How to Choose Garage Doors & Openers
1 Garage Door Styles
Carriage House Garage Door Style
- Historic charm
- Overhead operation
- Customizable designs
Traditional Garage Door Style
- Many colour and insulation options
- Optional decorative hardware
Contemporary Garage Door Style
- Sleek modern design and contemporary look
- Many frame colour and glass options
2 Garage Door Materials
Natural Wood Garage Doors
- Plenty of design options and wood types
- Can be painted or stained
- Can be handcrafted to homeowner specifications
Steel Garage Doors
- Available in flush or raised-panel designs
- Durable and energy-efficient
Composite Garage Doors
- Provides the look of wood without the upkeep
- Won't warp, rot, split or crack
- Customizable designs
- Can be painted or stained
Aluminum and Glass Garage Doors
- Commercial rust-resistant frame
- Many glass window options available so you can choose the degree of light transmission and privacy
3 Garage Door Insulation
A garage door is the largest opening in your home, making it more difficult to contain temperature flow inside your home. An insulated garage door can help address this issue, reducing energy costs and improving comfort.
Consider your climate: Do you have living space above your garage? Do you use your garage often (as a workspace, for example)? An insulated door helps with temperature control and operates more quietly than a non-insulated door.
Advances in Garage Door Insulation
Clopay’s Intellicore® insulation technology is a proprietary polyurethane foam that is injected into a garage door, expanding to fill the entire structure. The result is a door with incredible strength and durability that also operates more quietly than a non-insulated door. Its industry-leading R-values (up to 20.4) provide year-round comfort and improved energy efficiency.
The R-value measures how well insulation resists conductive heat and depends on thickness and density. The higher the R-value, the better.
4 Garage Door Design Options
Create a one-of-a-kind look with thousands of available options. With a wide range of colours, wood-grain finishes, windows and decorative hardware available, you can customize your garage door to fit any style or budget.
Garage Door Colours
Different solid paint colours and many stained wood-grain finishes designed specifically for steel and aluminum garage doors available to allow you to match it with your home’s style and design.
Solid Paint Colours
White
Glacier White
Almond
Desert Tan
Sandstone
Bronze
Chocolate
Mocha Brown
Grey
Hunter Green
Black
Charcoal
Ultra-Grain® Finishes
Classic Walnut Finish
Classic Cherry Finish
Classic Medium Finish
Oak Walnut Finish
Oak Dark Finish
Oak Medium Finish
Oak Slate Finish
Cypress Walnut Finish
Cypress Medium Finish
Cypress Slate Finish
Garage Door Windows
Allow natural light into your garage and complement your home’s exterior with beautiful decorative garage door windows. Styles include square, rectangle and arched.
Charleston
Charleston A
Cathedral
Sunset
Sunset A
Sunset B
Colonial
Colonial A
5 Measuring for Your Garage Door
Use the drawing and instructions below to measure your garage door. Remember to bring these measurements with you to your nearest Home Depot store when you’re ready to shop or purchase.
Step 1
Measure garage door opening width and height. This determines the size of door needed, and the rough opening should be the same size as the door.
Step 2
Measure the clearance (side room) on the left and right side of the garage door opening. There needs to be at least 3-3/4" clearance on either side to accommodate the installation of the vertical track for standard extension spring and torsion spring systems. Specialized spring systems may require more side room.
Step 3
Measure the headroom, which is the distance between the top of the door opening (jamb header) and the ceiling (or floor joist). Standard extension and torsion spring systems generally require 10” to 12” of headroom. If you have restricted headroom, special hardware is available. Additional headroom is required for installation of an automatic garage door opener.
Step 4
Measure the backroom — distance is measured from the garage door opening to the back wall of the garage. Door height plus 18” is required. Additional backroom may be required for installation of an automatic garage door opener.
6 Garage Door Installation
Once you’ve chosen your garage door, speak with a store associate to complete your order and schedule installation.
Your professional garage door installation will include:
- Site inspection
- Delivery of the new door
- Take down existing door and assembly
- Reconnect garage door opener
- Perimeter seal
- Final walk-through
- Clean-up and disposal of old door & parts
7 Garage Door Openers
It’s always recommended that you replace your garage door opener at the same time you replace your garage door. Two types of drives are common: belt drives and chain drives. You can also connect your garage door opener to your smart phone using MyQ Technology.
