Month: June 2022

Garage doors can be made from many interesting materials and combinations of them, including steel, vinyl, wood, and composites. They can also incorporate glass windows. With the sky being the limit for garage door customization, how do you decide what materials are best for a new garage door for your home or business?

This short guide describes the advantages of these materials so you can learn more about them and the potential trade-offs when comparing one material with the others.

Steel Garage Doors

Steel has the distinct advantage of being extremely tough and durable. When compared to wood, vinyl, and composites, it resists damage better. In a collision accident, a steel door may only be bent instead of breaking entirely. This is a fairly easy repair.

Vinyl Garage Doors

Vinyl is popular because it is a low-cost material that looks good. It requires little maintenance as well. However, it is a bit more delicate than steel and will crack if hit hard enough. Otherwise, it holds up well and stays lovely-looking for a long time.

Wooden Garage Door

A wooden garage door may be part of the overall aesthetic design for the home. Carriage-house are popular designs for stately-styled abodes, as a wooden garage door gives a home a vintage, classy look. Wood is also strong if pressure-treated with special chemicals that help preserve the wood, make it more fire resistant, and create a deterrent against pest damage.

To learn more about wooden garage doors, check out Clopay’s page about them. We’re proud to stock this brand, as it makes a wooden garage door that goes above and beyond the competition in many respects.

Composite Garage Doors

Composites are materials that are made by using adhesives to hold laminated layers of materials together. They are usually a little stronger than a solid wood door and hold up better.

Composite materials can be worked with using the same methods as those used for solid wood. They can be sanded, painted, and finished. Composite doors are usually less expensive than using solid wood and preferred for their added durability.

Glass In A Garage Door

Windows are a very attractive element for a garage door There are two main concerns, though, if you’re looking to incorporate windows into your design. One: is the energy efficiency of the door lowered because the type of glass is not a very good temperature barrier? If the windows use double-paned glass, for instance this energy loss is less.

The other consideration is the ability of a stranger to look in through the windows of the garage door to see what is inside. If the window glass is clear, this may add some security risk to the property, which needs to be addressed. As an alternative, there are many decorative glass materials that are attractive but relatively opaque.

The Big Question: Carriage House or Overhead?

One of the biggest decisions you’ll make when it comes to your new garage door installation is its orientation—how it opens, in other words. Carriage house garage doors slide back horizontally, while overhead garage doors retract vertically and store themselves near your garage’s ceiling.

Which one is right for you? That entirely depends on your situation; neither is inherently better than the other. We’ve written an entire blog on the differences and what those mean for the door’s functionality and style, so check it out to begin to determine your individual right route.

Keep in mind, though, that your garage door can be made to mimic one style while, in reality, operating as the other. If you’ve got space concerns that mean a carriage-house is out of the picture, for instance, a door that opens upward can often be made with faux hinges and the like to give it that coveted, luxurious look.

Insulated or Not?

We’ll just go ahead and answer that question for you: always buy insulated if you can. We detail exactly why in our blog post on the topic. In short, though, these garage doors are awesome. They can pay for themselves in the long run in energy savings and are therefore great for the environment. Not to mention that, because they can control the temperature of the garage, the space becomes much more viable as a home gym, hobby room, and more.

On top of all that, they drastically reduce the sound the garage door makes while operating. Clopay cites an approximate three-times reduction in operating noise levels with its signature insulation line. Garage doors should always be quiet, but when you invest in insulation, you’ll get that benefit to the max!

Contact Door Power for High-End Garage Door Repair, Installation, and More

There are many styles, colors, and finishes that your new garage door can take—and we’re here to help you navigate them all. Consult with the experts at Door Power by calling 952-467-3199 or simply fill out your information on the request form.

This post first appeared on https://www.doorpower.com

During the summer in Indianapolis, the temperature inside your garage can rise quickly. This high heat can lead to multiple inconveniences that make it worthwhile to try and keep your garage cool. One easy and obvious way to quickly cool your garage is to open its main door. Although this method is what many homeowners turn to, it’s important to ask if this method actually makes sense. To help keep your garage more comfortable this summer, the professionals at Garage Door Doctor offer their thoughts on this heat-busting technique.

How Hot Can It Get?

As a general rule of thumb, you can expect your garage to get about 20 degrees hotter than the ambient air temperature. Although this difference isn’t as significant as the difference between the interior and exterior of a car, it is enough of a difference to cause problems. Plus, if you bring a sun-warmed car into your garage, the heat from the car will radiate into the surrounding air, increasing the temperature of the air even more. Without any breeze or ventilation, it’s easy to see why working in a garage on a hot summer day can quickly get uncomfortable.

Potential Heat-Related Problems

Beyond simply being unpleasant, a hot garage can cause other problems. The heat in an attached garage is likely to find its way inside your home even if your access door is well-insulated. Over time, this can greatly increase the utilization of your air conditioner, resulting in increased energy usage and excess wear and tear on your HVAC system. Another problem with excess heat accumulation is that it makes the environment dangerous for pets. If you need to allow your dog to stretch their legs while you’re inside, you may choose to let them run around in your garage. Unfortunately, if your garage isn’t well-ventilated, the garage may be too hot for your pet, resulting in heat-related illnesses. High heat can also damage certain items that you may have stored in your garage.

Releasing the Heat

When people consider cracking the garage door, they do it to release the heat in their garage before it has a chance to accumulate. Unfortunately, a cracked garage door will not do much to keep your garage cool. The main reason it doesn’t do much good is that the gap between the garage door and the driveway will be low to the ground. However, since heat rises, the heat in your garage largely accumulates above this level, meaning that very little heat will have a chance to escape. If the wind is blowing just right, there is a small chance that some cooler outside air could find its way inside your garage. In general, though, cracking your garage door is an ineffective way to keep it cool in the summer.

Risks of Leaving the Door Open

Since cracking the door only a little bit isn’t an effective way to ventilate your garage, you may instead opt to leave your garage door open completely. Although this approach will help your garage stay cooler, there are some drawbacks to using this option. The biggest problem is that leaving your garage door open makes it vulnerable to intruders. Someone can easily come in and steal tools or other belongings in your garage if you step away for even a moment.

If your garage is connected to your house, an intruder may also be able to gain easy access to the rest of your home if you leave your garage door open. Plus, an open garage door allows bugs and small animals to come into your garage, potentially creating a dangerous situation. Finally, if it should start to rain, water can get inside your garage, causing damage to tools and other items.

Using Ventilation

While Garage Door Doctor can’t recommend leaving your garage door open to keep your garage cool, we can recommend some alternative ventilation methods. Rather than opening the main door, you can open one or more windows in your garage to improve ventilation. To further increase ventilation, you can place a box fan in each window to help draw in cool air and expel hot air. You can also install a ceiling fan in your garage to help move the air so that it feels cooler on your skin. If your garage has roof access, you can install an attic fan to draw the hot air up and out of your garage.

Adding Air Conditioning

If you like to spend a lot of time in your garage, a great long-term solution is to add a ductless mini-split air conditioner to transform your garage into the ultimate hangout. Before you install an air conditioner, though, Garage Door Doctor highly recommends that you insulate the walls and ceiling in your garage so the cool air doesn’t immediately escape. Although this is the most expensive solution, it’s also the option that helps create new ways to use your garage. A garage with air conditioning essentially becomes an extension of your home, providing a great place for large family get-togethers or family game nights. Plus, you can use a ductless mini-split system to keep your garage warm in the winter, providing year-round comfort for you and your family.

Insulated Garage Door

Although it won’t solve all your problems, an insulated garage door from Garage Door Doctor can do a lot to help keep your garage cooler. This is especially important if your garage gets direct sunlight at any point during the day. If your garage door isn’t insulated, the sun’s thermal energy will transfer directly into your garage. However, with an insulated garage door, the inside of the door will be significantly cooler than the outside, meaning that less thermal energy will transfer to the interior of your garage. If you’re planning on adding insulation to the walls and ceiling of your garage, an insulated garage door is a must-have add-on. Otherwise, you’ll be left with what is essentially a gaping hole in your insulation coverage, meaning that it will be much more difficult to keep your garage comfortable.

If an Open Garage Door Is the Only Option

There may be circumstances when you have no choice but to leave your garage door fully open to provide ventilation. While it’s not ideal, there are some steps you can take to overcome some of the risks of an open garage door. To keep out bugs and small animals, you can install a screen over your garage door opening that you can put in place when your garage door is open. This allows you to get full ventilation without worrying about unwanted visitors getting into your garage. For unwanted visitors of the human variety, you can put a motion-activated camera in place and focus it on the garage door opening. This will alert you immediately if anyone tries to enter without your permission.

Keeping You Safe and Comfortable

At Garage Door Doctor, we work hard to keep our customers safe and comfortable. That’s why we offer garage door installation and repair, garage door spring repair, garage door opener installation and repair, and much more. Since our founding more than 10 years ago, we’ve been working hard to exceed our customers’ expectations. That’s why we’re accredited by the Better Business Bureau and receive five-star customer reviews all the time. To learn more about improving the comfort of your garage, contact us at Garage Door Doctor today.

The post Is It a Good Idea to Crack Open Your Garage Door To Keep Your Garage Cool in the Summer? appeared first on Garage Door Doctor.

This post first appeared on https://www.garagedoordoctorllc.com