Guide To Buying a Garage Door
A new garage door is an investment that will last for many years and could account for up to 20% of the front elevation of your home.
At first glance, the range of choices can appear confusing with so many styles, different types of operation, finishes and options. So please take your time to explore the various options available from the menu on the left .
There are five types of garage doors available:
- Up and over doors with canopy lifting gear
- Up and over doors with retractable lifting gear
- Side hinged doors
- Roller doors
- Sectional doors
Each type offers its own benefits.
One-piece doors are traditionally the most popular type of door, offering excellent value for money and a choice of steel. GRP (glass reinforced polyester) or natural timber construction.
Roller and sectional doors are growing in popularity, particularly because they open and close without the arc of travel of a one-piece door. These are ideal for properties with a short driveway or garage as you can park right up to the door itself. Sectional and insulated roller doors also offer the benefit of added insulation – particularly useful if there is a room above the garage or if it is used as a workshop
How do I know the size of door I need and positioning of the frame?
On our website there is a garage door to suit almost all domestic garage openings from 4ft to 17ft wide and 6ft to 10ft high, with a wide range of standard sizes and made to measure options are available on request.
A brief explanation of how to measure for each type of door is shown in this section of the website. We ask you to confirm your measurements by completing our Site Survey Form once you have placed your order. We will double check your measurements and whether you need an in-between fix or back fix door. This helps to ensure that you receive the correct size door for your garage. We will also contact you to confirm your order and discuss any queries if necessary.
There are two ways of fitting an up and over and roller garage doors.
ORDERING INFORMATION FOR ALL DOORS
UP & OVER DOORS – fitted to an existing timber frame
Up and over unframed garage doors require a 70 mm square timber goalpost frame.
To choose the correct sized door, you simply need to measure the size inside your door frame.
Width: Measure gap between timber frame to timber frame (eg 7′-0″)
Height: Measure from floor to underside of timber frame (eg 6′-6″)
In this example, you would need a 7′ 0″ wide x 6′ 6″ high garage door. The actual door panel size will be manufacturered slightly SMALLER than the 7′ 0″ x 6′ 6″ in order to be a perfect fit to suit the internal frame size of 7′ 0″ wide x 6′ 6″ high, these are commonly known as the operation gaps.
UP & OVER DOORS – complete with a new steel frame
Another way of fitting a new garage door is to order the door complete with a factory fit steel frame.
Single Doors – pre-fitted to frame at the factory. This allows a very quick and easy installation on site.
Double Doors – pre manufacturered at the factory with correct positioning of the fixing positions of the lifting gear, and knocked down to kit form ready for onsite installation.
To choose the correct size door, you simply need to order the same size as your existing door.
INSULATED ROLLER DOORS
The door is usually installed on the rear of the brickwork opening, but can be installed in-between the opening if required.
Insulated Roller Doors use the ‘over guide width’ and ‘over box height’ – see diagram below.
To choose the correct size door measure the width of your opening. Add 140mm if your opening width is up to 3500mm, or 180mm if your opening is over 3500mm wide. Add 300mm to the height of your opening and you will have the size bracket you require. For example if your opening is 2250mm x 2050mm, add 140mm to the width giving 2390mm, add 300mm to the height giving 2350mm. In this example your size bracket would be 2500mm x 2400mm.
All our roller doors are supplied with a full roll curtain box as standard, the headroom needed for the full box, which houses the roll, is normally 300mm square and the side room for the guides is 90mm each side, 70mm guides are also available on request up to 3200mm wide doors.
If 300mm of headroom isn’t available behind the lintel the curtain roll box front cover will act as a facia, and will hang down from the lintel.
For installations with limited headroom situations we are able to offer the Compact model with 55mm slats, this door fits into a 205mm box housing. This model has 68mm guides as standard.
When ordering please confirm whether you require a left or right hand mounted motor, this is usually decided by the location of the nearest power supply.
NON INSULATED ROLLER DOORS
The door is installed on the rear of the brickwork opening.
Whereas the Up & Over doors use the internal frame measurements as the door size, Roller Doors uses brick/block work opening + 50mm on doors up to 10’-2 and 100mm on doors over 10’-2.
All our roller doors require headroom, and the non-insulated roller doors require a minimum of 420mm of headroom.
If the headroom available is less than that required in the diagram below, the roller can be fitted lower, but the drive through height will be reduced. Also, if the door is fitted too low the curve of the roller may become evident when viewed from the front with the door in the closed position,
If you require an Automated roller door, please confirm when ordering whether you require a left or right hand mounted motor, as these are pre-installed at the factory. Again, like the Insulated roller door, this is usually decided by the location of the nearest power supply.
SECTIONAL DOORS
There are two ways of installing Hormann and Garador Sectional doors.
1.To the rear of the garage pier of the brickwork (known as a back fix).
2.Within the brickwork opening (known as an in-between fix) using a sideways anchor kit.
Both options require clearance on either side and headroom clearance (the distance between the ordering height and any obstruction above either the ceiling or lintel depending on whether it is a back or in-between fix as detailed below:
Side clearance
A 90mm wide frame securely supports the door panels on each side. This can either be fitted to the brickwork on either side or within the opening.
Back Fix – Fitting behind the brickwork and lintel. If your brick to brick opening is 7′-6″, order a 7′-6″ wide door, the 90mm (rounded up to 4″ in this example) frame will be in addition to the 7′-6″ so the total assembly width is 8′-2″
In-Between Fix – Fitting between the brickwork and under the lintel. If your brick to brick opening is 7′-6″, take off 2 x 4″ to allow for the frame and sideways anchor kit so the correct door size would be a 6′-10″ wide door
Headroom clearance
100mm for manual doors up to 10ft
115mm for automated doors up to 10ft
210mm for doors over 10ft wide, a low headroom kit is available which requires 100mm headroom (manual) or 115mm (electric)
What if your opening does not match a standard size of door? Don’t forget you can always remove existing wooden frames. This will not only remove the need to decorate your exisiting timber frame but it will also improve your drive-through width.
You have a couple of options… here is an example.
Mr Jones garage opening size is 7′-11″ wide x 7′-2” high with 6” of side room each side and he likes the LTE40
Option 1 – install an 8′-0” wide x 7′-0 high door. As the door fits behind the brickwork an inch of the door (half an inch each side) will sit behind the brickwork, however the internal garage width will need to be at least 2438mm (8′-0”) plus 2 x 90mm (8”) clearance, 2618mm or 8’-8”, With the height the clearance will need to be 2125mm (7′) + 100mm clearance, so the ceiling needs to be at least 2225mm (7’-4”) from the floor.
Option 2 – install a 7′-6″ wide x 7′-0” high door. Again the door will fit behind the brickwork, All doors are supplied as standard with a 90mm wide fully finished frame (white) which mounts to the brickwork. The drive through width will be reduced and 2½” of frame will be visible on either side. The internal garage width will need to be at least 2286mm (7′-6″) plus 2 x 90mm (8”) clearance, i.e. 2486mm.
SIDE HINGED DOORS
Side hinged garage doors are supplied with a steel sub frame as standard. Steel framed side hinged doors come pre assembled and are very easy to install as everything is already fitted and spaced correctly.
Measurements for side hinged doors for ordering are like up and over doors where the frame internal opening size is the reference, NOT the actual door leaves which have a tolerance built in depending on panel thickness, etc.
Most side hinged garage doors are installed in between the structural opening but can be installed in front (with appropriate sealing to frame) of a garage to maximise length, width and height.
Side hinged garage doors are available in steel, GRP, ABS or timber.
LIFTING GEAR OPTIONS
UP & OVER GARAGE DOORS
There are two different options of up and over gear types.
Canopy Gear
The Canopy door operates in vertical tracks on the side frame, normally cable/spring operated. When fully open a third of the door’s height
protrudes which forms a canopy.
Easy installation.
NOT recommended for automation.
Available unframed for installation to existing timber frames or a factory fitted steel frame for easy fit.
Retractable Gear
The retractable door is guided by horizontal tracks inside the garage and retracts completely when fully opened.
Ideally suited for automation.
Easy to fit. Steel, ABS, Timber and GRP doors are available in both mechanism types.
Available unframed for installation to existing timber frame or a factory fitted steel frame for easy fit.
SIDE HINGED DOORS
Secure, corrosion resistant garage doors, manufactured from steel, PVC, Timber & GRP.
Depending on the choice of manufacturer side hinged doors are available in the same choice of colours and finishes as the steel up and over range. ABS/PVC Doors complement uPVC windows and doors.
All side hinged doors are supplied pre-framed as standard.
SECTIONAL DOORS
Jointed door panel sections on nylon rollers run along vertical and horizontal tracks into the garage.
Available with and without insulation, white and woodgrain colour choices, plus RAL colours available as an option.
With no ‘kick out’ as the door opens and closes, you can park right up to the door, ideal for short driveways.
Incorporated spring assisted operation gives a smooth and lightweight door operation and a reinforced bottom rail and full width rubber seal.
If you would like a touch of luxury, a remote control system can be added, enabling you to open and close the door at the touch of a button from the comfort of your car.
ROLLER DOORS – INSULATED
Insulated Roller Garage Doors offer two types, the Insulated 77 and the Insulated 55.
All doors are available in a range of colours and finishes and come with a ten year guarantee on all exterior door finishes.
Each style of door is fitted behind or in-between the brickwork opening making them the ideal choice for unusually shaped garages.
The Insulated Roller Door range has been designed to bring together a high specification of deep thermal insulation and excellent security features.
A CFC-free polyurethane foam insulation core prevents against heat loss which is ideal if your garage is integral to your house or you use your space as an additional room/workshop.
In addition, slats have end caps improving the strength of the door and measures 77mm in depth on the Insulated 77 and 55mm in depth on the Insulated 55.
Practical and stylish, the Insulated 77 and 55 comes as an automatic door as standard for your convenience.
To complete the benefits, the door has an exterior and interior aluminium skin for durability and resistance to corrosion.
ROLLER DOORS – STEEL CONTINUOUS
As with insulated roller doors, the single skin can be installed behind the brickwork opening and the door rolls up around a drum with no out-swing or arc of travel as it opens and closes.
There’s no need for a timber frame so you keep the maximum drive through width, particularly useful if the entrance to the garage is narrow.
Incorporated spring assisted operation gives a smooth and lightweight door operation and a reinforced aluminium bottom rail and full width multi point locking bars provide unsurpassed security.
All Steel Roller Doors are made from strong and secure continuous steel curtain and are available in a variety of colours.
The door is designed to be simple to use and light to lift by hand.
If you would like a touch of luxury, a remote control system can be added during production, enabling you to open and close the door at the touch of a button from the comfort of your car.
