Are Wood Garage Doors too Weak to Be of Any Use

Source:eBay Wood Garage Doors

Wood garage doors aren't as strong and as indestructible as steel ones. You mustn't ever plan on one of these for their durability. Such a door would be exposed to the elements and would need maintenance. In fact, at a time when large swathes of America seem to be quite prone to natural disasters, you might want to consider using the sturdiest door you can get for your garage. It might make the difference someday between being protected and being vulnerable.

Nevertheless, wood garage doors do look good. If you have your heart set on one, you shouldn't deny yourself. Not even if you live in a place that's natural-disaster prone. All you need to do is to outfit the door in such a way that it can take a beating. Once you get such a door, you want to put together a schedule where you check the door closely for cracks or splits or warping. Any bracing or anything that appears to come loose, should be repaired by professionals.

Wood garage doors can be braced with steel. It's a pretty inexpensive retrofit actually. You just need to bring in a professional who does this kind of work, and have them brace the inside of the door with length of steel pipe cut to measure. Whatever you do though, make sure that you are in compliance with all building codes. In places that don't get hurricanes, local laws will have specific guidelines for what wood garage doors are supposed to be like.

If you really do need to make your mind up between buying a steel door and a wooden door, here are a few things you should consider.

Think about insulation. If you have nver given garage doors much thought, you might be tempted to decide in favor of wood just for the reason that wood happens to be a natural insulator. Steel, of course, you might think,  conducts everything – it doesn't insulate. In reality though, wood garage doors are poor insulators. Steel garage doors are hollow structures and they fill the space inside with a high index insulating material. One just can't do this kind of thing with wood.

If you kind of lean towards a wood garage door just for the reason that they look beautiful, consider how you could get steel doors that are molded to look like wood. Nothing's impossible these days. Wood garage doors are usually made to order. You can get at that meeting to non-standard sizes and it won't cost you any more. You could consider steel if you happen to live in a very wet place. Wood garage doors can swell and stick.