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Best Garage Doors for Your Perfect Home

Best Garage Doors for Your Perfect Home is courtesy of: Aladdin Garage Doors Portland Blog

Picking the Right Doors for your Homes

Perhaps you’ve been walking home from work, driving around the area or just jogging this morning when you saw this big, spectacular house you always wanted to have. You let your eyes feast on this dream home but your daydreaming was cut short when you saw their plain hideous garage door.

It was a real eyesore you almost felt sorry for the rest of the house.

Considering aesthetic design of the house, the garage door is one of the most overlooked pieces even if it is always seen but don’t worry, after reading this article you will be picking out the best garage door in town!

How To: Pick the Right Garage Door

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The garage door has become such a prominent part of the façade of new homes that manufacturers now offer more style and colour choices than ever before. “It’s important to make the garage door look beautiful,” says Bette Davies of Richards-Wilcox Canada, a manufacturer based in Mississauga, Ont. “It’s not part of the background of your home, as many people think.” We talked to a few industry experts about some of the options to consider when you’re in the market for a handsome new garage door.

Decide on the material

When researching your options, there’s lots to think about: durability, maintenance, design, cost. “Wood doors can take more abuse than steel ones, which show dings and dents, and can even be pierced and start to rust,” says Francesco Di Sarra of Capoferro Design Build Group in Toronto. “The most commonly used wood is cedar, but you can get anything you want if you have the budget, even mahogany.”

1 Aluminum

Many styles, stock colours and designs

Low to no maintenance

Rustproof, which makes it a good choice for salty or humid environments

The light weight of the material makes it less taxing on the operating mechanism, door openers and tracks, not to mention easier to operate manually

Less durable than steel; dents easily

2 Steel

Astonishing variety of styles, stock colours and finishes

Sturdier than aluminum

Can rust if scratched or dented

3 Wood

The traditionalist’s choice; a range of options for custom design

Veneers or overlays offer the look of wood at a lower cost

Requires regular maintenance (painting or staining)

4 Fiberglass/PVC overlay

Wide choice of styles and designs

More durable than wood and metal, but can crack if hit hard

Newer to the market so not as widely available as wood and metal

Generally costs more than metal but less than solid wood

Determine the style that best suits your home

Choose a door that complements your architecture. “On a traditional house, you might want the door to disappear or blend in. But if your home is modern, you can celebrate that, perhaps by choosing all glass or a unique design,” says Francesco Di Sarra. Below are general guidelines on door styles and features that will match your house type.

1) Victorian/georgian/colonial

Panelled wood (or lookalikes)

Coach house or stable look

Divided-light windows, ideally coordinated with house windows

Decorative hardware, like iron hinges or handles

2) Arts & crafts/edwardian

Raised panels or sections

Arch-top or divided-light windows to match or complement your home’s windows (but nothing too fussy looking)

3) ’50s ranch style

Plain finish with simple, horizontal emphasis in design, like wood slats or banding

Simple hardware or windows that create balance with overall composition of home’s exterior

For a streamlined look, consider forgoing handles

4) Contemporary/modern

This style offers the most design freedom – choose materials and details that make a statement

Options to consider: stained wood, V-ribbed or horizontal banding, frosted or pebbled glass

Pick the right colour

Generally, the colour should complement your home and blend in with the overall structure rather than stand out; avoid vivid colours and extreme contrasts.

Consider matching the garage door to your home’s window trim rather than to the front door. Or go for a colour that blends in with your siding or brick.

For less contrast with red brick, choose a beige or tan that matches the mortar in the brick, instead of a white.

Choose finishing details to customize your look and add character

Design choices aren’t limited to the basic door itself. Many manufacturers offer decorative accents and hardware.

Paneling Options include multiple square or rectangular sections for creating everything from a colonial to a coach house look.

Decorative hardware Hinges and handles come in a variety of designs, including a forged-iron look to evoke the styling of a coach house or stable doors.

Decorative strapping An X or Z shape formed with strapping (and perhaps in a contrasting colour) can introduce a nostalgic country or barn door look.

Windows Styles include arch tops, divided lights, large panels and etched glass; textured and sandblasted styles are also available for less transparency.

Consider other options for convenience & comfort

Installation “Make sure the door is properly installed and maintained, “says Bette Davies. “Installation isn’t a regulated profession yet. For safety reasons, use a reputable company that carries a recognized door brand.”

Insulation The higher the R value of the door’s insulated core, the more protection from noise and the elements. “Garage use is changing. For a lot of people, it’s not just a place for your car, but a workshop or even extra living space,” says Jean-François Morin of Garaga. “So people are asking for increased insulation – R14 or more – and better weather stripping to make it more comfortable.” If you use your garage as a workspace, or have a living space over or attached to it, consider a higher R value to save energy and increase comfort.

Safety Most automatic door openers retract if they sense an obstruction, but you might also want finger guards to prevent pinched fingers. Hire a professional installer – steel doors especially can be dangerous if they fall down.

Door openers While a ½-horsepower opener will operate all but the largest and heaviest door, it may not last as long as a ¾-horsepower model. At the higher end, in-line openers dispense with chains and have fewer moving parts, so they make less noise. “Some newer automatic openers include track drive, which uses a nylon track and is quieter,” says Philip Coleman of RONA.

Security According to Philip, there are now some good security features available: a keypad that allows your kids to enter the house through the garage without a key; handle-less doors to foil thieves; remotes that change frequencies easily, so only you can program the door.

If you are looking for wonderfully-designed and totally-eye-catching garage doors, we definitely recommend Aladdin Doors—their tag line says, “garage doors that open like magic.” Their broad range of styles and designs are really thought about you are sure to find the right design for your home without jumping to one store to another!

But wait—so I have just bought this garage door that, at first glance, was perfect—but now I realize that it’s not the design I would have liked. I don’t want to buy another garage door. Can I have it remodelled or painted?

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In some custom homes the garage doors add to the architectural detail and it makes sense to have them standout.  However, the vast majority of homes have standard or unattractive garage doors and it is best to have them blend rather than contrast with the main color of the home. Here are my general DO’s and DON’Ts for painting garage doors:

DO paint the garage doors in the same color as the house itself and not the trim color or white (unless white is your house color) if you want to keep them from standing out. Painting the garage doors the same colors as the body of the house may also make your home appear larger.

DO paint the trim around the doors either to match the door or to match the trim on the rest of your home.  Usually it looks best if it is the same as on the rest of your home but there are times when it may look better to not call attention to the trim with a contrasting color.

DON’T paint the garage doors in the same accent color as the front door or shutters. This usually draws too much attention to the garage doors and chops up the facade of the home.

DON’T highlight the details of a standard garage door by painting the door in more than one color. There are historic or special doors where this may be appropriate but for the majority of garage doors this would not be the way to go.

If the home is brick find a color that is blends with the color of the brick. This guarantees that the garage door colors will harmonize with the rest of the home and give you nice curb appeal.

To continue to draw the focus away from the garage and toward the entrance of your home, select a beautiful color for the front door. You can also draw attention to your entry with lighting, colorful plants and flowers, or an interesting bench or other tasteful element near the door.

Aladdin Doors of Portland offers a wide range of colors for your garage door. If you want to have your existing garage door repaired or remodeled, you can also discuss it with their professional technicians and let them handle the task with their expert skills!

But I have another problem: those garage doors are expensive, especially the prettier ones. How should I know that the investment is worth it?

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A garage door is an afterthought for some, but choosing the right one is as important as the siding on your house and the type of windows you use. Selecting a high end insulated garage door is a smart investment for your home. Making this change early can save you a lot of money over the years on heating bills and maintenance.

Lowering Your Energy Costs

Basic garage doors leak, which can create problems in both hot and cold months of the year. Leaky doors tend to leave the garage either uncomfortably hot or cold, depending on the season. Not only does this make the garage less usable for projects and storage, but it also raises your energy bills.

The wall separating the interior of your home from the garage conducts heat both ways. During the summer the hot air in the garage will make it harder for your air conditioning to keep your house cool, and likewise cold temperatures in the winter cause your furnace to work extra hard to heat the house. Well-insulated garages can often save you at least $200-300 per year in energy costs, meaning the garage door pays for itself within a few years (Overhead Door).

Saving On Maintenance Costs

Traditional wooden doors can dry out and crack if not maintained regularly. This is largely due to wood’s porous nature, which causes it to lose moisture in dry weather and absorb moisture in humid weather. This can wreak havoc on the paint depending on your typical weather conditions, and might mean you’ll need to paint much more frequently than with steel doors.While it’s still a good idea to do a garage tune up each year to keep things running smoothly, high end steel doors and tracks can reduce how much time and effort is involved in keeping it smooth, quiet, and efficient.

Looking for a local professional to fix your garage door click here. We will provide you a great design, great savings, great service and durability of your garage door. Aladdin Garage Doors of Portland understands all your garage door needs and is just a call away! Reach them at 877-DOOR-247 and get experience Aladdin’s magic!

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