Types of Garage Doors

There are a variety of garage door options available for my metal buildings. Not to mention a long line of door accessories. For now I would like to explore the industry standard doors that are readily available and commonly used in 90% of most metal buildings.

Types of Garage Doors:

Double Sliding Doors: This type of door splits vertically down the centerline. Each side then parts and runs down a separate track located directly above & below the door halves. The double sliding door has some drawbacks. The primary one being that the door does not seal very well. There is a gap that runs around the perimeter of the doors. This gap leaves an opening for rodents & other pest. These doors are typically provided by the buildings manufacturer & can vary drastically in design, cost & operation.

Rollup Doors: This is the most common garage door found in a metal building. The rollup door’s popularity is driven primarily by cost but there are some other distinct advantages. The door itself is made from one solid sheet that coils up into a small drum overhead. This eliminates the tracks found in both double sliding & overhead doors.

There are two distinct disadvantages though. The rollup door has a small gap at the top that could potentially let in pest. The second problem is high winds. With a standard rollup doors strong winds can actually blow the door off it’s tracks. Wind locks can be added to the door to help prevent this problem but this adds substantially to the cost of the door.

Rolling Steel Doors: This door works in a similar fashion to the rollup door. The door retracts into small coil overhead. The doors construction is much heavier though, Instead of a solid sheet the door is broken down into thick 2” solid steel sections that are bolted together. The blowout problem is eliminated but you will still have the gap at the top of the door. This door can also be expensive dependent on model & grade chosen. This door is most commonly used in metal buildings with overhead cranes where track clearances are an issue.

Steel Sectional Overhead Doors: This door comes in sections that ride on an over head track. This is my preferred garage door. It has many advantages. When shut the door seals against the header. Virtually eliminating the pest problems found with the other doors. Garage door openers tend to work better with steel sectional OH-Doors & require less adjustment. The OH-door can also be retrofit at anytime with insulated panels. The only downside is the overhead track. It tends to block the light from overhead when open.

Keep in mind large shop doors vary substantially in price & design from one manufacturer to the next. Also understand that this is only a small sample of the many doors available for use in a metal building. Be sure to check back with us later on when we explore hangar doors commonly found in a metal building.