What is a Standard Garage Door?

Not all garage doors are created equal. There is a common misconception that every garage door on your block is the same as the one next to it. A common phrase we hear in the garage door industry is, “I have a standard door”. Knowing the specifics on your own door will help make better decisions with future needed repairs.  While many garage door manufacturers build their doors with the same panel designs, they all differ just slightly enough that the panels from different manufacturers can not be interchanged.

Without looking at the inside of a garage door, one may not notice the dissimilarities. For instance, an insulated garage door vs. a non-insulated door changes the weight completely. Insulated garage doors will have different sized springs in order to properly lift the heavier weights.

 While most garage doors in Florida will have the same wind load, depending on the area, some will have extra hurricane support added. Hurricane reinforcement struts mounted to the inside of your garage door will brace the door against stronger winds and negative pressure, however, they will also add hundreds of more pounds to your garage door. A different garage door operator with a stronger motor may be needed, along with the larger springs, to relieve pressure off of the other garage door parts.

Depending on where you live, a “one car garage” and a “two car garage” can be considered relative terms. While some neighborhoods in Florida will offer a full 16-foot-wide option as a double garage, another neighborhood might offer the same “double garage door” but only in a 12-foot option. The same applies to the one car garage, ranging from 6-10 feet in width.

Whether you are upgrading your garage door, or repairing it, a licensed garage door technician should let you know what options are available to you and your specific door, which very easily may differ from your neighbor or friend. Regardless of the year, make, or model, there will always be an option to ensure your garage door will run as quietly and smoothly as possible and that is something they all have in common.