How To Pick The Best Garage Door

How to Find the Best Garage Door

If you want to maximize the value of your home, you'll find garage doors are an easy and affordable method to increase your home's curb appeal. A good garage door will distinguish it from the rest of the neighborhood. For something extra special, custom made garage doors can be designed to your specifications.

The most common types of garage doors are: Retractable, Canopy Side, and Hinged Sectional Retractable. Where limited space in your driveway is an issue, sectional garage doors are the right choice. They open and shut vertically, allowing cars to park very close to the door without keeping it from opening. Among the wide variety of designs, the most popular garage doors are sectional, upward acting, and self storing.

The Types of Garage Doors

Gone are the old manual doors. Today you'll find that remote controlled and motorized garage doors have produced a more usable garage. The most popular style is the overhead garage door.

The primary concern in planning your garage door is the material used. Selecting the best garage door materials for your needs will depend on a few things like the style of your home, and how warm you want your garage to be. There are 3 main materials for garage door construction: Wood, Steel and Fiberglass (GRP).

When you're planning to install a garage door, you must consider door type and materials. You can also incorporate into your plan such things as heated garages or unique window options.

The Most Popular Style is the Overhead Garage Door

Overhead garage doors are by far the most popular type of garage door available to homeowners. With automatic stop and begin features, people find overhead garage doors easy to use, with wonderful options and safety features.

Overhead garage doors work with a rolling system. The door rolls up and stores along the roof of the garage. Overhead door features to look for are that they are smooth, quiet and compact. Installing an overhead garage door is simple; do it yourself, or get help from the manufacturer. Popular garage door manufacturers include Garaga, Liftmaster, Raynor or DBCI.

The Appeal of Wood

Wood garage doors are preferred more for their appearance and affordability than for their durability.

You can select wood types like solid cedar for a durable garage door, which will last for years and look wonderful. Sections of roll-up wood doors may have either panel or flush construction. For panel doors, manufacturers fit several separate, rectangular panels into a wooden frame. Flush sections are made by fastening a plywood panel on top of a wooden frame.

The main disadvantage to a wooden garage door is that wood expands and contracts and can warp or crack as it weathers. It demands re-painting or refinishing every couple of years to keep it looking good and in top condition.

Steel Garage Doors Have Many Advantages

The main advantage to steel garage doors is that they won't warp, crack, or fall apart because of weather. With no painting or refinishing requirements, steel doors are a low maintenance possibility that will keep your home looking stylish. Nowadays most steel garage doors are made of hot-dipped galvanized steel that is vinyl clad or given a baked on polyester finish. They will not rust or require repainting like wooden doors.

Another important advantage of steel garage doors is that they achieve the look of wood without the maintenance. Some have grained steel skins that can be stained to look just like wood. A design mimicking carriage house doors has become quite popular for nearly a decade. Some manufacturers use composite or vinyl boards on the exterior of a steel door to make it look like an outward swinging door.

The only disadvantage to steel doors is that they dent and can be difficult to repair. A premium door is often 2 inches thick, filled with insulation, and clad in 24-gauge steel. Less-expensive doors are usually thinner and made of 28 gauge steel. So steel offers real benefits over wood; it costs less and it needs much less maintenance and with can look just like wood.

The Assets of Fiberglass

Fiberglass, sometimes called GRP, garage doors are chosen for locations where light is important or in salty ocean climates. GRP garage doors need only mild exterior cleaning to retain their quality finish. They generally they do not need to be stained or finished. The most popular style for a GRP garage door is the retractable garage door. Fiberglass is a tough and durable material which will keep looking good for years.

Conclusions

Each of garage door material has its own benefits: Steel up and over doors are sturdy and give great value for money; wood doors are insulated and have an appealing look, and fiberglass up and over garage doors are extremely low maintenance offering a timber effect without the maintenance of real wood. Which ever you pick you'll be sure that it will elevate the curb appeal and the value of your home, and increase your feeling of security.

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The Butterfly Effect - A Look At Vertical Doors

How about something remarkable. Something never before experienced by most drivers. Something that makes waves. How about the butterfly effect?

Butterfly doors, also known as vertical door or lambo doors, originated to solve a problem. The Lamborghini had a very wide base, and a traditional door design would not allow for easy entering and exiting, especially if parked next to anything. They devised a door hinge system that lifts the doors vertically, and only slightly out war, clearing the door of the opening, and also allowing the wide body car to still fit in traditional spaces.

These doors catch a lot of attention. When door open vertically, you get the "butterfly" effect, making waves wherever you are. People stop and notice these types of modifications because they are rare, unique, and very appealing. These kits are now available for most cars, and come as a universal kit that can be fitted to almost any vehicle. Some of the kits will require a little body work, but others are a direct bolt in. The hinges, gas shocks, and hardware may not look like $750 to $1000 worth of materials, but the finished results is well worth the money for most car enthusiasts and tuners.

We suggest professional installation for these types of kits, mainly because in a lot of cases, the inner fender wells need to be rolled or modified to fit the new brackets and hinges. Most of the kits are adjustable enough to create a unique vertical opening while keeping it fairly easy to get in and out of the vehicle. Look for kits that allow for both vertical and horizontal adjustments to be made for the best possible combination of style and comfort.

Butterfly doors are becoming the craze at most tuner events and shows. Some cars look better than other with the mods done to them, and you can probably find images of your car model with them installed somewhere on the internet. I would suggest seeing a finished product before investing the money. The kits are in most cases completely reversible if you are unsatisfied for any reason, or intend to sell the car at a future date.

If you want to turn you ride into a real showstopper, these kits are the way to go. They come in manual and automatic varieties. Vertical doors are a great addition to any show car. Vertical Doors, Inc. is credited with the patent on the design we are most familiar with. There have been several company create similar products marketed under the product "type" called vertical doors. They are also referred to as butterfly doors, or 90 degree doors. Either way, they give our daily drivers a nice exotic sports car look.

There are some varieties of doors out there that will fit the bill if you are looking for that extra something to add to your show car. There are the traditional "vertical" doors which open vertically. See picture below. These kits use specially made brackets and gas shocks to open the doors outward slightly, then upwards. They can be adjusted to open further our before going up to make it easier to get in and out of, as a common disadvantage to the door kits is the increased difficulty of getting in and out of the vehicle.

There are other types of door modifications that can be done, such as "suicide" doors that open exactly the opposite of traditional doors. The hinges are moved to the other side of the door opening so it swings the other way. Also a cool upgrade.

Still my personal favorite is the Dalorian style door as seen in back to the future. These doors are hinged in the center of the roof, and raise straight up allowing for easy access in and out of the vehicle. This type of modification would call for some extensive mods to the roof system, as well as some fabricated doors, but it would make for a serious upgrade!

If you are interested in trying to install your own vertical door conversion kits, be warned, it can be tricky, but here is a guide to help you in the process.

1. Lift the hood and remove left and right shield of front wheel.

2. With the door open pull out the rubber hose connecting the door and the door frame, draw out and cut the wire (wrap the two ends of every cut wires with friction tape and record the given numbers. If the wires are long enough, it 's not necessary to cut.) and then remove the rubber hose of the wires.

3. With door closed remove the factory top door hinge.

4. Test and draw the placement of the mechanism. Pay attention to the moving way of the swing arm and ensure the swing arm up to 90° not to touch the shield or fender. So the mechanism must be in a proper height, which can be tested by the shield.

5. Grind the installation placement of the chassis or hammer any extrusions that may hinder the base plates from sitting flat. You may also grind and cut the base plate and door plate as needed.

B. After grinding the installation placement, test the proper distance with the shield and check and observe any places that may prevent the base plate and the swing arm from moving. In this situation you must draw a line around the base plate when it is in the proper, and then cut or hammer along the perimeter till not to hinder.

C. In cars with small spaces between the chassis surface and the fender there will not be sufficient room to install. It can be solved as follows: with the position of the base plate determined, draw a line around the base plate when it is in the proper position, and then cut along the perimeter to allow the base plate to slide below the surface.

6. Determine the holding position and space. Draw the position of the safety arch on the base plate and cut it. Cut a slot in the chassis to accommodate the arch, and if the base plate is below the chassis surface for your application make additional space for adjustment with a hex key.

7. Next you should cover the base plate, door, and the rest parts of the door mechanism in welding deflection paper with the exception of the surface of the surface that will get welded for the surface protection.

8. When the door mechanism clings to the chassis, door place, and moves smoothly and
is proper in both horizontal and vertical direction after testing again, weld spots around the perimeter of the base plate and the door plate. When you feel the welds are sturdy enough, remove the down door hinge. You may observe and test whether the door is in the correct motion and position by swinging it out and up manually. Now you can make adjustments at the door outward motion screws, safety set screw and door height screws etc. on the door mechanism.

 

9. Determine and draw on the shield or fender the position space of the swing arm's motion and cut it. Test it again and cut the inner lip to provide clearance for the swing arm.

 

10. Once you are satisfied with the operation and placement like opening, closing, lifting and falling of the door and door mechanism, hammer the hinge center axis of the mechanism from top to bottom and then remove the door. Make a strong weld around the entire perimeter of the base plate and door plate. (Parts must be prevented from broiling of the high temperature while welding.)

11. Grind and scuff the welds surface and mask the undercoat paint and top coating to prevent rust.

12. Lube the moving surfaces of the door mechanism with heavy waterproof grease and then close the door, align the hinge holes and interpose the center axis to the holes form top to bottom and then hammer it well and smoothly.

13. When the door is open up to the maximum angle, clear up the wires. Measure the wires and connect to the required length with other wires if it is not long enough. Remember to connect with the numbers while cutting and to mask the joints with the insulation tapes. With the wires plaited into cluster, fixed at the bottom of the swing arm with plastic and string.

14. Open the door and rotate it to the highest point, screw two ball joints into the swing arm and gas spring connecting plot respectively with gas spring screws and then determine and mark the spot where the ball joint will get mounted on the chassis.

15. Put the door down for now and disconnect the gas spring ball screw form the gas spring connecting plot and then hammer or grind the fixed position of the connecting plot and weld it well on the fixed place. Paint for dust prevention.

16. Open the door to the highest point and screw the gas spring ball points into the connecting plot and lock the ball points on the swing arm tightly at the same time. And test the doors motion. The swing arm should be parallel and not interferes with the gas spring or other parts when the door moves up and down.

17. With the door closed, test the door's horizontal motion until the door is aligned with the latch and closes perfectly. Adjust the safety arch until the door mechanism no longer interferes with the shield or fender when the door out all the way horizontally. Then set the horizontal motion screws to correspond with the angle that the safety arch rubs the inside of the lifting arm when up. The closer you make these two adjustments, the more sturdy the door will feel going up and resting in the vertical position. Set the vertical height limiter adjustment as high as you wish provided that the door does not hit the shield or other parts.

18. If the door panel and/or door metal hits the shield or comes too close to the shield on the way up it must be cut. If the door panel must be cut first mark a line that will allow clearance. Then peel back the upholstery, make the cut and wrap the upholstery over the new edge with spray adhesive.

19. Test it again until no any hinder and satisfied with everything; seal the screw adhesive to all the screw points.

20. Mount the shield, fender etc. and put down the hood. This will complete the installation.

Good luck and stay TUNED!

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