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Sectional garage doors

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Sectional doors are made of large, horizontal panels that open by lifting up and moving into space below the ceiling. They come in a variety of materials and finishes.

Sectional doors are a very popular choice for residential homes.

What is a sectional door?

Sectional doors are made of separate panels that lift up and over and rest parallel with the garage ceiling. They comprise of between three to eight sections held together by hinges (which allows the door to ‘bend’) and held in place by brackets (which also show the door where to go up and over).

Sectional doors can also be called panel doors and can vary in size from 2100mm high x 2400mm wide to 2850mm high x 6530mm wide.

How do sectional doors work?

Sectional doors are generally operated on a torsion spring system. Most are now operated automatically using a garage door opener, but all doors should be balanced so that they can be lift manually.

What are sectional doors made out of?

Sectional doors can be made from a wide variety of materials – almost anything, in fact, that can be made into a panel. Some of the commonly used materials include:

  • Steel
  • Aluminium
  • Wood
  • Glass
  • Vinyl

The panels can be finished in many styles, allowing for custom finishes like embossing or engraving.

Sectional doors are quite adaptable and thus can have many variations. Depending on the supplier, the width, height, and number of panels can be altered.

Where are sectional doors used?

Sectional doors can be used in a wide range of garages, as they need as little as 250mm headroom – the space between the ceiling and the door opening – to operate in. While needing little vertical space, they do occupy a large flat space – the height of the door itself, so generally up to four metres – limiting the use of the ceiling for storage.

Because of their adaptability in terms of materials, sectional doors can be offer a variety of benefits. For example, glass panels can provide additional light to the interior or panels made from grils or vents offer ventilation, while still offering security.

Advantages
  • Sectional doors require no space outside of the door to open, so the car may park very close while waiting for the door to open
  • The multiple panels means there’s less pressure on the connection to the rail than for a monolithic door.
  • If one panel is damaged, it’s easy to fix just this panel, making repairs affordable.
  • Flexibility with materials used, east to provide practical things like security or ventilation or aesthetic finishes that match the house
  • Sectional doors are more resistant to wind damage than roller doors.
  • Very secure.
Disadvantages
  • Takes up space below the ceiling that could be used for storage.
  • The many moving parts can provide a pinch danger for children.

 

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