29June2010
Garage Doors — Steel Or Vinyl?
Most homes come attached with a garage. People may not worry about the kind of material their garage door is, but there are numerous reasons for using different materials.
Over years past, conventional wooden doors were the most popular choice for garage doors. Unfortunately, wood is not an extremely long lasting material for exposure to the elements over the years. Steel and vinyl are fast becoming the favourite choices in garage doors. This is because they are stronger and resistant to damage. We’ll discuss the variations between steel and vinyl so that you will be able to make a decision of which material would be better for your garage door.
It is a fact that vinyl garage doors are more expensive to fit than steel, but this is an excellent thing, as they’re usually the longest lasting of these two substances. Steel will usually need to be replaced over a certain period of time, whilst vinyl can come with a lifetime guarantee. Many people prefer to use vinyl as it is more resistant against dents and scratches. Whenever a stray ball or object hits a steel door, it can get dented. This isn’t a serious problem with vinyl doors at all, unless they’re in a cold climate. If it is very, very cold then any damages to the vinyl door could make it crack. Naturally you will have to take the climate you are living in into account before choosing the material for your door.
With regards to colour, most vinyl doors will have an integrated colour throughout the material. This means that any damages will not appear too clearly on the surface. Steel however, needs to be painted, which makes it more vunerable to showing damages. Even though this might seem to be an adverse point, bear in mind that at least steel doors can be repainted to hide any damages or scratches. Vinyl, however, cannot.
Although people won’t normally live in their garages, it is important to know that steel doors are better insulated than vinyl ones. If you’d like to keep a consistent temperature in your garage, then you should look at installing a steel door. In the same breath, if you would like a specific colour for your garage door, then it would also be better to choose steel. Steel could be painted to resemble wood, but don’t forget if you want a smooth finish then you need to consider vinyl.
At the end of the day, the decision is yours. Only you will know what type of garage door will look good on your property. The most important thing is to take all the above considerations into account before choosing your material. Then the next thing that you will need to do is decide whether you would like an automated garage door or not.