Types of Garage Door
CDC Garage Doors offer a great range of high quality garage doors to suit all property styles. All doors come in a wide range of colours, are custom manufactured, and include options for bespoke sizing.
Choosing the right garage door for your home involves understanding the fundamental differences in how various door types operate, the space they require, and the practical benefits they offer. Garage doors primarily differ by their opening mechanism and construction, with each type offering distinct advantages for different situations.
Types of Doors Explained
There are several options to consider when selecting a new garage door. Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) doors provide a durable, low maintenance option. These doors feature a steel reinforcing frame behind a glass fibre outer layer that resembles wood. They come in panel or modern plain designs.
Timber and wood doors are also available for those seeking that classic look or a door to match the exterior of their home. These are constructed of durable, real wood planks. For a more contemporary carriage house look, side hinged doors open outwards and can have decorative hardware.
Automatic garage doors offer the ultimate in convenience. Many styles are available from standard to customized looks, including long panel and short panel designs. The most commonly selected garage doors are steel. These provide security and durability at an affordable cost.
All doors come in a wide range of colours through the RAL colour matching system, so they can match or complement the home’s exterior. They are custom manufactured, providing options for bespoke sizing if standard sizes do not meet your requirements.
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Garage Door Types Comparison Table
| Sectional Garage Doors | Up and Over Garage Doors | Roller Garage Doors | Side-Hinged Garage Doors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composed of | Horizontal panels (4-6 sections) hinged together | Single panel that pivots outwards and then upwards when opening | Narrow horizontal slats that roll up vertically into a coil | 2 door panels opening outwards from the centre |
| How they work | Bottom panel lifts first, with each panel following vertically upwards | Canopy: Door opens forward beyond the opening then upwards and slides. Retractable: Entire door panel retracts fully inside garage when open |
Individual slats wind around a rotating barrel mechanism, stored in a box mounted behind or above garage opening | Doors are hinged on the left and right sides of garage opening, which swing outwards |
| Benefits | Space-saving, well-insulated, secure, versatile design | Cost-effective, simple, material and style customisation | Minimal headroom, plenty of internal space, quiet, secure | Easy access (pedestrian and vehicle), clear space, timeless aesthetic, easy installation |
| Ideal for | Homeowners after something versatile, or those with limited driveway space | Cost-effective, simple, material and style customisation Homeowners after economical, reliable door with traditional appeal, but with sufficient space in front |
Garages with restricted headroom or where space is a priority | Garages requiring regular access on foot (e.g. with storage or workshop applications), period properties |
Browse Types of Garage Doors
GRP Garage Doors
CDC’s GRP garage doors combine beauty and practicality. Enjoy a realistic wood finish, unmatched durability, and easy care.
Side Hinged Garage Doors
Explore our extensive range of side hinged garage doors using only the finest steel, GRP, timber and UPVC materials.
Up & Over Garage Doors
Up and over garage doors offer an unparalleled level of security, making them an ever popular choice.
Sectional Garage Doors
Sectional garage doors are a very popular choice offering the ultimate in practicality for your home and garage.
Roller Garage Doors
Our electric roller doors are installed with a space saving tubular motor as well as a remote control and built-in safety features.
Timber Garage Doors
We offer a wide range of high-quality timber garage doors for residential and commercial properties across Sussex, Kent and Surrey.
Steel Garage Doors
Our steel garage doors combine the ultimate in durability and style, and are built by some of the leading manufacturers in the UK today.
Automatic Garage Doors
From wooden roller doors to up and over steel models, we can recommend a system to suit you.
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Garage Door Materials: Choosing the Right Option
Beyond the opening mechanism, your choice of material significantly impacts your garage door’s appearance, durability, maintenance requirements, and cost. Here’s what you need to know about each option:
| Steel Garage Doors | Timber Garage Doors | GRP Garage Doors | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | Strength, secure, cracking-resistant, anti-warping, numerous styles/finishes available, low maintenance, fairly cost effective | Authentic, premium appearance, natural insulation, easily repaired or refinished, various wood finishes (cedar, oak, idigbo, etc.) | Combines aesthetics of timber with rigidity of steel, resistant to warping, rot, dents and damage, numerous finishes available, lighter than steel and timber |
| Considerations | Dents if struck by hard objects, rusts if not protected | More maintenance required, susceptible to warping or rot, heavier | Higher upfront cost, cannot be easily repainted, may fade in colour over time |
| Best for | Those after security, durability and long-term value | Period homes, properties with natural timber aesthetics and those OK with more maintenance work | Homeowners wanting the look of wood without the maintenance, coastal properties |
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