When you come home from a great day out at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum or one of the area’s many other attractions, you probably open your garage door and park your car without considering the potential improvements. After all, with so many types of garage doors available, how do you know which one is right for your home? At M&M Garage Doors, we carry a wide selection of options and we also customize garage doors for a tailored, one-of-a-kind look. Here are some of the different types of garage doors to consider to help you determine which one suits your space the best.

Sectional

Sectional doors are one of the most popular garage door types you’ll see in American homes. These garage doors are made of paneled sections connected by hinges. When the door opens and closes, wheels located on the edge of each panel roll inside a vertical track at the sides of the door opening.

The hinges on each section move over a curved portion of the track, allowing the door to sit parallel to the ceiling when the door is open, or lined up with the walls when the door is closed. Most sectional garage doors are made of steel, making them extremely durable and low maintenance. You can customize your sectional garage door to include specific types of hardware and various window inserts in different shapes and sizes, as well as custom colors and textures.

Roll-Up

Of all garage door options, roll-up doors are most commonly found in warehouses, shop garages, and some commercial buildings. This no-frills design works well for areas with limited ceiling space. Roll-up garage doors feature steel slat sections that roll around a drum located just above the door’s opening attached to the frame. They’re built to handle heavy use, and enclosed springs prevent issues like rust, freezing, and corrosion.

Although they can be made of wood, these garage doors are most commonly constructed of sturdy galvanized steel. Because of this industrial aesthetic, they’re more suited for commercial use than they are for residential use. However, steel roll-up garage doors are highly resistant to heavy winds and other impacts, making them a good option if you need something exceptionally durable.

Hinged (Barn Door)

If you like more traditional, old-fashioned residential types of garage doors, a hinged door is a great choice. These doors swing open and closed from a hinged frame on each side of the door opening. They look very similar to an oversized barn door and are usually made of wood, however, commercial-grade galvanized steel options are also available. If you have limited headroom, a hinged or barn door-style garage door from M&M Garage Doors can be a great option.

You can purchase hinged garage doors made of pre-hung frames of steel or have them custom-fit to work with existing openings. These types of residential garage doors are also called carriage doors and typically consist of two vertical panels that open outward from the center. They can also be built in vertical sections that fold neatly against the side of the door frame to save space.

Slide-to-the-Side

When it comes to different styles of garage doors, the slide-to-the-side option is a great choice if you have a small garage and/or little headroom. The name is exactly what it sounds like – the door bends to one side of the garage and rests parallel to the wall. Slide-to-the-side doors were the first type of garage door invented and aren’t quite as commonplace today.

This design moves on lower trolleys that are quite flexible and work well with garages that have slight slopes in the ceiling or floor. Slide-to-the-side garage doors don’t require balancing springs, but they do have a retractable built-in motor with no need for a ceiling-mounted operator. You’d only need a single panel if you have a small garage and the automatic opener is optional, making this door style an affordable choice as long as you have room on one or both of the walls when the door is open.

Bi-Fold

Bi-fold doors are different kinds of garage doors that also open horizontally and consist of two panels (thus the name “bi-fold”). Each panel has two sections joined together by hinges. Imagine a bi-fold garage door opening just like a bi-fold closet door as the hinged section folds back into the garage whenever you push the front of it toward the frame.

These doors aren’t very common, especially in the Metro Detroit area. They’re also a lot costlier than many other options depending on the size and material you choose (which can include steel, wood, composite, aluminum, and fiberglass). They cannot be used with an automatic door opener, so they must be opened and closed manually.

Tilt-Up (Canopy)

A tilt-up canopy garage door does not feature multiple sections. Instead, it’s made of a single solid piece of material. This door style features a pivoting hinge mechanism that allows the door to tilt up into the garage. The canopy-style door sits parallel to the garage ceiling and extends outward just past the front of your home when it’s open.

These different garage doors may include rollers that slide along a vertical track in the door frame. Most of these garage doors are made of wood, steel, or wood composite. However, aluminum is the best option if you plan to open the door manually without help from an automatic opener.

Tilt-Up (Retractable)

This option is similar to the tilt-up canopy design and lifts up and completely retracts into the garage. The door is suspended from the frame independently, so it won’t stick out past the exterior of your home. A tilt-up retractable garage door requires more space to operate than a tilt-up canopy garage door.

A tilt-up retractable garage door costs more than a canopy door since the track must be longer and have more intricate components. You’ll need more headroom for this style, but it works much better with an automatic door opener.

Contact M&M Garage Doors and Upgrade Your Home

M&M Garage Doors proudly serves the Metro Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kent County, and Traverse City areas. If you’re ready to upgrade your garage door and need help choosing the best garage door for you.

Contact M&M Garage Doors to schedule service today!