Steel Garage Doors in Sacramento

Around 85 percent of the residential doors we see are steel, and most of those were never chosen by anybody. That is what the builder installed when the home was originally built, because it is what goes on a tract home. So the first time most people think about what their garage door is made of is the day they are replacing one.

When that day comes steel is still usually the right answer, and it comes down to three things. The first is price. A steel door installed runs between $1,200 and $2,400 depending on the size, the insulation and the style, which is a fraction of what a custom wood door costs. The second is that it asks nothing of you. It does not rot, it does not warp, and it never needs repainting the way a wood door does every few years, which matters here where a west facing door bakes from June to September. The third is weight. A steel door is lighter than wood, so there is less load on the springs and the opener and the whole system lasts longer.

What really made steel take over, though, is that the stamped carriage house patterns got good. You used to have to buy a wood door to get that look. Now most people driving past your house cannot tell the difference from the street.

The part that matters is the insulation

Steel doors come in three builds and the difference is what is between the skins. A single layer door is one sheet of steel and nothing else, which is the cheapest door on the lot and the one that turns your garage into an oven in July. A double layer door has steel on the outside with insulation bonded to the back of it. A triple layer is steel, insulation, then steel again on the inside face.

If the garage is attached to the house, has a room over it, or you spend any time working out there, the triple layer is worth what it costs and it is what we put on most Sacramento houses. It is quieter, it is stiffer, so it holds up better to being backed into, and on a 105 degree afternoon you can feel the difference standing in the garage. On a detached garage you are storing a mower in, a double layer is plenty.

Our steel collections

The Classica Collection is steel built to look like a carriage house door, which is how most people get the wood look without the upkeep. There are eight panel designs and eleven top section designs, so you can match the door to the house rather than the other way round, and all three insulation builds are available in it.

The Oak Summit Collection has three carriage house patterns and twenty four window styles, in three colors. If you want windows in the top section, this is the one with the most to choose from.

A word about dents

The one thing steel does that wood does not is dent, and once a steel panel is creased it does not come back out. The good news is that a door is built in sections, so a single damaged panel can usually be replaced rather than the whole door, as long as the model is still made. That is worth asking about before anybody sells you a new one, and it is covered on our repair page.

If you would rather have real wood, we build custom carriage doors in our own shop. Steel is the practical answer for most houses, wood is the one people fall in love with, and we will tell you honestly which one suits your place and your budget.

Call Garage Door Repair Pros at 916-238-6413 to talk about a steel door.