Cost

In comparison to its competitors, steel is a refreshingly inexpensive option for your home. With steel garage doors typically being forged from recycled metals, the average cost to purchase a steel garage door is typically in the average household’s budget.

Keep in mind that customizing your door with custom colors, windows, or other features can add to the total cost of your steel garage door. Even when factoring in these costs, you can also expect to enjoy low maintenance costs for your steel overhead garage door. Its ability to resist even minor dents should also give you peace of mind.

Lifespan and Durability

Comparing steel garage doors to other material, no others can stand up to the durability that steel doors bring you. They’re able to stand up to falling trees, destructive storms, and careless teenagers.

Modern-day steel garage doors are surprisingly weather and water-resistant. In previous years homeowners would also have to factor in the cost to maintain their steel garage doors through weather and rain. Today, you no longer have to worry about the elements, as new steel garage doors are resistant to rust.

Look

In addition to the above advantages, steel overhead garage doors also come with a variety of styling options to choose from, including panel type, carriage style, color, and windows.

If you are working with a customer-centric garage door installer like Smarr Garage Doors, you can use the experts to walk you through each option that steel garage doors have to offer you.

Safety

If you’re looking for the most secure type of garage door, then metal or steel is the material you should explore. Safety of steel comes with no major cons and some big pros. Steel garage doors have few to no weak spots for criminals to exploit. One of the major benefits of this type of door is its ability to help you rest easy.

Cost

The cost for a wood garage door can vary greatly depending on the project, material, and features selected. They tend to be on the more costly side of the garage-door spectrum, but many people feel the elegant look and feel they provide is worth the spend.

Homeowners should consider the length or size of their garage. If you have a two or three car garage you can expect the price of any garage door installation project to at least double. The ability to add features to your wood garage door will also ultimately add to the total cost. If working with a skilled garage door installer, you may opt to also paint your new garage door to match your home, which also could add to the overall project cost.

Materials

Aside from their visual appeal, wood garage doors have many advantages over other materials. The wood used to make the doors can vary depending on the supplier. Popular types of wood include:

• Cedar 

• Mahogany 

• Reclaimed wood 

• Redwood 

• Oak 

Each material provides a unique look and feel, each with its own elegant, rustic and natural quality. Keep in mind that wood is a natural material that is more at risk of weather or insect damage than other doors, which could make maintenance down the road more expensive.

Style

The customization options are nearly endless when it comes to wooden garage doors. With the ability to also change their panel type, carriage style, paint, and windows, these doors can be specially crafted to suit your individual style and needs. Although great for updates and regular customization, the fact that your wooden door may need to be painted now and then can tack on some extra maintenance costs. Make sure to factor that in when comparing the cost of wooden doors to other lower maintenance materials, such as steel.

Durability

Wood doors are generally considered less durable than other materials because they are vulnerable to fire and other types of damage. They are fairly resistant to impact but are less resistant than their stronger steel counterparts.

Value

The classic look of wooden garage doors is in high demand. For this reason, having a wooden garage door is likely to enhance your home’s curb appeal and increase the value of your home. Even if your home is decades old, wooden doors can be easily given a fresh coat of paint (unlike other materials), which can brighten them up and get them market-ready with minimal time and effort.

Options

If you have dreams of a wooden garage door but are worried about costs, we recommend comparing different suppliers, who offer a range of options with plenty of lower-cost models. Suppliers offer templated and faux wood garage doors for a more nominal price tag without losing the wood style door curb appeal.

Cost

Comparable to steel, aluminum garage doors offer a great option within most homeowners’ budget. Aluminum doors also rust less frequently and less easily than doors of other materials. This feature has the potential to make repairs cheaper and less frequent. Because it is a lighter material, installation aluminum can also be easier to install; however the cost and weight can be offset by the inclusion of tempered glass sections.

Efficiency

Aluminum garage doors are not one-size-fits-all when it comes to efficiency. Single-layer aluminum (the most basic kind of aluminum garage door you can buy) does not include any insulation and will not be an effective material for regulating the temperature inside of your garage.

However, upgraded models aluminum garage doors include a layer of insulation in between two layers of aluminum, making it a much more effective choice for people worried about their home’s energy efficiency.

Look

Aluminum doors can come in a variety of different colors and styles, and their lightweight qualities make them easier to design or emboss. Aluminum doors can also be installed with glass panels for a more modern look. This design feature is popular among homeowners who want to truly stand out from the crowd.

Durability

Aluminum garage doors are generally considered to be a durable option. They are resistant to termite damage and can hold up against dents and dings from driveway games. However, their lightweight quality also puts them at risk of damage from higher impact events.