Your home’s curb appeal depends a lot on the look of your home and yard, but part of that whole package is your garage. This door is a vital element of your home’s external appearance. Fortunately, today’s residential garages are available in a wide spectrum of colors, materials and styles so you can customize the garage to the look of your home.
Due to the sheer amount of choices, this can be an overwhelming decision for many homeowners to make. Here are some things to consider when selecting the ideal garage door style that matches your home.
Materials
Which garage door material you choose will be based on many factors, from cost and design to maintenance and durability. Wood is the most commonly used material because it can withstand more damage and can be painted over. But steel, metal and fiberglass doors are also manufactured to be strong and resilient.
- Wood: The most traditional option, wood is a beautiful material to have for your garage door. But wood also comes with a lot of maintenance over the years, such as staining and painting.
- Steel: This material gives you additional strength and is available in numerous colors, finishes and styles. Yes, it’s tougher than other metals (like aluminum), but it can easily be dented and scratched, not to mention it can rust over time.
- Aluminum: Not quite as durable as steel, aluminum is still a good choice for its wide array of styles, colors and designs, as well as minimal maintenance requirements. Its lightweight material doesn’t add as much stress on operating mechanisms, plus it is rustproof.
- PVC and Fiberglass Overlays: With many choices in design and style, these materials are sturdier than metal and wood, but can become cracked more easily. They also happen to be more expensive than metal, but less costly than wood.
Style
There are several styles to choose from, but which one is the most compatible with your home? To answer that question, take a look at your home’s architecture. If you have a traditional-style home, you may want the door to blend in with the home, with perhaps a carriage style door. If you have a contemporary style home, though, you may want to add a unique style with extra features that stand out distinctly from the house.
Choose from four main types of garage door styles:
- Contemporary Garage Doors: Giving you the largest amount of freedom in their design, contemporary garage doors are available with different materials to help them stand out, such as pebbled glass, frosted glass and stained wood.
- Edwardian Garage Doors: This type of door comes in sections or raised panels, with stylistic windows that complement the home’s windows.
- Victorian Garage Doors: Victorian, Georgian or Colonial garage doors are manufactured with paneled wood to offer a stable or coach house look. They also include windows that match the home’s windows, plus they feature handles and iron hinges for a unique look.
- Ranch Garage Doors: Popular in the 1950s, ranch garage doors are simplistic in design, featuring horizontal wood patterns.
Color
Color is critical to a garage door’s style. It depends on the material you have chosen, but generally, you will have a wide range of color selections that offer a unique look to your door. A good rule of thumb is to choose a color that matches the home’s window trim.
Contact M&M Garage Door
To learn more about our wide selection of garage doors and to get design advice on which one would work best for your home, give us a call today at 586-610-5434.