Wood (timber) garage doors

A timber or wooden garage door can be produced in a number of formats and, when these are supplemented by the many available simulated wood finishes, they extend to a range that includes almost every style of garage door available.

Traditionally wooden garage doors were quite literally that, a pair of hinged doors that opened in opposing directions and locked using a combination of bolts and turn-key latches. However, as mechanical garage door systems arrived, the popularity of the wooden finish did not diminish and this led to metal doors having finishes designed to look like wood.

This is the reason why nearly all modern garage doors replicate a panelled or moulded appearance, reminiscent of the original wooden door.

Real wood garaged doors

It is still possible to buy wooden garage doors and most twin hinged garage door sets are still, almost unanimously, made of wood. These doors are usually assembled from a number of separate panels and they may have a natural treated finish (hard wood), or alternatively a gloss paint finish (soft wood).

Up-and-over garage doors can also be provided in wood, but the additional weight of this natural material means that only a retraction style up-and-over door will be suitable to carry the wooden door's extra weight.

Until quite recently roller doors and sectional doors, where hinging and flexibility are required, were not suitable for doors of a wooden construction. However steel framing and clever chassis construction now mean that folding and collapsing panel constructions can be applied to wooden garage doors. This means that sectional, roller and side hinged garage doors are available in natural wood offering both beauty and performance.

Modern preservatives and treatments ensure that wooden garage doors are low maintenance and high performance and their natural thermal and acoustic properties mean that they are good insulators.

Why buy a wooden garage door

Despite complex manufacturing technology and impregnated finishes, nothing can capture the intrinsic qualities of real wood.

A wooden garage door has a warmth and texture that cannot be duplicated and the use of the wood's natural grain is never fully captured by the wood-effect finishes of other materials.

The medium of wood also allows a vast range of customised and bespoke door designs that can utilise the unique qualities of the material whilst benefiting from a modern steel frame, or traditional mortice and tenon jointing.

Other materials used in garage door and garage door frame construction include, caluminium, steel, plastic, fibreglass and composite materials.