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Entering and Exiting: A Door Blog

Do you love solid wood doors, hallow-core doors, French doors, screen doors, security doors, garage doors or any other type of door? If you said yes, we have that in common. Hello. My name is Pat, and I take doors seriously. Whether I'm hanging a bedroom door for my kids, buying new doors for my rental properties or advising a real estate client on new doors, I take the task seriously, and I spend a lot of time researching. After years reading about and testing multiple types of doors, I have decided to share my wealth of knowledge. Please explore, and I hope you like what you find.

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Entering and Exiting: A Door Blog

Comparing Garage Doors: Sectional, Roller and Tilt Doors

by Brad Barnes

If you're planning to build a house, renovate, or repair your garage door, you have the option of choosing a sectional door, a roller door or a tilt door. Sectional doors open by reclining to the ceiling of your garage. Roller doors spin over a drum wheel located above your door while tilt doors, slant and lift to open. Read on to compare these designs and find out which one best fits your needs.

Ease of Use

All three door types can be automated to ease their operation. Roller and sectional doors are fitted with motors while tilt doors are fitted with hydraulic bars that lift and prop the door up to open. Used manually, all three door types can cause physical exertion. However, roller doors are easier to deal with as they have a spring mechanism already in place. Sectional doors need to be lifted until the door lifts and locks in place which requires some work. As for tilt doors, while their opening may not be as demanding as sectional doors, they open on a wide angle so one has to watch their legs and keep clearing the way for the door to open effectively.

Security

Garage doors hold a lot of weight when it comes to security. The margin of difference in the three types is minimal here. Tilt doors fare well since they are made of one sturdy frame devoid of joints that could become weak point for burglars. Sectional doors have their sections reinforced with metal so they offer robust protection when locked in place. Roller doors, on the other hand, are made of aluminum so they cannot break easily. They also offer added protection from fire.

Design

Due to the influence of curb appeal, your new garage door must carry high aesthetic value. Sectional and tilt doors have the advantage of being manufactured in wood. They can therefore be carved into many designs such as straight horizontal lines, square boxes, grid lines and many more. They can also be painted into different colors to match with your house. Roller doors too can be painted. However, they retain one distinct design due to the standard size of their horizontal aluminum slats.

Space

When it comes to space conservation in your garage, roller doors take the prize. They open directly up and fold into the curtain box. They therefore do not take up any space outside your door frame or on your garage ceiling. Sectional doors take up a lot of space in the garage ceiling which can greatly reduce your storage options. Tilt doors may not take up as much space on the ceiling. However, they do open outwards which can be inconveniencing if you have a small driveway.

And that's what you need to know about the three garage door types. Talk to a garage door manufacturer to get your custom piece made and installed.

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