Garage door types in comparison: how to find the right door

The most important gate types at a glance

The modern world has long since arrived at the garage doors and there is no longer just the gate that can be opened via two wings. Therefore, if you have to choose a garage door, you should first get an overview of the most important types of gates:

The classic swing gate

The swing gate is considered an absolute classic among garage doors. The one-piece gate wing swings forward and up, but needs enough space for this.

This means that the area in front of the garage must always be kept free.

When opening, the door leaf slides under the garage ceiling, supported by lever arms and steel springs on the sides. Swing gates are now also available with electric drive.

As an alternative to the term “swing gate”, the term “tipping gate” is often used, but these are two completely different things. In the case of a tilting gate, the gate leaf is tilted inwards and cannot swing forward.

This also requires a lot of space, but it must be present in the garage. This must be correspondingly lower so that the car still has space. So if you have planned a small space for the vehicle, you must therefore rely on a swing gate instead of the tilt gate.

Various materials are available for swing gates to choose from. For example, there are gates made of wood, steel or plastic. The patterns are also very different, so that the A garage door as an optical eye-catcher can function.

Smooth surfaces, herringbone patterns or even irregular surface structures are possible. For this purpose, almost all color ideas can be realized.

The popular sectional door

The sectional door bears its name because it is composed of different sections that are connected to each other by hinges. Roll holders guide these sections in a 90 ° frame. The sectional door takes up little space and is therefore ideal especially for small plots that are already cramped anyway.

Sectional doors are available in different variants:

Sectional ceiling doors

Here, the gate is pushed directly under the ceiling. The height and width of the garage opening can be fully used, which is especially helpful for very wide and high vehicles.

Side sectional door

The gate is opened by passing it along one side of the wall. This is a mode of operation similar to the sliding door. The ceiling of the garage can be used for hanging objects.

A sectional door can be operated manually, electrically or by hand chain hoist. It is available in various materials and with various surface structures and can also be designed in color to match the house and the plot. Sliding doors can be integrated. They have the advantage that it is not always necessary to open the whole gate to enter the garage. This sliding door is usually lockable. Light cutouts can also be integrated, which is practical especially for garages that are attached directly to the house and have no further natural light incidence.

The space-saving roller door

A roller door is assembled from various slats and is rolled up over the lintel of the gate. This is comparable to a roller blind. The individual slats slide up or down over guide rails, so that the door can be operated smoothly. A roller door is comparatively heavy, so larger model variants are not operated manually, but electrically. A tubular motor is used for this, which allows the garage door to move up or down at the push of a button.
Roller doors are very space-saving, the garage can be used to its full extent. It does not need a free space to be kept so that the gate can open. The ceiling of the garage also remains free and is available as storage space.

The conventional swing gate

A swing gate was once common and can still be found today where the house and garage should radiate a certain originality. However, the swing gate from earlier can no longer be compared with the modern variants. These have a standing and a walking wing and are electrically locked towards the middle.

In addition to this variant, however, the conventional design, which is closed and opened manually, is also still available. Swing gates are usually made of wood or metal, plastic variants are also available. In the classic version, they can be provided with a latch, which in turn can be secured with a lock.

The disadvantage is that a lot of space is needed in front of the garage so that the wings can open. Which The cost of the garage door depending on the design, they are lower than in the previously mentioned variants. However, very high-quality wooden gates can also reach the four-digit cost range.

Which garage door is ideal?

If you are choosing a garage door for the first time, the question is certainly which variant is the best. Should it be a gate made of wood or metal? Should it be the classic or the modern version? However, the question of the appropriate garage door is not only relevant for a new garage building, but it may also be the case for renovations that a different type of door is to be installed. The answer to the question in the headline also depends on whether the burglary protection should be improved by a new gate.

Checklist for choosing the right garage door

The following aspects are important when it comes to choosing the right garage door:

• Do you want burglary protection?
• Manual or electric drive?
• Visual design (sections, slats, smooth surfaces, colors, etc.)?
• The amount of the available budget?

When it comes to changing an existing garage door, it is also important which type of door fits the current construction. If a swing gate has been used so far, the installation of a sectional door is possible, but higher costs may be incurred for this. The most favorable is the exchange for a gate of the same design. If you want to provide a new garage building with a gate, you are much freer in the decision in this regard.

The most important tips for buying a garage door

If you want to choose a new garage door, you should first of all think about the overall impression of the property: the garage and the house work together and should visually represent a single unit.

The following points should also be considered when it comes to choosing the right garage door:

Material

A high-quality material may increase the purchase price for the gate at first, but the investment pays off in the long term. Renovations or an exchange are needed less quickly. A high-quality gate has a significantly longer service life and visually enhances the entire property.

Energy saving

If the garage is attached directly to the house, thermal insulation should play a role. The garage door becomes a thermal bridge anyway, but this should not be larger than absolutely necessary.

Space saving

In the case of a cramped plot, the garage door should not take away even more from the already scarce space. A roller door is ideal, even the sectional door takes up little space. On the other hand, the swing gate is unsuitable, and the swing gate also needs more space. Depending on the type of construction, the space in front of or in the garage is no longer fully usable.

Comfort

It can be annoying to always have to open the garage door by hand. If the gate is newly installed, an electric drive should therefore be considered. This is all the more practical if access to the property is also possible via an electrically operated gate.