Standard Garage Door Sizes, Their Mechanism, Materials and Maintenance

There was a time, back when neighborhood houses looked so much like each other, when standard garage door sizes were almost the same for everybody.  A double car garage typically measured 16 feet across and 7 feet high.  This comfortably fit two standard sized cars and worked well for many, many years.

These days, however, standard garage door sizes have developed into several bigger sizes that one can almost customize to fit one’s garage and automobile needs.  The surge of wider and taller vehicles, such as the SUV’s (sports utility vehicles) and 4×4’s, in recent years have created a demand for bigger garage doors.  Nowadays, “standard” does not necessarily mean one uniform size.  For a certain height requirement, there are several available width options.  For a certain width requirement, there are, in turn, a few more height options than just the typical 7 feet.

Other Garage Door Elements

Aside from standard garage door sizes, other factors play a role in the functionality of a garage door. These elements are:

• Mechanism

First, there are single panel garage doors, which slide up and open in one piece, rotating on a hinge.  This requires space for movement both inside and outside the garage.

Second, there are sectional garage doors, which are made up of six to eight panels, which slide up overhead inside the garage when opened.  Each section has its own connection to the door track and is much safer than the single panel door, which only has a couple of connections for the entire door.  The sectional garage door is the most popular choice among residential garage door mechanisms.

Third, there are roller doors, which have a pre-loaded spring in the rolling mechanism.  This reduces the effort that is required to open and close the door.  Factories and commercial premises that use this type of mechanism, however, require a manual pulley to open and close the door.

Any of these mechanisms can be used for the standard garage door sizes now available in the market.

• Material

Garage doors can be made in standard garage door sizes out of an assortment of materials, such as steel, corrugated steel, corrugated fiberglass, aluminum, wood and vinyl.  The most popular of these materials is steel, which works wonderfully in the sectional and roller mechanism, has a solid weight for a garage door, and is not prone to rotting, like wood is.  In addition, for those who are concerned about insulation, steel garage doors are also readily available in insulated form.  However, for those who may be on a budget, there is the steel stamped construction option for garage doors, which is more affordable.

Maintenance of Garage Doors

Garage doors are probably the biggest mechanical equipment in the house.  As with any mechanical equipment, they need a fair amount of maintenance to ensure that they continue working properly.  Monthly lubrication is ideal for all moving parts, such as the hinges, bearings and rollers.  Keeping these items regularly lubricated will ensure that the garage door works properly and safely, day in and day out.  What should NOT be lubricated, however, are the door tracks.  Lubricating this will only lead to build up of dirt and grime as this will result in difficulty in opening or closing of the garage door.

Another maintenance tip, for all standard garage door sizes, is to check the door balance monthly.  This does not have to be as technical as it sounds.  This basically means to check whether the door can be raised and lowered smoothly, with no difficulty, and if it remains stationary at any point it is stopped.  Doing this monthly check up ensures that the door is operating well.  The last thing a family needs is a garage door that does not function properly or goes berserk sporadically.  If the garage door fails in any of this two-step test, then it is time to call a garage door technician and simply have the door adjusted.

Current Standard Garage Door Sizes

While other people have started needing a bigger garage door, others have found themselves in need of smaller ones.  This is from the surge in town houses and people being able to afford smaller lots than they used to.  This may also be due to the growing popularity of mini cars and hybrids.  When SUV’s equal bigger garage doors, mini cars consequently equal smaller garage doors.  So today, from what used to be the standard single car garage door size of 8 feet across by 7 feet high, standard garage doors sizes now start at 8 feet across by 6 feet high for single cars, and 12 feet across and 6 feet high for double cars.  These options normally go up in 3-inch increments for height, and 1 foot increments for width.  The possibilities are almost endless and now, one can customize a garage door to fit their home and car needs exactly.

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