There’s many different types of garage doors commonly on the market today, with each variety of garage door fulfilling a different practical and professional purpose. In this blog entry, the garage door installation experts here at Chicago Garage Door will detail the different types of popular garage doors, and provide a guide on how to select the proper garage door type for your Illinois property.

There’s essentially only 5 types of garage doors commonly manufactured in the industry today; canopy doors, retractable doors, sectional doors, roller doors, and side hinge doors. Here, we will go into further detail as to the different functionalities of these types of garage doors.

Retractable Garage Doors

With this type of garage door, the door swings outwards when it is opened and then retracts into the ceiling of your garage. The door’s pivot points are positioned at it’s top, meaning that you can’t park your car close to the door. These doors are easily installed, and easy to operate with electrical garage openers. They are often available in wood, glass reinforced plastic, and steel. Usually these doors have somewhat less width to drive through compared to other types of garage doors.

Canopy Garage Doors

These doors open by swinging out and sliding up into the ceiling of the garage, with 1/3rd of the garage door remaining outdoors. This door has enhanced security since the pivot points are lower in the door, and are easily installed due to the lack of interior tracks and the way the door is directly mounted to the door frame itself – as well as boasting a solid amount of width to drive through.

Sectional Garage Doors

These doors have different panels attached with sideways hinges fit into the back of the bricks on the back of your garage. These doors move up vertically into the ceiling itself. Sectional garage doors provide excellent security and weather protection, and are often insulated underneath their typical steel construction. It usually takes a few hours to assemble sectional garage doors.

Side Hinged Garage Doors

These doors are made in wood, steel, and some other materials. They have a traditional appearance and open outwardly – meaning that cars need to be positioned somewhat away from the door when they are open. These doors provide excellent security if bolts are utilized at the bottom and top of the door.

Roller Doors

These doors roll into the ceiling of your garage in a single layer and are directly fit to the brickwork in the garage. Roller doors roll up vertically and provide high levels of security – and are usually made in steel and aluminium. Roller doors have super easy and efficient installation.