All garage door materials come with a little give and take, but after reading this you’ll be a more informed and knowledgeable home owner! While reading, keep in mind how much maintenance you can handle in your schedule, your home’s environment such as weather and moisture, as well as your budget.
Aluminum
Pros:
- Lightweight (lower power opener can be used)
- Less expensive than steel
- Finish lasts a long time
- Insulation layers available
Cons:
- Easily dented (more so than steel)
- On its own, poor insulator
This material is a great option for folks on a budget, but if you plan on playing basketball in your driveway, it might be worth investment to get a steel or wood composite garage door.
Vinyl
Pros:
- Lightweight (lower-power opener can be used)
- Low maintenance (Never needs paint!)
- Tough to dent
- Good for salty environments (beach houses)
- Insulation layers available
- Many patterns such as wood grain
Cons:
- Cannot be painted
- High priced
- On its own, poor insulator
This material is a great option for those who don’t want to deal with any maintenance such as painting, staining, or sealing, but if you think you might be changing the look of your curb appeal soon, you might look into wood or fiberglass.
Wood
Pros:
- Many styles and custom designs
- Doesn’t dent
- Can be painted or stained
- Insulation layers available
Cons:
- Heavyweight (higher-power opener needs to be used)
- High priced
- High maintenance (Needs sealant applied regularly to keep from rotting and warping)
- Needs occasional repainting
- Greatly affected by moisture and sunlight
This material adds quite a bit of luxury to your home with custom designs and natural wood grains, but if it’s out of your budget, look into wood composite or steel doors. Both of these (as examples) can have a wood grain design.
Wood Composite
Pros:
- Strong (comparable to steel when cared for)
- Can be painted or stained
- Resistant to splitting and rotting
- Far cheaper alternative to wood
- Far less maintenance than wood
Cons:
- Higher price than steel (mid range price)
- On the higher end of the maintenance scale
This material is a metal/wood hybrid and as such it reaps the benefits (and weaknesses) of both. This is a great option for the mid-price range budget or for driveways with kids at play!
Fiberglass
Pros:
- Highly rust resistant
- Lightweight (lower power opener can be used)
- Good for salty environments (beach houses)
Cons:
- Easily torn (especially in very cold conditions)
- Fades in the Sun
- Poor Insulator
This material is great for beach homes or for low-power openers, but if you’re worried about needing to paint when the garage door fades in the sun, look into vinyl.
Steel
Pros:
- Reasonably priced
- Lower gauges offer higher durability
- Low maintenance
- Available in wood and other patterns
- Insulation layers available
Cons:
- Heavyweight (higher-power opener needs to be used)
- Easily dented (how easily is determined by the gauge of the steel; the lower the gauge, the more resistant the steel)
- Subject to Corrosion (Rust)
- On its own, poor insulator
As the most popular material, steel has a reputation for being long lasting, low maintenance, and heavy. You can get steel garage doors in many patterns and gauges to fit your style and life!
