What Is the Best Garage Door Material?
- Steel: Durable and good value, steel doors are lighter than wood but prone to rust, suitable for a variety of styles and budgets.
- Wood: Aesthetically pleasing with great insulation, wooden doors suit traditional homes but need more maintenance and are expensive.
- Aluminium: Lighter and easier to handle than steel, but less durable and vulnerable to weather damage.
- Fibreglass (GRP): Offers a faux-wood look with less maintenance, but repairs can be difficult, making it a budget-friendly option.
If you’re in the market for a new garage door, you may well have already figured out what type you want, but that’s only half the battle.
Arguably just as important as the style of garage door you choose is the material it’s made from, which is why Associated Garage Doors has put together a quick guide on what we think the best garage door materials are. Read on to find out!
Steel
One of the most common garage door materials, steel is durable, reliable and, overall, pretty good value for money.
Steel is heavier than aluminium, but still quite a bit lighter than wood, so it wouldn’t be as bad as you think owning a manual steel garage door.
Given the ubiquity of steel garage doors, you will find it very easy to find one in a style and colour that suits your tastes and budget, so that’s one of its biggest benefits.
On the flipside, one of the downsides of owning a steel garage door is that it’s quite susceptible to corrosion and rust, so if you live by the coast, this might be a material to avoid.
Wood
Wooden garage doors come with some fantastic pros and some quite divisive cons, so the chances are you’ll either love wooden garage doors, or you’ll skip right on to the next section.
One of the main draws of wooden garage doors is that they are absolutely stunning.
Available in a wide array of finishes, wooden garage doors pair perfectly with more traditional or rugged homes, so if you’re really trying to nail a particular look, then this might be what you’re after.
Wooden garage doors also boast some of the best sound insulation and thermal efficiency of all the different garage door types, so if you have a drum kit in your garage or you just like feeling cosy, wood is a solid choice.
Unfortunately, though wooden garage doors do require a fair bit of maintenance to stay at their best, and they’re also one of the most expensive garage door materials, so you have to be committed to the purchase.
Aluminium
Another popular material for metal garage doors, aluminium is in direct competition with steel.
Aluminium is a great deal lighter than steel, which means it’s much easier to handle if you opt for a manual garage door, but it also means that it will be less durable and have a harder time putting up with extreme weather.
For example, hail or very strong winds might be able to dent an aluminium garage door if you were unlucky, while extreme heat – which isn’t too uncommon during a UK summer – can impact its durability.
Like steel though, aluminium garage doors are available in probably the widest range of styles, meaning it’s easily one of the most versatile materials out there.
Fibreglass (GRP)
If you’re looking for a garage door material that looks the real deal but doesn’t break the bank, fibreglass could well be the answer.
Fibreglass comes in a variety of different finishes, including faux-wood, so if you like the idea of a wooden garage door but don’t want the headache of all that maintenance, you now have a solution!
One problem with fibreglass is that repairs aren’t easy, and in some cases just flat out not possible, which means you might have to get a replacement in the event of damage.
If you’re looking for a garage door in Sevenoaks, Bexhill, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells or elsewhere in Kent, turn to Associated Garage Doors. We also offer a stunning range of front doors and composite doors.
With competitive prices and an expert team on hand to help you with anything you need, why look elsewhere? Give us a call today for more information!