularly. If you have a wood
door, you should repaint the door every other
year to ensure that the wood stays protected. If
you have a steel door, you can give it a yearly
shine with car wax
To prolong the life of the mechanical parts, you should
lubricate all moving parts with motor oil
whenever the door starts to feel sluggish.
Safety Concerns with Garage Doors
Every year, children are seriously injured from
accidents involving garage doors. To avoid these
preventable accidents, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission recommends that you should
only use automatic garage door openers if they
have an automatic reverse function. This will
reverse the closing of the garage door if an
obstacle is encountered. |
