Is a Wood Garage Door Right for You?

One of the most important decisions a homeowner can make is what style of door to choose when either buying a new garage door or replacing an old one. Thankfully, it’s not one you’ll have to make very often, yet the type of door you choose can have a significant impact on factors like property value, curb appeal, and potential future costs and issues.

Depending on your home’s style and your willingness to carry out regular maintenance, choosing a wooden garage door can prove to be a solid long-term investment that can both improve your home’s aesthetic appeal and boost its resale value. Having said that, choosing a wood garage door does come with its own set of unique drawbacks that you need to be prepared for. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of owning wood garage doors and find out whether they’re right for you.

Pros

Undeniably Classy

Despite the increasing realism of faux wood and changes in architectural styles, nothing looks as good as the genuine article.  Wood garage doors remain timeless classics and few things can match the beauty of a custom stained wood door. Real wood garage doors add an incomparable element of elegance and can be designed to perfectly complement almost any home.

Natural Materials

Unlike other garage door materials, wood garage doors are built out of naturally sourced materials. With wood being a renewable resource, wooden garage doors can be considered to be more eco-friendly than doors built out of other materials and their production has less of an effect on the environment.

Easy to Repair and Refurbish

Wood garage doors are typically constructed out of several panels, which can be easily replaced if they get damaged or need updating. What’s more, refurbishing or redesigning a wooden garage door can be as simple as re-painting or re-staining it.

Cons

Additional Maintenance

There’s no arguing the fact that wood garage doors will require more maintenance than steel factory finished doors.  For many people the additional maintenance is a small price to pay for the vastly improved cosmetic beauty of a real wood door. It’s important to carefully consider if you are really prepared to put in the time to regularly apply another protective coat of the finish material to ensure the wood remains protected from the elements.  If you are not on top of maintaining the finish a wood door can deteriorate rapidly. The frequency with which maintenance is required depends almost entirely on its exposure to the damaging uv rays of the sun.  For this reason, a south-facing door with full sun exposure will likely require a fresh coat of finish be applied every year or two while a north-facing door may go 5-7 years before requiring a new coat of finish. With this in mind, carefully consider your particular situation to determine if you are prepared to keep up on the additional maintenance. I have nw facing wood doors on my own home and consider an hour or two of work every 5-6 years well worth it for the dramatic curb appeal real wood doors add to my home.

Higher Cost

Today’s wood doors are a beautiful, high-end product and as such are considerably more expensive than mass-produced steel doors.  They do however compare very favourably price wise against fibreglass or composite garage doors.  These man-made products offer somewhat lower maintenance than wood but are not maintenance-free as many people assume.  Most manufacturers of fibreglass and composite doors require a fresh coat of finish be applied every 3 years to maintain warranty.  A major disadvantage of man-made products is that if you fall behind on maintenance and the door finish deteriorates, fibreglass and composites can’t be sanded down to re-finish the door so you could end up in a situation where you have to replace the door.  With a real wood door, if maintenance has not been done causing the finish to deteriorate, often you can sand the finish off and re-apply a fresh coat of finish to have the door look like new again.  This is a lot of work so it’s still best to maintain the finish in the first place to avoid having to sand and refinish.

Typically, less insulated

Today’s wooden doors are insulated but typically have a lower R-value than what is available in steel doors.  We are able to upgrade some wood door designs to use a highly insulated steel base section with wood applied to the exterior.  You still get the same great look but with much-improved insulation.  Ask if this option is available as it is often a fairly inexpensive upgrade.

At the end of the day, whether a wood garage door is right for you essentially boils down to style preference, budget, and whether you’re willing to commit to the extra maintenance. Connect with the Door House today to browse our extensive range of custom wood garage doors and for more advice on how to choose the best garage door for you.