According to the 2016 “Cost vs. Value Report” from Remodeling Magazine, garage door replacement ranks in the top three home improvement projects and recovers more than 90-percent of the project cost when the home is sold. And, a good-looking garage door can also increase curb appeal, especially where the garage is front and center.

Garage doors come in four basic types – swing out, swing up, roll up, or slide to the side, with the most popular being the roll-up.  When selecting a door it is important to pick one that suits the style of your house. For example, if you live in a Craftsman bungalow you might want something that looks like the swing-out doors found on garages behind early Craftsman houses. Manufacturers of modern roll-up doors make them in styles that mimic the old swing doors, complete with faux strap hinges on the sides and a pair of handles flanking a deep groove in the center.

Common Garage Door Materials

• Wood: Wood offers a charm and authenticity that other materials merely mimic. Wood doors can be made locally in whatever size you need, and they stand up well to bumps from basketballs. The downside is that they require frequent repainting or refinishing, especially if you live in a damp climate. Wood doors usually carry a short warranty, perhaps only one year.
• Steel: Metal is a better choice than wood if you don’t want a lot of maintenance. Steel leads the pack because it is relatively inexpensive yet tough. Bare steel rusts, so you need to touch up scratches promptly, and steel also dents. High-quality steel doors may have lifetime warranties on the hardware, laminations between the steel and any insulation, and factory-applied paint.
• Aluminum: Inexpensive aluminum doors, once common, have largely been replaced by sturdy versions with heavy-duty extruded frames and dent-resistant laminated panels.
  Because of its light weight, aluminum is a good choice if you have an extra-wide double door; it won’t put as much strain on the operating mechanism.

Related Links:

How to Install a Garage Door: www.familyhandyman.com
How to Replace a Garage Door www.diynetwork.com:
The Art and History of the Garage Door, by Ramona Lee Visconti
Black & Decker the Complete Guide to Garages……, by Chris Marshall