It is important to take good care of your garage door, and to replace it if it is getting unserviceable. Choosing a material for the new garage door to be made out of can be hard, considering there are many options available, each with its own set of benefits. Below is a look at how wood and steel compare.
Look
For homeowners that prefer beauty and elegance, wooden garage doors are a great option. These come in many colors, looks, and sizes, and play an important role in driving up curb appeal, and consequently, property value. These doors are usually semi-custom or custom built, making them easier to match with the architecture of the home.
Steel doors are created in factories and arrive pre-assembled, although it is only fair to mention there are various styles available. You can even install one that imitates wood in appearance.
Installation
Steel doors, being lighter, are easier to install than wooden doors. When choosing between automatic and manual, you need to know that wooden garage doors require automatic openers from a safety perspective. In such cases, the motor and cable will need to be properly set up, and a professional installer can finish the job in minimal time. Wooden garage door installation can be time consuming and dangerous by comparison.
Maintenance
Wooden garage doors can demand diligent maintenance, including sanding, staining and painting once every two years. In addition, these doors need to be guarded against moisture accumulation and termite damage.
Steel doors can undergo rusting over long periods, unless you add a fiberglass overlay or a polyester top coat to the surface. You may also have to deal with dinging or denting if the material is of cheap quality. However, overall, a steel door needs less maintenance than a wooden door, and has a longer life.
Durability
A wooden door carries the tendency to chip, crack, warp or rot, although it is possible to replace panels that have sustained damage. However, if the panel is a primary component of the door, this could compromise the structural integrity. In such a case, the new panel would not let the moving parts operate as well as before.
The same issues apply when replacing a steel door panel. A new panel may also look out of place beside the old weathered ones, so garage door panel repair is a better option as long as it is viable. Steel doors can corrode and dent, but choosing higher-density steel offsets the chances of that happening. Additionally, steel is immune to rain, humidity, and heat.