Different types of garage door

Nobody in the market for a new or replacement garage door can ever claim to be short of options because there are lots of them. Garage doors come with a wide range of operational mechanisms that can use rollers, tracks or hinges and they are available in many distinctive styles. Some formats may suit a particular garage opening or an anticipated garage use, whilst others may be perceived as having superior security or a particularly attractive aesthetic. The selection criteria can be every bit as varied as the door options that are available.

For an in depth look at each of the different types of garage door you can use the main menu (above), however, if you just want a brief summary of what each types is and how it works, read on……

Up and over garage door

An up-and-over garage door lifts up and above the garage opening when it is in its fully open position. This is considered a popular and cheap garage door option.

There are two types of up and-and-over garage door, a canopy door (where part of the door projects beyond the front wall of the garage) and a retractable door (where the complete door is retracted into the garage behind the threshold).

Retractable doors are more expensive than canopy doors, but they have a superior mechanism and lend themselves to motorization and remote control. For more information, go to the up and over garage doors page.

Roller garage door

A roller garage door is composed of a number of horizontal panels or sections that are hinged and that run up and down vertical tracks on both sides of the garage opening. These tracks can be positioned inside the opening, or just behind it (attached to the back of the garage wall piers), and they direct the door to a horizontal drum around which it is stored.

When the roller garage door is opened, its hinged (or flexible) panels wind around the drum requiring a minimum amount of space for storage. The roller drum is located inside the garage directly above and behind the opening.

Roller garage doors make ideal candidates for remote control automation because of their smooth running operation. For more information, go to the roller garage doors page.

Sliding (or slide around the corner) garage door

A sliding garage door is composed of a number of vertical panels or sections that are hinged to allow them to bend around corners.

This kind of door runs along horizontal tracks at the foot and head of the door's opening and continues around (or away from) the opening to the location where the doors is stored. This will normally be against one of the garage's side walls. For more information, go to the Slide (round the corner) doors page.

Sliding garage doors make ideal candidates for remote control automation.

Sectional garage door

A sectional garage door is composed of a number of horizontal panels (or sections) that are flexibly hinged. When in transit, the door travels up vertical tracks mounted on either side of the garage opening and then into similar tracks that turn through 90 degrees and run horizontally behind and above the garage opening (at roof level).

When open, the door is supported in a flat plain within the garage's roof space. The door is not folded or rolled around a drum. For more information, go to the Sectional garage doors page.

Side hinged garage doors

A side hinged garage door is the oldest and simplest garage door style. It has two side hinged doors that open outwards and that open and lock with a handle and a key.

This style of door is normally made of wood and the garage opening width can be split into two equally sized doors, or a one third to two thirds ratio. This enables the smaller door to be used as a "people only" access door. For more information, go to the Side hinged garage doors page.

Pedestrian access (or wicket) garage door

These are garage doors that have some kind of pedestrian access door incorporated into their design.

They include a 1/3 to 2/3 side hinged door set, and an up-and-over or slide-round door with and encapsulated smaller door incorporated into the main door's design.

The object of this style of door is to enable pedestrian entry and access through a standard sized door without the need to open the garage door. For more information, go to the Garage door with pedestrian access page.

For information about the different materials and the types of surface finishes available on garage doors see this materials and finishes page.