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Garage Door Types Explained

The garage door industry has moved on considerably over the years with a greater offering of door mechanisms, styles, colours, and materials than ever before.

While technically there is no specific rules which define a doors type, the industry tends to categorise doors by mechanism or gear types but as more variations have become available the lines between these categories have become more blurred. We hope the following will help clarify a large majority of the door types available.

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Once Piece Up & Over Doors

Once Piece Up & Over Doors

A large choice of materials, colours and styles giving you plenty of creative scope.

The proven one piece up-and-over garage door is defined by a rigid single panel construction that opens and closes in an arcing motion. While many variations of lifting mechanism exist the two most common are; the 'Canopy' which is defined by the way a reasonable portion of the door extends forward of the frame when open, and the 'Retractable' where the door panel fully retracts leaving little if any of the door protruding.

An important point to remember is if you are considering remote automation at any stage, you should opt for the retractable mechanism as this is directly compatible.

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Sectional Garage Doors

Sectional Garage Doors

Reliable, secure, safe, insulated and affordable - what more chould you want

Individual panels open vertically without any outward arcing motion, and then slide back on tracks along the ceiling or roofline. The strength in the modular construction means sectional doors can be ordered to suit the largest openings and can be configured with options such as low headroom gear, built-in pedestrian wicket doors, incline tracks and more.

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Roller Garage Doors

Roller Garage Doors

A practical and cost-effective space saving solution.

A number of small individual panels (laths) slide togther to form a curtain which opens vertically in guides/runners and coils above the opening, maximising space both inside and out. Depending upon exact specification, a good quality roller garage door will provide greater protection against attack as well as general weather ingress. What it lacks in choice of designs it makes up for in practicality.

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Side Hinged Garage Doors

Side Hinged Garage Doors

The convenience of single leaf pedestrian door access will always have a place.

A very simple concept that comprise of two door leafs hinged upon a matching frame that can be configured as either a 50/50 symmetric split, or an asymmetric split of approximately two thirds to one third.

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Side Sliding Garage Doors

Side Sliding Garage Doors

An old concept revived as a result of today’s modern manufacturing processes and materials.

Individual panels with rigid foam core are suspended vertically with a simple wheel and track system which allows even the widest of door to slide with ease around a curve and return into the garage along the side wall. The simplicity of the side slider makes it a reliable and low maintenance with benefits such as partial opening for pedestrian access, low headroom requirements and double door system for large openings.

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Overlap Garage Doors

Overlap Garage Doors

An innovate design unlike any other, the Overlap encapsulates the main benefits of the other door types in one impressive package.

Two insulated panels open vertically with one panel sliding neatly up and under the other when open. The clever counterweight and motor mechanism is built into the frame eliminating the need for unsightly tracks hanging within the garage space. The result is a very clean design that maximises space both inside and out.

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