Traditional garage door vs Modern garage door: Have you heard about the difference?
As most people have benefited from a modern electric garage door, we might take this for granted. The evolution of garage doors over time and how changes made along the road led to what they are now.
Traditional garage doors: Through most of the 20th century, garage doors were made of wood/timber as they are not expensive and are an effective material for making doors. They normally gave you a sense of old-fashioned barn doors.
Modern Garage Doors: The shift in garage door materials started from the 1970s when steel, aluminium, GRP (glass reinforced plastic) garage doors were introduced. With modern materials, there is no rotting, corroding, warping or paint peeling with the doors, offering a low maintenance alternative whilst still achieving the appearance of genuine timber.
Traditional garage doors: The outward garage doors (as knowns as side hinged doors) were the initial designs of garage doors. A pair of elegant double doors that swing out and were placed side by side was the typical of a carriage house. As a result, the homeowners had to leave their car every time when they needed to open or close the doors.
Modern Garage Doors: The first real change in the door industry happened in 1921 when upward garage doors were born (also referred to as the overhead garage door). Rather than opening outward, this type of garage door could be lifted upward off the ground. We could easily see the varieties of garage door types nowadays from sectional garage doors, rollers doors, and up and over doors. Round the corner were amongst the earliest varieties of garage doors popularised in the UK market with the sideward opening mechanism, dating back to 1968.
The other biggest change between conventional garage doors and modern garage doors is the difference in colours. If the conventional garage door is having classic and rustic colours, homeowners now could choose a selection of RAL colours in almost any colour possible. Using the RAL chart, the possibilities are quite simply huge, with various shades and tints available of all different colours This will guarantee that your garage door will look as you had imagined because there is very obviously going to be either the exact colour you are searching for or something quite similar.
Traditional: Most traditional side hinged or sliding/folding garage doors, from the early 20th century would use a padlock for security combined with a hasp and staple, or other similar system. If the door construction was strong and the padlock also good then the security would be also very good.
Nothing technical, just good strong materials and the use of a good lock. Older, original up and over garage doors were not very secure at all, using a single point latch locking at the top of the door panel which was easily accessed and broken or forced from outside. The weakness was in the gaps around the door and the low level of locking quality.
Modern: With the advances in materials and the use of double skinned panels, like in sectional overhead doors, it was possible to begin introducing higher specification locking systems and multi point locking points too. A manual sectional door, for example, might only have a single point of locking but because the door design meant there were no gaps at all around the door and the panel was double skinned steel, then there was very little chance of finding a weak spot on the door to attack.
An electric, remote control garage door can be also very secure as it means you can have a door with no handle externally, so nothing to attack or force. A high quality electric operator will have in built security, either in the form of physical latching or additional force being applied when the operator sense any force from an attempted break in.
Another advancement in the UK has been the testing of doors when they are manufactured and designed to be sold as a ‘security door’. Secured by Design and other certifications found on certain doors and models provide the reassurance that the door has been tested by a third party and accredited with a certain level of security. This security rating is based on time taken to break in using certain tools readily available.
If you are concerned about security then it is worth speaking to a well seasoned professional in garage doors because it isn’t always obvious what is best, depending on the garage door type required.
The main problem of poor thermal efficiency rating is the difference between non insulated garage doors vs insulated garage doors.
Traditional: In the past, it is common that they are more prone to “air leakage” a process in which uncontrolled air flow is let into the garage. It is primarily coming from the non-insulated garage doors.
Modern: Due to the temperature changes in the recent years, more and more homeowners think about the idea to keep their home cool during summer and warm in winter. An insulated garage door is designed to provide better thermal insulation than a standard garage door. It typically consists of a sandwich of two metal skins with a layer of insulation in between. Therefore, Insulated garage doors can also help to reduce noise from the outside and make the garage more energy efficient.
Traditional: With most traditional roller garage door, dirt can leave tiny scratch marks on the door curtain.
Modern: Innovating with Hormann Durabelt addition, Hormann roller doors added the newest DuraBelt as an additional surface protection. Several belts are positioned between the individual layers of the door curtain as it rolls up, greatly reducing scratching. The optional Durabelt is available for internal and external roller garage doors and can also be retrofitted.
Overall, the selection between traditional doors and garage doors will depend on the specific requirements of the area and the expected function of the door, however, it is important to have advice from experts. Our dedicated team would love to hear about your requirements. Contact us at 01933 229135 or email: enquiries@thegaragedoorcentre.co.uk. You also can fill out our online contact form by clicking here >
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