Sectional garage door

A sectional garage door is made from a series of horizontal panels that are connected to one another by a mechanism of multiple hinges. This construction allows the individual panels to bend at the hinges, which in turn enables them to travel through a 90 degree angle.

This allows the door to open without ever projecting beyond the front face of the garage and to store itself, "out of the way", in the roof space.

Aesthetically a sectional garage door looks very similar to a roller garage door or an up-and-over garage door, however the similarity stops when you look at the way in which the opened door is retracted and stored. Sectional garage doors can be purchased in a number of different styles and finishes.

How a sectional garage door operates

The sectional garage door is held in a frame, the closed section of which is vertical and the open section of which is horizontal and supported above and behind the garage door opening. The structural frame will normally be galvanised and needs to be fixed securely at multiple points.

When closed, the garage door is supported vertically at either side within the structural frame and located in tracks that form part of the frame. This frame can be set inside, or directly behind the garage door opening.

When opened, the door is drawn upwards and into the horizontal section of the supporting frame. As the door approaches the 90 degree change in direction the hinged sections become flexible enabling the door to bend and continue its motion into the upper horizontal portion of the frame. This is where the door sections are stored when the garage door is open.

The transition movement is a smooth and natural one making a sectional garage door ideal for motorisation and remote control automation. As a result, most sectional garage doors are sold with remote control as a standard optional extra.

Most sectional garage doors will comprise of between 4 and 8 separately hinged panels.

Other considerations

Sectional garage doors are available in large height and width dimensions and their robust frame ensures that there are very few limitations to their application. They can be selected from a large range of styles and finishes that mimic almost every garage door design currently available. Windows can also be incorporated into the sectional panels.

The additional of remote control automation is normally comparatively cheap for sectional garage doors, this is because most buyers request this option on order.

Most manufactures supply sectional doors with wear resistant hinges and the door sections are produced from high strength encapsulating steel, insulated with a durable foam.

Sectional doors are also very secure and, in addition to being housed within a fixed frame, they should have locking points for added security (this may not be necessary for automated doors).

The choice between having the door frame behind or within the door opening can have ramifications on space. If the frame is located behind the door opening it will not reduce the "drive-thru" width of the garage, but it will take a few inches of the length of the garage. The opposite will be the case for a frame that is fixed within the garage opening’s width. Obviously, the presence of piers or returns will be required to fit a frame behind the opening.

The best alternative to a sectional garage door is a roller garage door. You can get an idea of how a sectional garage door is manufacterd by reading this article - Garage panel door manufacture. The process for a roller garage door is the same.