If you are considering buying a new garage door, but you want something with a smoother operation than a standard up-and-over door, a sectional garage door may be the solution.
The 5 main opening mechanism available for domestic garage doors are as follows:
Side hinged
Up and over
Sliding
Sectional
Roller
Up and over
Sliding
Sectional
Roller
This article will look at the sectional door option which has an operation that stores the door directly above the garage’s entrance, but in a different manner to a roller door.
How it works
A typical sectional door is composed of between 4 and 6 horizontal sections (panels), each of which is hinged to its adjacent panels allowing the panels to move independently. These hinges enable the door to travel around the 90 degree angle at the junction between the door opening and the roof and store both above and behind the opening.
A sectional door differs from a roller door in that it travels on a track that forms a right angle and which sees the flat door supported horizontally above and parallel with the garage floor/base. It works in a similar way to a sliding door, but with the motion being vertical rather than horizontal.
The advantages of a sectional door
Sectional doors have a number of advantages over their more conventional up and over and side hinged door counterparts. They are also an alternative to roller and horizontal sliding doors. Their features include:
- A smooth “jerk free” operation with a mechanism that makes the door feel light and easy to open and close. This makes them easy to use for people of all ages whatever their state of health.
- Sectional doors store in what is usually an unused area of space above the door, this makes them “space effective”. However they will require a storage area within the roof space that is the size of the door.
- A sectional door can be opened or closed when a car or other obstruction is positioned directly in front of the garage door’s opening. i.e. the doors movement is not impeded as the door does not open outwards.
- The vertical sectional sliding door mechanism is ideal for conversion into a remote controlled motorised mechanism and most automation kits are comparatively cheap and simple to fit.
- Sectional doors are available in insulated form and they can also be specified in a number of different finishes, colors and textures ensuring that their appearance can match any property.
- A sectional door will usually fit behind the garage door’s opening with the tracks/rails requiring fitting to piers either side of the opening. This can place a restriction on the kinds of garages that will suit a sectional door, but it also makes the stability of the frame secure and robust.
Naturally there are some minor disadvantages to sectional garage doors and these mainly take the form of buying and fitting costs.
The alternatives that you should also consider along with a sectional garage door are “roller” and “sliding” garage doors, and you can obtain comparative information about all three types at [http://www.rollergaragedoor.net/sectional.html] You could also consider a “retractable” up and over garage door which does not see the door project beyond the front face of the garage when it is in its open position (unlike a “canopy” U & O door which does).
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