Garage Door Installation
Installing only high-quality, commercial grade garage doors for durability, strength, and longevity!
Step-By-Step Garage Door Choice Guide
Welcome! In the following text, you will find an abundant amount of information on all things garage doors! At O’Brien, we are dedicated to educating our community on all of the details and options to consider when choosing the right garage door for their home. This process can be very exciting, and we are here to guide you through it.
We understand that each and every one of our valued customers has unique needs when it comes to style, design, and function. When choosing the right garage door for your home, there will be many options to consider such as insulation type, panel design, windows or no windows, and color. We offer classic colors, standard raised panel designs, beautiful faux wood paint finishes, and carriage house garage doors as well! We have compiled a complete guide below to choosing a new garage door.
Our Commitment to Quality:
At O’Brien, it is our top priority to carry only the highest quality of products. All garage doors are not created equal. Often, garage doors will come with plastic rollers, smaller/less durable hinges, an inferior spring system and all of the parts associated with the lifting mechanism.
We partner with manufacturers such as C.H.I., Door Link, and Amarr, that are leaders in the industry when it comes to durability, strength, performance, and longevity. This workmanship can be seen from the quality of paint and beautiful faux wood finishes to the mechanics of the door itself. The “bones” of the garage door are extremely important, if not THE most important in the durability of the garage door. Our manufacturers use commercial grade steel in the door itself as well as all of the structural and operational parts of the door that hold it together to lift and lower the door. Some of these garage door parts will be the torsion spring system, steel ball bearing rollers, hinges, bearings, cables, torsion tubes, drums, etc. Having high quality parts on the door will also assist with smooth/quiet operation, and with routine maintenance, will operate in this way for many years to come.
All of the information below will help walk you through the different options to consider when purchasing a new door. Please feel free to reach out to our friendly door representatives with any questions you may have along the way! If you prefer to have a door specialist meet you onsite to go over options and pricing, please give us a call or schedule an appointment online today!
Step One:
Confirm Size and Number of Garage Door(s)
Do you have a one car, two car, or three car garage door? Perhaps you have a combination of multiple garage doors all varying in size?
The most common size for a two car garage door is 16x7 and for a one car garage door, 8x7. However, it is also common that these sizes may vary by a foot or two in height and width. On occasion, the opening will be a special size such as 16x6’9 or 9x6’9.
Before purchasing a door, it is very important to take a tape measure to the opening. Before ordering a door, we will always send a technician out to take proper measurements. If you would like to have an expert come out to take proper measurements and go over options and pricing in person, we’d be happy to get you scheduled for an on-site estimate!
Step Two:
Decide Insulation Type
There are several options for garage door insulation type! Below you will find our three most common options from non-insulated to 3-layer insulated. If you are looking to have your garage temperature controlled or to have a thicker/more durable garage door, you may opt for one of our insulated options. If these factors are not necessary for your needs, a non-insulated door may be the perfect fit for your home!
Three most common garage door construction types:
1-Layer Non-Insulated:
One layer of steel with a hollow backing. No insulation provided and will not keep garage temperature controlled.
2-Layer Insulated:
This is our vinyl back option. It comes with a layer of steel on the front backed with insulation and a vinyl back covering. Out of our insulated options, this model is less common because the vinyl backing is more tender than the steel backing and may be prone to cosmetic damage over time (knicks, scratches, dents.) This will have a slightly lower insulation factor than the 3-Layer Steel Back.
3-Layer Insulated Steel Back:
This insulation type is our biggest seller! The most durable of our popular garage door models, this insulation type helps with temperature control, and its strong construction type tends to ride more smoothly and reduce noise as well. It is a sandwich of steel on the front, insulation on the interior, and another layer of steel on the back for maximum insulation and durability for many years to come.
This insulation type comes in a wide variety of colors and panel designs. It is important to note that a garage that is already insulated in itself will have a better outcome in regards to climate control by acting in combination with the insulated garage door.
Step Three:
Choose Material, Style, Color
Next up, let’s talk about material, style, and color! Below you will find information on options to choose from with helpful notes so you may choose what is right from your home in terms of aesthetics and budget.
Material:
The most common material choice for garage doors in America today is steel. Steel is a wonderful option because it will be primarily maintenance free in comparison to wood, as it is not as susceptible to damage from the elements. We also carry fiberglass doors as an upgraded option for those that prefer it.
We do offer wood overlay carriage house garage doors as well. We understand that wood has a very unique look and feel, and you may prefer to have this classic material. There are two important factors to keep in mind when considering a wood overlay carriage house door. The first is cost. Because these doors will be a regular garage door with another layer of custom designed wood on top, it will raise the cost dramatically. The second factor to consider is that the wood doors will require quite a bit of maintenance. Every few years, the doors will need to be re-sanded, re-stained, and re-sealed.
If you are looking for a wood door look that is virtually maintenance free, we highly recommend the faux wood steel garage doors. Manufacturers such as C.H.I. have a stunning faux wood finish that has the look of real wood, and they keep that look for many years to come without the time/labor/money to upkeep them visually and work to prevent rotting. Our faux wood doors are our favorite doors that we carry, and are growing rapidly in popularity as a beautiful addition to the home.
Style of Door:
Traditional Raised Panel
Traditional raised panel is a classic design that is most commonly chosen around the country for new homes and replacements. You may choose from the more common short panel design or give your door an added touch of elegance with the long panel. These designs give the door stability with their structure to ensure durability for many years to come. Choose from a variety of sizes, colors, and window designs to add your unique style to your home!
Stamped Carriage House
And we arrive at our favorites! The stamped carriage house door was originally designed to resemble the old carriage house doors that would swing or slide open to allow the owners’ carriage in and out of the home. This beautiful design has made a comeback and has been gaining popularity around the nation as it adds a tremendous amount of beauty and curb appeal to the home. There are many options to choose from such as long or short panel, windows/no windows, decorative hardware, a classic color such as white/almond/sandstone, or a beautiful faux wood finish that gives the impression of real wood without the required maintenance!
And More Styles!
Although Traditional Raised Panel and Stamped Carriage House are our most popular styles, we have many more options to choose from such as Recessed Panel, Full View Glass, Flush Panel, Stamped Shaker, Overlay Carriage House, Plank Style, and Wood Overlay garage doors. Within all of the options we also have many color options and upgrades such as insulated windows, obscured glass windows, designer glass windows, higher R-Value insulation, etc. We are confident that, whatever it is that you are looking for in a garage door, we will be able to help you find the perfect match!
Please feel free to reach out to our friendly door building team here for more digital literature/options. We are happy to hear from you and to help guide you through the process!
Color of Door:
All of our garage doors come in a wide array of color options. These will range from the classics such as white, almond, sandstone, desert tan, chocolate brown, and black to our beautiful faux wood colors such as mahogany, driftwood, cedar, and more. Reach out to us today to see which color options are available in the door you are looking to purchase!
Windows or No Windows?
Last up, windows! If you are on the fence about whether or not your garage door should have windows in it, we are here to help! It is our passion to be as informative and helpful as possible so that our valued customers are able to make an informed decision as to what will meet their needs the best. Our windows come as either plain glass or in a variety of options for design, insulation, and visibility.
Pros to windows:
Windows are beautiful! There are a wide array of designs to choose from that will no doubt add beauty to not only the garage door, but to the home as well. The entire look of the garage door can be altered simply by adding a row of windows with a beautiful design.
Windows will allow light into the garage and allow you to see out.
Cons to windows:
If climate control is important to you and you have an insulated door, unless the windows are insulated, this will be a place on the door that may allow for some temperature fluctuation. Solution: opt for insulated windows.
If you are able to look out, people can look in! If privacy is a very important aspect to you, you may opt out of windows for security reasons. Another option would be to upgrade to obscured glass.
Windows will add cost to the door.
Window Insert Options:
If you are interested in specialty windows such as insulated glass, obscured glass, frosted glass, designer glass, or have any other questions at all, please reach out to our friendly staff today and we will gather all of the options for you!
Now that we are through all of the basics when it comes to choosing a garage door for your home, lets determine if you need a new garage door opener or if your current opener will do the job!
Step Four:
Automatic Door Opener or No?
Are you looking to replace your garage door opener along with the replacement of your garage door? Perhaps it is not functioning, or you are looking to upgrade your garage door opener because of certain features such as wireless technology, battery backup, programming it to the HomeLink in your car, or you need a quieter model. We can help!
Our professional grade garage door openers such as Liftmaster Professional have many features that make them the most durable, secure, and technologically up-to-date openers on the market today. They will come stock with many security features such as a trolley release system, advanced encrypted wireless technology, remote lock out, Amazon Key, Homelink programming, and much more!
Click here to learn more about our automatic garage door openers!
Check out our door gallery!
Still have more questions regarding garage doors?
Please feel free to check out our frequently asked questions about new garage doors, or reach out to our team here!
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