Home design encompasses numerous facets, both interior and exterior. We understand the significance of not only cherishing the functionality and layout of your residence, but also appreciating its aesthetic appeal. Although some homeowners may overlook garage doors, they can significantly enhance the overall look and ambiance of your home. Custom garage doors are the perfect choice when you have a specific design in mind, or even if you simply seek unique doors that complement the distinctiveness of your home. You might have come across captivating doors on another house and wish for something similar, though not necessarily identical. If that’s the case, you don’t have to navigate this process on your own. The professionals at Advanced Door can expertly guide you through the decisions involved in creating custom-made doors.

We Start With Materials 

The initial step in embarking on the journey of custom garage doors is to determine the type of materials you desire for the doors. This choice is often influenced by personal preference, what complements your home best, or what aligns with your overall vision for your residence. The most common materials for garage doors include vinyl, wood, and composite.

• Vinyl- These doors are constructed with a precision-milled cellular vinyl exterior with insulates, double-sides- steel frame on the back.
• Wood- Woods doors are crafted from premium woods such as cedar, fir, and mahogany. They usually include a plywood frame.
• Composite- These doors feature usually a urethane material that is applied to a double-sided, insulated steel frame. 

The decision regarding materials should not be taken lightly. Seeking advice from a professional can assist you in making the right choice for you and your home.

Selecting a Door Style

After deciding on the type of materials for your garage doors, the next step is determining the style you prefer. There are various styles to choose from to harmonize with the ambiance of your home. It’s crucial that your home feels uniquely yours, and that includes all aspects, including the garage doors. Some of the most popular custom garage door styles include swing, trifold, bifold, barn, traditional, and rail. While this may not initially seem like an extensive list of options, making this decision can be surprisingly challenging if you don’t already have a specific vision in mind.

Top Portion

You may have thought that you were done making decisions about the garage doors after considering the various styles. However, there are even more choices, extending from the top to the bottom portions of the doors. At the top, you can decide whether you want the doors to have a square or arched shape. In most cases, arched doors feature simulated arches where the square top is concealed. However, some homes can accommodate true arch doors. With arched doors, overhead opening door mechanisms are typically not feasible. You can also opt for whether or not to incorporate glass into your garage doors. Glass can elevate your home’s value and significantly enhance curb appeal. While most homeowners prefer clear glass panes for their doors, specialty glass, seeded glass, frosted glass, and glacier glass are also available options.

The style of the doors will dictate how many glass panels can be added. There’s also the consideration of whether you prefer simulated divided lites or true divided lites, which refers to the divisions in the window panels.

• True divided- This involves separating different areas in the window with an exterior frame.
• Simulate divided- In this case, the “frames” are added to the surface of the glass panes to create the appearance of separation when they are not.

Bottom Portion

When it comes to the bottom portion of the door, you’ll need to determine how many panels you want and what types of panels you prefer. The number of panels available largely depends on the style of garage doors you’ve chosen. For example, swing doors and barn doors can feature panels in multiples of two, trifold doors in multiples of three, and bifold doors in multiples of four. If you’re having trouble visualizing the options, most companies provide pictures and samples to help you make an informed decision. There are also various types of panels to choose from to further enhance the uniqueness of your doors. You can opt for straightforward design options like flat and raised panels, or go for more intricate choices like Tongue & Groove (T&G) paneling. With T&G paneling, you have the option of beaded, square, or V-groove panels. You can also select the orientation of these grooves.

Trim boards are another feature to consider when designing your custom garage doors. These essentially serve as an additional way to add detail to the panels. The availability of trim boards may vary depending on the company or professionals you choose to work with. Some of the most common options include cross bucks, V-bucks, cross rails, sprung bucks, and Z-bucks. Consulting a professional is the best way to understand the distinctions between each of these options.

Applying a Beautiful Finish

You’re not finished with the design process just yet. The next step is to decide on a finish for your doors, whether it be paint, stain, or faux stain paint.

• • Faux stain paint- While wooden garage doors are beautiful and can significantly increase your home’s value, composite doors are often more budget-friendly and require less maintenance. Faux stain paint is the ideal choice for these doors, giving them the appearance of wooden doors without the maintenance they entail.
  • Stain- Stain serves to enhance the natural beauty of any wood and is best applied after a test coat has been applied to a small section of the door. It’s essential to ensure the color meets your expectations, and testing it beforehand is a wise move.
  • Paint- Paint is a versatile finish option and can be used on most garage doors, regardless of whether they are wood, vinyl, or composite. Paint can often be matched to other areas of your house if you wish to achieve a cohesive look.

Adding Hardware Accents

The final step in the design process is incorporating hardware accents into your doors. This decorative hardware can enhance your home’s curb appeal effortlessly and affordably. The most effective way to add this hardware in an appealing manner is to consider where the hardware would be placed if these were actual doors and not in a garage. There have been instances where this aspect is not thoroughly considered, and the strategy behind the hardware can become muddled and confusing.

Get Your Custom Garage Doors Built Today