Commercial Garage Door Installation

Posted: Jul 25, 2012
Author: Doors by Nalley of Lake Norman, Inc.

Commercial garage doors and their installation do not differ that dramatically from residential garage door installation. The same basic types of garage doors exist: sectional, single-panel, swing-out, and sliding garage doors. However, there is a bigger difference in the materials out of which the garage doors are built, as well as in the method of their operation.

Sectional garage doors are still the most common choice for the installation of commercial garage doors. However, there is a less visibly appealing form used almost exclusively commercially, in which the garage door consists of a series of very small panels, connected by hinges, which allow for a tightly rolled shape when in the open position. The rolled shape is more efficient, saving overhead room not available in very small spaces, but is obviously not fitting for residential areas. The slide-open garage doors are also commonly chosen for commercial garage door installation, but more so for very large openings where a vertical lift would be more difficult.

Smaller commercial garage doors are operated, if at all possible, by hand. Imagine a self-storage facility, for example, where each storage unit has its own motor and automated opening. The cost of maintaining such a system would itself be unsustainable. Unless in cases of very large doors, or in cases where hand operation is either impossible or extremely burdening, commercial garage door installation usually does not involve an automated system. Commercial garage door installation also does not usually involve wooden materials. Steel, due to lighter weight, increased insulation, and resistance to weathering, is the preferable material.