When choosing a garage door, there are a number of things that you need to consider and understand.
These are design options, technical mechanisms, strength and security features, insulation value and the size and type of installation.
You may be swaying more towards a sectional or roller garage door as there is a particular feature you desire, however it is important to consider all aspects so you can make a well-informed decision and get the most for your money.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the key differences between the two most popular types of garage doors – Roller and Sectional.
Design
What your garage door looks like could be an important factor for you. Especially if your garage is attached to your home or can be seen from the front of your house.
When choosing a new garage door, it is understandable that you want to choose a style that also compliments your exterior decor tastes and your home. Today most garage door manufacturers and resellers give you plenty of options when it comes to choosing modern styles and colours (sometimes too many to choose from!).
Insulated Roller garage doors are designed to save space both inside and outside of the garage, designed in either small and medium-sized slats which roll up at the top of the door. They are available in a variety of colours.
Vision slats are small windows which can be added to a roller door in order to let more light into the garage. Sectional garage doors have a variety of panel styles in a smooth or woodgrain finish. Sectional garage doors have the ability to add windows either horizontally or vertically to the panels.
Sizing
Both types of doors work well for single and double-sized garages. Domestic insulated roller garage doors can be made up to a maximum width of 5.5 metres wide and sectional garage doors can be made for openings up to 6 metres.
Always look for garage door suppliers who can offer custom-built made to measure doors so that your new door will suit your needs and size of garage.
Insulation
Depending on what you are using your garage door for, insulation might be one of your top priorities when choosing your door.
If you have a connected garage, you’ll want to make sure that the heat from your house stays in and is not lost through your garage.
If you are looking for a well-insulated garage door then ideally you would want to consider a double skin version. You can choose to have insulation in both sectional and roller garage doors.
Security
As well as the benefit of providing excellent insulation, double skin garage doors are also amongst some of the safest.
They provide extra strength, security and resistance against potential intruders.
A good Sectional garage door will have 40mm insulated panels so provide greater lateral strength. As most sectional and roller doors are remote control operated nowadays, both options provide secure locking systems when the doors are closed.
Mechanisms
Both garage doors have the option for a vertical opening which is a perfect solution if you have a small driveway and want to park your car up close.
The main difference is how they open. Roller garage doors open vertically and rolls the slats around a barrel mounted at the top of the garage door. Sectional garage door panels slide back under the ceiling on mounted runners which are suspended to the ceiling.
Roller doors take up slightly more headroom for its mechanism in comparison to a sectional garage door. Sectional doors need less headroom but take up ceiling space which could otherwise be used for storage in some garages.
So there you have it. The type of garage door you should choose simply depends on the features that you consider the most important. For a space-saving option, a roller garage door might be the best choice but if you’ve got a larger garage and want more design options then consider a sectional garage door.
Easyfit Garage Doors are one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of made-to-measure roller and sectional garage doors which are suitable for easy DIY installation.