Finding the most appropriate garage doors for your business can prove to be a daunting task. They are available in numerous types with various features. Taking the time to compare garage doors, including features, ensures that you will choose a door that meets all your needs.

When you contact any garage door installation business, keep the following garage doors basics in mind:

1. Determine if rolling garage doors are an appropriate choice for your business.

2. Consider sectional garage doors if you need to outfit multiple bays.

3. Invest in specialty garage doors if your business needs features not available on basic garage doors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose rolling garage doors

Rolling garage doors are ideal for businesses that have room along the ceiling of the bay or work area. These doors use a system of tracks to open and close. Because of this, these garage doors can open all the way to the ceiling. Some rolling doors feature an internal rolling track, meaning that the door rolls up into a casing instead of a long track on the ceiling.

I recommend: Overhead Door Company sells a varied selection of rolling garage doors, including half length models for counters or to use with lift gates. Raynor has a varied selection of commercial garage doors, including doors with break away bottoms. This company offers garage door information to help you choose the most appropriate door for your needs.

Pick sectional garage doors

Sectional garage doors are useful for service businesses, such as automobile repair shops or delivery businesses. These doors are sectional garage doors because they are all interlinked. In most cases, each door can open independently of the other doors, if desired.

I recommend: Clopay Building Products offers a varied selection of sectional garage doors. This company offer detailed garage door info on all its products. American Garage Door Supply is a garage door online store that sells commercial garage doors, including corrosion resistant doors.

Consider specialty garage doors

Specialty garage doors are ideal for certain types of businesses. High wind rated doors are good for service bays in windy locations. Insulated garage doors are ideal for food delivery businesses that need to maintain a constant temperature regardless of weather conditions outside. Fire proof and fire resistant doors are a good choice for factories, such as glass factories, that use high heat.

I recommend: Albany Door Systems and Wayne Dalton are garage door manufacturers. Albany Door Systems has a varied selection of specialty garage doors. This company offers high traffic and cold storage doors. Wayne Dalton has interior and exterior specialty garage doors, including models for self-storage businesses.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Measure the area for which you need a garage door prior to getting price quotes. You need to know the width, height and depth of the door space, as well as the space available for the track or casing. Knowing this information helps you to get accurate price quotes, especially if you plan to buy garage doors online.
• •  Prior to buying a garage door, review the fire codes and other building codes in your area for your type of business. Some areas specify the types of garage doors certain businesses must use.

There is quite an array of commercial garage doors available on the market. While there is the kind you may have on your house, there are several other types that may work better for your business. Garage door manufacturers sell everything from a steel heavy-duty door to a carriage-style wood garage door.

The key is in figuring out what type of door your company needs and then moving foward from there.

Keep this in mind when selecting and purchasing garage doors:

1. Choose a door that allows for the best flow of traffic and durability.
2. Don't be afraid to design your own if garage door manufacturers don't have exactly what you're looking for.
3. Read reviews of garage doors to make sure you're buying from a reputable company.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare garage doors online

There are several types of garage doors to choose from. Sectional garage door systems allow light to come in and are thermally efficient; rolling door systems fit in tight spaces and have maximum durability; roll up doors work well on things like vending booths; fire doors are optimal for a rated fire wall; and traffic doors are made of a high-strength fabric for quicker and easier access in and out.

I recommend: Raynor explains the types of doors available. It lists garage door information, including companies' names and their products. Buy garage doors from Sears Garage Doors. The company has a garage door online store that offers doors for homes. But, they can easily be installed in small businesses. Wayne-Dalton specializes in sectional and rolling garage doors. CloPay offers an extensive set of specs at its commercial garage door online store.

Read reviews of garage doors to see if they stand up to their claims

Reading a garage door review can really help you make a decision about which garage doors to buy. It gives you good garage door info straight from customers' mouths and takes some of the guessing out of your selection.

I recommend: Consumer Search which allows you the opportunity to compare garage doors. They tell you a little bit about different garage doors, review them and you can make a more informed decision. If you're buying a garage door opener, check out Consumer Guide. It's another garage door review website worth a check.

Make sure the garage door manufacturers you consider will fix the doors if needed

Most times, the garage door online store will offer some sort of a repair policy and warranty. Both are essential for your business because you don't want to pay out the ear for someone to repair the door down the line.

I recommend: Buy garage doors from Windsor Door and the company will provide a warranty that the garage doors will never split, crack or rust through. American Garage Door Supply also offers a limited warranty.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you decide to install your own commercial garage doors, know that it's a difficult job.

When you buy garage doors for your business, you will need to outfit the doors with supplies. While some businesses find it suitable to control the doors by hand, others find that automatic systems are more suitable.

In some cases, the supplies you choose are necessary to ensure the safety of your employees. When you are purchasing the supplies for garage doors in your business, consider the following suggestions:

1. Make operating your garage doors easier and more controlled by ordering garage door operators.

2. Keep extra parts on hand to ensure your garage doors work without worrying about down time while waiting for replacement parts.

3. Find supplies to make your garage doors a safety feature for your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pick appropriate operators for all garage doors

If you need automated garage doors for your business, you will need to purchase garage door operators. These devices are either battery operated or electric. There are numerous styles available including streamlined and laser guided. When you purchase a new garage door, review the types of operators that can be for use with the door, especially if you are replacing a door linked to a central operating system, to ensure the door is compatible with the operator.

I recommend: Overhead Door Company and Raynor are garage door manufacturers. Both companies sell a varied selection of operators for garage doors, including wireless and remote models. Both companies also have detailed garage door information to help you determine the most appropriate operator for your doors.

Consider buying extra parts for the garage doors

Once a garage door is installed, you may find that you need to replace some of the hardware or seals after a while. This is normal. Having extra parts for all the garage doors in your business ensures that you will be able to safely use the garage doors without having to wait on replacement parts to arrive. If you are ordering extra parts after the door is installed, make a list of garage door info, such as the manufacturer, size and style of the doors.

I recommend: American Garage Door Supply is a garage door online store which sells a varied selection of garage door parts, including door jamb seals and hardware. Door Systems sells various parts, including bumpers and levels, that are compatible with doors from numerous manufacturers. It is also a garage door installation business, so the customer service team is knowledgeable and can help you compare garage doors and parts from several manufacturers.

Buy safety supplies for the garage doors

Safety supplies, such as fire door release device systems, are necessary for some businesses. A fire door release system, when used in conjunction with a fireproof door, ensures that fire is contained in a certain area while still allowing employees to leave the area through the garage door. Other safety supplies, such as emergency response boxes allow emergency response personnel to open the door using the transponder signal in a vehicle.

I recommend: The Chamberlain Company is a specialty garage door manufacturer that sells safety accessories, such as fire door release device systems. All-Rite has a varied selection of specialty supplies for garage doors, including boxes that allow emergency response vehicles to enter the door simply by using their transponder signal.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Check with your local Fire Marshall to find out if any safety supplies for garage doors, such as fire release systems, are required in your area. Even if safety supplies aren't required in your area, you can still benefit from them as some insurance companies give discounts for certain safety features.

Garage doors key terms are useful knowledge when dealing with numerous commercial applications. Garage doors can be made of a variety of different materials and can be installed in a number of different ways. And whether large or small, plain or fancy, garage doors keep the elements out and the contents of your garage secure. Whether you're planning to sell garage doors, install garage doors or simply purchase garage doors, there are a number of key terms you need to know.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Sectional doors

Sectional doors are comprised of sections that are hinged together to form the complete door. The sections enable the door to bend around the track as the door opens and closes.

I recommend: Learn everything you ever wanted or needed to know about sectional garage door installation in the informative how-to guide posted at Hometips.com.

Wind load

Wind load is the force or pressure of the wind as it hits the garage door in the closed position. Although once reserved for coastal, hurricane-prone states such as Florida, wind load regulations are now widespread and considered an important part of the garage door business.

I recommend: Louisiana State University's Ag Center provides an informative commercial/residential wind load guide and diagram of wind load types for educational purposes.

Lites

Lites is the industry term for optional (usually decorative) glass or acrylic windows within the frame of a garage door. Lites typically provide light and visibility.

I recommend: Visit Holmes Garage Door for a short explanation and visuals related to garage door window lites.

Astragal

Astragal is the term used for the weatherstripping that runs along the bottom of a garage door to form a seal that prevents elements such as water, leaves, insects and other debris from getting inside.

I recommend: Check out the different types and features of astragal at AAA Remotes.

Track

The track is installed on the garage door opening and is designed to hold and guide the rollers on the garage door as they move vertically to the top when the door is closed, then horizontally parallel to the ceiling when the door is open.

I recommend: Read the article at Professional Door Dealer that covers the history and evolution of garage door tracks.

Rollers

The rollers are the wheels and axles that run up and down the track as the garage door is opened and closed.

I recommend: Garage Door Parts has a wide variety of rollers, with application descriptions of each.