If you are going to buy a commercial overhead door, you have two choices: coiling and sectional. Each of these types of commercial garage doors has its own benefits and cons depending on what you need it for. Before you start weighing the pros and cons of these garage door types, you should determine if your garage is even capable of having one installed. A coiling commercial garage door can be made to fit any size and length, and can be used for almost any business if adequate headroom clearance is available. Coiling garage doors are rolled up compactly and stored above the garage doorway. So long as this area is free of obstacles, you will be able to have a coiling door.
A sectional commercial garage door rolls across the overhead area of the garage. Because of this, your garage will need to be deeper (backroom) than the height of the garage door. Thus, if your garage door opening is very tall and your garage is shallow, you will not be able to have a sectional door. Also, the overhead area will need to be clear of any obstacles such as light fixtures. Sectional garage doors require less headroom clearance than coiling doors. Most sectional doors can be installed with as little as 6.5" of headroom clearance above the opening.
One of the most important aspects when choosing a commercial garage door is security. Both coiling and sectional garage doors can provide high security against break-ins and the elements. For high security, you will want to look for a commercial garage door which is made from heavy-duty steel. The thicker the gauge of the steel, the more secure the door will be. You will want to note, thicker steel gauges will have a lower number than thinner gauges.
Heavy duty coiling garage doors are made up of many metal slats. Each slat slides on to another to form the curtain of the door. The slats hinge on one another when the door is opened. Light duty coiling roll-up door have a continuous curtain of corrugated steel. The horizontal corrugation pattern allows the steel to flex when the door is opened. Most commercial overhead doors will have warranties on hardware for just one year. Whereas residential garage doors have much longer hardware warranties, up to lifetime coverage.
Most people find sectional garage doors to be more attractive than the coiling types. Sectional doors are also available in many different textures and styles and also have the option of windows. Both coiling and sectional commercial garage doors can be painted, however, sectional door are more commonly painted. It should be noted that only a latex-based paint for outdoor use should be used.
Both sectional and coiling garage doors can come with insulation. In the case of coiling doors, this will make them much more expensive because the insulation has to go in each of the many metal slats. Also, the insulation value (R-value) is usually much lower on a coiling door. Sectional doors can be provided with very high quality insulation. An R-value rating over 9 is considered to be very good for a door.
