Door is an essential part of your garage. Many factors need to be considered when you decide to install a garage door. But don’t worry. This article will help you find and purchase the best garage door for your situation.

1.Things to Consider Before Choosing a Garage Door

1.1 Operating Systems

There are two sorts of operating system: first, extension springs, running parallel to the ceiling, or on either side of the door; second, torsion springs, tilting above the door. Correspondingly, here are four types of doors:

1.2 Sizes

As for garage door size, it mostly depends on how many car you have. Typically, the standard sizes are shown as following:

One car garage:8-9 feet

 Two car garages: 16 feet

 Three cars garages:30-36 feet

Apart from the car’s number, below measurements need to be taken into account:

• The height and width of the garage door opening 
• The width of the side room on both sides of the door 
• The length of the headroom from the ceiling to the top of the door 
• The depth of the garage

1.3 Insulation

1.4 Budget

The budget you’re going to spend on a new garage door includes the costs for a few different types of doors(as below table), any installation fees, and the cost of wiring the electronic openers.

1.5 Window

Below information are you need to know about garage door windows before you plan to have them.

1.6 Style

The style of the doors should supplement your house’s style. Additional features, such as different panel designs, colors, window patterns, or window styles, accord to your interests. There are three styles of garage door: traditional, contemporary, or carriage.

2.Types of Garage Door Materials

Garage doors are available in steel, fiberglass, wood and wood composite, aluminum, vinyl, and fiberglass. It’s very difficult to choose the right one to match the style of your home in that each of them has merits and shortcomings. Here is a quick summary of each material for your reference.

3.Garage Door Openers and Automation

3.1 Types of Garage Door Openers

The automatic garage door opener plays a significant role in garage door options. You can get several types of garage door openers on Amazon or E-bay.

This video is about how to install a garage door opener.

3.2 Related Hardwares

4.Decision on the Right Garage Door

It’s tome to choose the right garage door for your situation. After skimming through above article, do you have any ideas? If not, please look at the following.

Know the pros and cons of difference kinds of garage door materials. 

Based on your location. For example, fiberglass is great for coastal areas. 

Take climate into account. The doors’ choice vary vastly from cold climates to warm areas.   

Choose a garage door color that will work best for the exterior colors of your home. 

Contact a professional worker if necessary. 

Guarantee warranty available. 

Purchase a good brand with longtime warranty 

Pay attention to safety. 

Do some research on prices. 

Don’t match your front door and garage door.

5.Garage Door Security Guide

According to is the data of motorcycle thefts as below picture shown, we can learn that safety is a very important part of garage door because it’s a storage place for valuables like tools, bicycles, and of course, our cars. Here are ultimate 10 tips for a more secure garage to prevent break-ins

Tip 1: Keep your door closed.

It’s very easy for us to forget to close the door behind us, or to leave it open when you’re casually working in the garage. Both of situations might cause a potential burglar.

Tip 2:Cover windows with a frosted film or curtains, if your garage has windows.That can effectively prevent burglars from seeing inside. Generally speaking, the less visibility your garage has, the less opportunity a potential burglar occur.

 Tip 3:Do not use an exterior keypad as much as possible. It’s possible for someone easily guess the entry code. What’s worse, some thieves may destroy it or remove its batteries.

 Tip 4:Install a peephole or camera in your interior door. With the help of a peephole or a camera, you are able to hear noise, see what happens in your garage, so that you can take further action in a minute.

No matter where you are, whether you're at home or when you’re away, a thief may be likely to break in to your car and steal the remote, which enable him to access your in a breeze.

 Tip 6: Secure your emergency garage door release.

After watching the video below, you will see how easy for a thief to defeat an automatic garage door opener and break into a garage. So take a quick action to secure this emergency release with zip ties. It can not only be opened from outside any more, but it will still retain it’s intended function from the inside.

 Tip 7: Install motion-sensing lights.

The biggest benefit of a motion-activated lighting is that you can be informed when someone approaches your driveway and garage door, which deter potential burglars.

 Tip 8: Treat the door from the garage into your house like your front door.In order to protect the rest of your home, make sure it’s construction is strong, sturdy and connect it to your alarm system.

 Tip 9: Leave the radio on at low volume in the garage to make thieves think you’re at home, especially when not home. This trick may seem to be ridiculous, but many burglaries often commit a crime when no one's home.

 Tip 10: Maintain your garage door.

Check the frame, locks, hinges and any replaceable items periodically. About the maintenance, we are very delighted to show you more details on next charter.

6.Garage Door Maintenance

To keep your door functioning normally and extend its lifetime value, it’s important to spend some time and energy on its maintenance. Below charters cover a wide range of details about garage door maintenance. The video is about how to maintain your garage. Have a look if you’re interested.

6.1 Tools and Materials to use

6.2 Steps to Door’s Maintenance

P.S: Twice-a-year seasonal inspection and maintenance should be part of your routine.

If you have a better idea, you can let us know in the comments below.