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Protecting that Wood Garage Door

Natural wood garage doors can enhance the curb appeal of any home.

The beauty of natural wood with the random patterns of grain is not an easy look to duplicate with manmade materials. If you have a wood garage door, whether it is painted or stained to show the grain, routine care will keep it looking great for years to come.

Unlike the siding of your home, garage doors move with every button push on your remote or lift with your arms. This movement can add stress to the door’s finish and to the panels themselves. Check to see if stress has caused cracks or gaps to form in the finish coat. These cracks are the inroads for water, which can lead to more damage.

The best way to protect wood is with a durable, weather-resistant finish. These can fall into two groups: film finishes, like varnish or paint; and penetrating finishes, like oils and stains. Film finishes are more susceptible to movement-induced stress and can crack and flake. Penetrating oil finishes, by comparison, are more flexible and therefore hold up better. One advantage to maintaining garage doors is that they are relatively small and accessible, compared to other areas of a [more]

Got Wood?

Some things do come back in style if you wait long enough. Think hip-hugger pants, shag carpeting and, yes, even wood garage doors. The wood garage doors of the 1970s are back in a big way. It’s one of many design trends that have come and gone.

The first revolution in garage door materials happened in the 1980s, when raised panel steel doors replaced wood ones. They continue to dominate the market today, mainly because they’re economical and low-maintenance. But for certain homes — especially custom homes or those with an Old World look — a big expanse of cold steel just won’t do. Frequently the garage door is a major part of the front of a home and people are finding that they can do something more interesting.

For this reason, wood has become the most popular option. But these aren’t the humble wood doors of two decades ago. For example, 1st United Door Technologies offers wood doors in a carriage-house style that has an old-fashioned craftsman look. Made of the finest wood, they offer a much richer appearance and you can expect to pay four times or more what you would for steel doors.

Just as wood is beginning to catch [more]

Garage Door Romance

Can any homeowner live without a garage door?

People leave garage doors alone until they’re broken, even though they can make a family safe. Garage doors are primarily made from two materials, steel and wood.

The scale of drudgery that they entail differentiates steel from wood residential doors, confirmed the product manager of a leading manufacturer of overhead rolling doors. Not much is needed to keep in optimum state steel doors coated with baked enamel. The enamel is a protective covering, needing only minor touch ups for scratches, for steel doors.

However, steel doors can also be painted. There are also those who prioritize a blend between the doors and the rest of the home exterior, preferring a full bodied paint. No harm comes to galvanized steel doors from rain, sleet, or snow.

Wood doors, unlike their steel cousins, can be ground down, resulting in rifts and sagging, if they are not safeguarded. It is highly recommended that at least two coats of oil based paint, stain or other exterior finish are applied. A single coat must be applied on an annual basis to preserve the wood.

Those who heed this guidance can expect their doors to stay looking new for decades to come. [more]