Sectional Garage Door or Solid Garage Door Advantages and Disadvantages

You might not know what the big deal is about having a sectional garage door installed versus having a solid or single door garage installed. At Marietta Garage Door Repair, we are here to tell you that there are some significant differences that you should be aware of. Getting a new garage is about style and design preference. Most importantly it is about functionality. When you are choosing a brand new garage door, you’ll have some serious decisions to make. You may have the decision of choosing between a sectional garage door or a solid garage door. In order to make the right decision, you will need to be equipped with information about both types of doors. Our job is to provide you with this information.

 

What is a Solid Garage Door

At one point in time, there were far more solid garage doors being installed than sectional. It could be simply because people were more familiar with the solid door than they were to the sectional. Once introduced, people were not quick to make the change to the unfamiliar. The solid door is just that. It is a single slab of material (aluminum, fiberglass, etc.) that slides up or down. It goes directly above the garage door entrance. Most are installed on a hinge, attached to your door jam. Once everything is in place and the springs are attached, you can begin using your solid garage door. While both types of doors utilize roughly the same amount of space, the way they operate is very different.

Advantages of a Solid Door

There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to everything, including having a solid garage door installed. We would love to discuss the things that homeowners see as an advantage in having a solid door installed.

• Retrofit – The solid door will sit perfectly fine within an existing doors hardware and frame.
• Affordability – It is often less expensive to have a solid door installed than it is to have a sectional door. This is because they are not made with the same materials and they use different types of springs and cables. The biggest difference is due to the amount of parts that the sectional door has that the solid panel door does not. Fewer parts means less time to install your door.
• Plenty of Choices – Since this is a single slab of material, you’ll never have to worry about matching up the pieces to make your door look complete. Working with only one slab makes the installation process simpler for our installers. This also means that you are able to choose from a large selection of doors in various designs and materials. The same cannot be said of the sectional garage door. While you will have plenty of choices, it is harder to match up the pieces of the door. Making it look cohesive might be a little more of a challenge when you have a sectional garage door installed.
• Easy installation & Maintenance – Again, with fewer parts it is easier to install a solid door. You are also able to keep up with the repairs for the door as a single panel door doesn’t tend to have as many repair needs as a sectional door. When it is time to have maintenance performed on your solid door, it is usually pretty straight-forward and uncomplicated. When you have a sectional garage door installed, it takes far more time to install due to the many parts associated with the door. Unfortunately, due to the amount of parts, there is the possibility of a part being left out of the installation of the sectional door. This rarely occurs but there is still that possibility.

You may still be inclined to go with the sectional door rather than a solid door for whatever reason. You’re certainly entitled to have the type of door that you believe will be best suited for your needs. However, now that you know why some people might prefer the solid door, here is why they might prefer a sectional garage door.

• Safety – The solid panel door has had its fair share of problems. The springs used on single panel doors used to be far more dangerous than they are now. They used to break due to the lack of maintenance. The connectors begin to rust and the homeowner doesn’t do anything about it. Once they rust, it is just a matter of time before the spring breaks. Those who are aware of this might choose the sectional door for fear of this happening to them.
• Space – You are able to park your car closer to the door than if you had a solid door. This is because the way a sectional door opens; it will not damage your car. The sectional door offers you more garage space in the front and back. If you already have two or even three cars utilizing your garage door space, you might be more interested in this type of garage door due to the amount of space it affords you.
• Improved insulation – You can benefit from the insulating feature of a sectional garage door by seeing lower energy bills.
• Less expensive damage repairs – Since the door is not banging up against your car, you won’t have to worry about continuing to pay to have repairs made to your car or your garage. If you have damages to your door, keep in mind that you when you need to have repairs made, it is usually only to one section of your door.

Now that you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of both types of doors, the choice is up to you. Consider which matters the most to you and how you can benefit the most. Don’t make your decision based on someone else’s. You are the one who has to live with your final decision. It will ultimately affect your bottom line, how much you have to spend in maintenance and repairs. Choose wisely.

 

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