Single Panel vs. Sectional Garage Doors

In general, there are two types of garage doors or residential homes. The tilt-up, which is a single panel door and is a one-piece, and then there is the more common panel style, which is sectional. Both of these styles have their strengths and weaknesses, so it is wise to learn about all of your options before making that final decision.

The Cost Factor

If you have been doing your research on the single panel doors, there’s a chance that you have heard from various sources regarding these doors being a little on the cheap side. Although this may have been true at some point in time, since there was a significant decrease in using them, and the fact that they were more appealing to those who were historically mind-set, they have become harder to find. Those who are lucky enough to locate one are finding out that they now have to pay as much for them as they would any other garage door. However, in the long run, these doors will save you money, especially in maintenance expenses. Also, you are going to find slab doors to be the easiest to care for, and the cost will be a lot cheaper should they ever need repairing.

Though tilt-up doors appear to be scarce, you’ll be able to locate sectional doors all over, giving you more places to shop for them, with lots of different options today to choose from. The sectional doors offer a large variety of materials and styles, and with more options in their prices.

Styles

Basically, it is these factors and the fact that people see the one-piece doors as affordable, most homeowners are showing more interest in these for the inherent vintage feel they give and because they are considered to be highly personalizable. They have been designed accurately as historical architecture, to put it bluntly, they are the real deal. And without the section gaps, the solid doors play the role of a blank canvass and they are ready and waiting to be customized by you.

It’s important that buyers to keep in mind, that even though sectional panel doors might not be historically authentic technically, however, they have only gotten better at making them appear that way. The modern sectional garage doors can be custom made to mimic any style you are interested in, from the carriage house look to the contemporary flushed panel. Furthermore, you have the benefit of material options to choose from and they include much better insulation.

Ease Of Use Comparison

You now know that both, the single panel and the sectional garage doors are easy to use. They both use a spring system that assists in their lift and they both open automatically.

There is however one drawback to the single panel garage door, and that is regarding its inclination which at times appears to bang against the openers shins, when the door is swinging outward, up, and over, and this is easily underestimated.

Space Comparison

The single panel door has another quality people desire, it the increased space that it gives, and the reason it lets you have so much space is due to needing a fewer number of tracks. This means they sit higher up and are out of the way, although they do need some outward clearance when opening, and also since the springs and levers are designed on the doors interior edge.

Safety Comparison

The main issue of safety that people are concerned with is the tilt-up doors and their extension springs, which are located on the sides of the doors and provide a little balance, like the torsion spring does on the sectional doors. The reason for this issue is that the doors are upgraded improperly and are not up to the current standards or they have been neglected on their maintenance care. The installation of the springs is not that difficult and requires very few parts, which includes ensuring that if a spring should break it will not end up being a fatal projectile by using a cable to secure the springs. There is one more notable concern on safety with the one-piece doors, especially within the Hampton Roads, and that they are lacking in the amount of wind they are able to withstand. Apparently, they were not designed or reinforced with the ability to withstand very strong winds.