When a Roller Door Is a Good Option for a Home's Garage
When choosing a new garage door, you have the option between a tilt-up door, which swings outward and then gets pushed up and onto the garage ceiling, or a roller door. As the name implies, a roller door doesn't tilt out, but rolls along a track inside the garage door frame. This roller door may be sectioned, so that each section folds up along a frame on the garage ceiling, or it may be a solid piece of mesh, so that it literally rolls into a cassette above the doorframe. While each of these door styles will have their own pros and cons, note when a roller door may be the best choice for your needs in particular.
Security
Because a roller door is attached to a track that is inside the garage door frame, this makes it very difficult to pry that door open. Someone trying to break into the garage would need to pull away a very large portion of the track itself, and this is difficult if not downright impossible. However, a tilt-up door isn't secured by a track along the door frame, and may be somewhat easy for a person to pry open, especially if the door is made of lightweight aluminium or fibreglass.
Durability
If you have children who play in the driveway in front of the garage, then you know how often a garage door gets banged up and damaged from errant toys, bikes, and the like. A tilt-up door is made of one solid panel, which you may need to replace if it were to get dented or dinged. However, a roller door made of individual sections may only need a certain section replaced if it should get damaged, and this can be much less expensive.
Also, when you open a sectional roller door, the weight of the door gets dispersed as it opens, and each section gets supported by the track along the garage ceiling. This means less weight is supported by that track as the door moves; in turn, there is less wear and tear on the pieces that control the garage door, and less maintenance required over the years. Lightweight mesh doors that roll into a cassette may also need less maintenance, as they don't even have chains and springs to move them into position, but simply roll up and unroll, like a window shade. If you open and close your garage door often, these options can then be the most maintenance-free and cost-effective choice.
Share
