Information Guide On How To Choose Your Garage Door

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There are four main types of garage door:

1. Up and over garage door 2.Sectional garage door 3. Roller garage door 4.Side-hinged traditional garage door

Within each category there are a large number of makes, models, sizes and finishes available.

To self quote and/or order your door, please click on the type of door you are interested in under "Products" on the top left of the screen.

1. Up and over garage doors.

Up and over is a blanket term. There are two up and over mechanism types.

Canopy up and over door on a steel goalpost fixing frame

Canopy Mechanism

The Canopy door operates in vertical tracks on the doors side frame. Usually cable operated.
When fully open the door forms a canopy of approx a third of the door's height.
Least expensive
Easy to fit
NOT ideal for automation.
Can come pre-installed on a factory fitted steel frame for easy fit as shown in photo.

Retractable up and over door fixed on a steel goalpost frame

Retractable Mechanism

The retractable door is guided by horizontal tracks inside the garage and retracts completely when fully opened.
Ideal for automation.
Easy to fit.
Can come pre-installed on a factory fitted steel frame for easy fit as shown in photo.
All our metal, timber and GRP doors are available in both mechanism types.

Vertically ribbed steel up and over door in Terra Brown

Steel up and over garage doors.

The most popular type.
Least expensive.
Most makes have a 10 year guarantee.
Available in:

                    Powder coated steel. Durable satin finish in white, brown or numerous colours.
                    Primed steel ready to paint on site.
                    Golden Oak and Rosewood foil laminate finish. A well priced attractive door to match UPVC front doors and windows.

All our steel doors are available in canopy or retractable mechanisms.
Steel side hinged garage doors are also available.

Solid cedarwood Ashbourne up and over door

Timber (wooden) up and over garage doors

Generally manufactured in cedarwood to ensure stability, light weight and resistance to rot.
Also available in European Oak, Idigbo and Accoya.
Numerous styles available in standard sizes and made-to-measure up to 18ft wide.
Available with canopy or retractable counterbalance mechanisms.
Basecoated for on-site finishing or
Fully finished in Sikkens woodstain or RAL colour.
Available with solid cedar, hardwood, softwood or steel fixing frames.
Easily automated with standard automation kit.

Wessex GRP fibreglass timber look garage door

GRP (Fibreglass) up and over garage doors.

Fibreglass is a tough flexible and durable material.
GRP doors do not need staining or finishing.
A wide range of door designs are available in both Gloss White and in a range of Woodgrain colours.
The wood grain effect replicates the beauty of the grain in timber. There are 14 wood grain colours including Oak (light, dark, mid), Mahogany, Rosewood, Teak, Ebony and Chestnut.
No surcharge for made to measure sizes.
There are various qualities of GRP garage door, defined by thickness of the GRP panel, translucency to light and the type of frame used for the door panel itself.
All GRP doors are available in CANOPY MECHANISM or RETRACTABLE MECHANISM

2. Sectional garage doors.

Diagram showing how a Sectional garage door operates

Sectional doors are available in fully finished Steel in numerous colours and finishes, or Timber.
Sectional garage doors maximise drive through width as they are fitted on the rear face of the garage opening.
The sectional door opens vertically so you can park in front of the garage door and still open it.
Excellent level of security.
Neat rubber seals all around the door prevent drafts and leaves etc blowing into the garage.
Ideal for automation

Steel sectional garage doors

Made from fully finished steel with all round draught seals..
Available in: single skin non-insulated, and twin walled and insulated, including Carteck 40mm insulated, Hormann 42mm insulated and Alutech 40mm insulated.
Horizontal or Georgian panel available in white, various foil laminate wood look finishes including Golden Oak, Irish Oak, Dark Oak and Rosewood.
Also any RAL colour on request
Doors available from 2000mm wide to 8000mm wide.

Cedardoor Georgian timber sectional garage door

Timber sectional garage doors

All timber doors made to measure from 7 ft to 18 ft wide and 6 ft to 10 ft high
British or German made from solid Cedar, Hemlock and Nordic Pine.
Can come fully finished in choice of woodstain colours or any RAL colour
Standard headroom and low headroom gear options available
10 styles available, some with glazing

3. Roller garage doors.

There are 2 types of roller door available.

Insulated electric roller doors
Non-insulated roller doors (manual or electric)

Both types of roller door enjoy the following features:

Roller shutters are fitted on the rear face of the garage opening, maximising width and removing the need for a timber frame.
Ideal for short driveways because the door rises vertically and does not kick out.
PLEASE NOTE the headroom clearances required on the inside between the under face of the lintel and ceiling. Not all garages have the room for a roller.
Roller doors provide a good level of security, because the door is fitted behind the brickwork and has full height steel guides and dual locking bars or “autolocks” if electric
Aluminium bottom rail reinforces door and holds rubber seal which stops leaves etc blowing under.

Insulated automatic Roller garage doors.

Fully finished aluminium slats which are foam filled.
Always supplied fully automated.
Give thermal and acoustic insulation.
Neat full box housing covers the roller assembly completely giving a very neat finish externally and internally.
Less headroom needed than non-insulated roller door. Can be fitted between brick piers and under the lintel, or externally, if required.
Please see Compact 55mm Roller for low headroom applications.
Includes courtesy light, and optical bottom edge safety device.
All insulated roller doors are made to measure at no extra cost from 3 ft wide to 19 ft wide, Hormann Rollmatic are made upto 5000mm wide.
Various colours available including Golden Oak, Irish Oak, Rosewood or Mahogany wood grain effect.
10 year slat guarantee and 5 year motor guarantee

Inside view of Gliderol continuous curtain roller door

Non-insulated roller door.

Plastisol coated continuous steel curtain (10 year guarantee on the plastic coating)
Available in widths up to 5 metres and heights up to 5 metres
An ideal low cost roller door (providing there is sufficient headroom)
Available as manual or automatic
Available in approx 14 different colours including Golden Oak laminate
All non-insulated roller garage doors are made-to-measure at no extra cost

4. Side hinged garage doors

All side hinged doors enjoy the following features:

Two door leaves which open outwards
50/50 split with 2/3 and 1/3 available in some models
Ideal for convenient pedestrian accesas
Most models come pre-fitted to a goalpost fixing frame

steel side hinged garage door on steel fixing fram

Steel side-hinged garage doors.

All are pre-fitted to factory made steel frames ready for fitting direct to brickwork.
Powder coated in white, brown or any of various RAL colours.
Standard sizes and made-to-measure sizes available
3 hinges per door, 4 hinges on some makes.
All hardware pre-fitted for quick and easy installation.
Various styles available
50/50 split with 2/3 and 1/3 split on some models.

Insulated side-hinged

Available in 40mm and 42mm insulated twin walled insulated doors
Fully finished steel in White, Woodgrain Foil bLaminate or any RAL Colour
Come complete with steel goalpost fixing frame
All round soft rubber seals
All doors are made to measure at no extra cost
Secure locking with multy-point locking available at extra cost
Various threshold options to suit the application.

Timber side-hinged garage doors. Available in Pine or Cedar wood

Jeldwen glazed softwood side hinged garage door

Pine side hinged:

Quality pine frame ledge and brace construction.
Available in 2 styles: all tongue and grooved or tongue and groove below with windows at top
Both styles only available in 2 standard sizes: 7’0” x 7’0” and 7’0” x 6’6”
Suitable for painting on site on all edges and faces.
Rebated meeting styles.
Ironmongery is not included.

Cedardoor glazed timber side hinged garage door

Cedar side hinged:

British made traditional garage doors
Made to measure in a wide range of styles
Strong frame ledged and braced construction
Rebated meeting styles
Choice of ironmongery from modern to antique
Available fully finished in a choice of Sikkens wood stains

GRP (Fibreglass) side-hinged:

Maintenance free
All GRP doors made-to-measure at no extra cost
Gloss white or large range of woodgrain colours
Many styles available
Pre-fitted to steel frames ready for direct fitting to brickwork
Multi-point security upgrade and draught kit at little extra cost.