All posts for the month May, 2012

Choosing a Wooden Garage Door

Wooden Garage Door

We’ve talked about Choosing the right Garage door type, but now let us focus on the wooden garage door. If you want to lend a more unique look and feel to your garage and to your home, then a wooden garage door might be what you are looking for. In addition to having a distinct and more polished look, the wooden door options that you will find in the market are also known for being very durable as well. This means that they will be able to function well when it comes to giving your garage the right level of safety that it requires. Just see to it that you go through the necessary considerations that will help you pick out the best wooden garage doors in the market. Here are some of the most important points that you should look into in order to ensure that you will find the wooden door that will fit your garage best.

Wooden Garage Door | The Cost

The main thing that you have to consider is the amount of money that you have to invest on the wooden door that you want to use for your garage. The price will depend on the quality of the wood and other materials used to manufacture the door and the quality of the craftsmanship that went into it as well. If you find that most of the options in the market are well beyond your price point, then you should consider picking from reclaimed wooden garage doors instead. Yes, they will cost much less, but they will be able to give your home a polished look just the same.

Garage Door | Quality

Time to think about quality you have to place much thought into the quality of the wood that was used for the wooden garage doors that you are choosing from as well. If you plan on buying something that is made out of grade A wood, then you have to prepare yourself to shell out quite a bit of money (kind of like when buying high quality steak!). Just make sure that you’re choosing doors that were manufactured out of the sturdiest kinds of wood (Oak, Maple, Cherry etc). If someone is trying to sell you a nice sturdy garage door made of Cedar…beware…it might be nice for making a sauna in the backyard but not for a garage door.  After all, it has to last and provide you with a certain level of security as well. If you haven’t got a clue about what to do, feel free to contact Sanford and Son? Overhead Doors.

Finally, make sure that you will be able to go about the process of wooden garage door installation that will help you put up the garage door that you will be buying, either by yourself or with the help of a professional. If you plan to get the help of a contractor, then make sure that you include the necessary provisions on your budget, to cover professional fees and charges. Prepare for any additional equipment or pieces of hardware that the installation process may require as well. Your contractor will have his own gear, but you can never be too prepared.

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by Sanford on May 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Do it Yourself, Reviews
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Posted by Sanford on May 29, 2012

https://sanforddoors.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/choosing-a-wooden-garage-door/

How a Keyless Entry Pad Can Help You

Stuck in the rain

Imagine that day when your car breaks down during a storm, and you have to get AAA to take you home. But as you are walking up to your garage door, you realize your remote control is in your car, and your entry door is blocked by all the needless junk you’ve been saying you need to get rid of. What are you gonna do? The last place you want to be is stuck outside your house during a storm. The 387LM is designed to help you in those times where you can’t use your remote and provides an easy alternative to using your entry door. This weatherproof keypad gets you inside your garage as easy as the push of your 4 number entry code. Also, the 387LM is compatible with Genie, Stanley, Wayne-Dalton, Craftsman, Chamberlain, and Liftmaster garage door openers. (Please see our website for specific dates for compatible models.) If you are also in need of a remote, the 375LM is compatible with the 387LM keypad and is on sale on Sanford and Son’s Website.

3 Comments
by Sanford on May 25, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Do it Yourself, Garage Doors

Posted by Sanford on May 25, 2012

https://sanforddoors.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/how-a-keyless-entry-pad-can-help-you/

Top 6 Garage Door Questions!

Do you use your garage – I mean for your car? Many garages are storage areas and workshops, while the vehicles sit outside, at the mercy of the elements. But no matter what you use your garage for, your garage door is important. Without it, your belongings, including your vehicle, would be open to thieves. So although many of us take garage doors for granted, there are some things you need to know about them. And our top 6 garage door questions will reveal those things.

1. What’s R-value and why is it so important?

The R-value on a garage door tell you how well it insulates. You might think that it isn’t important to insulate your garage, but there are several reasons why it’s necessary. If you happen to spend more time than usual in your garage, like if you have a workshop there, for example, then you’ll definitely be aware of the importance of insulation.

But your garage is also affected by its connection to the rest of your house, particularly if you have a room above it. Of course, if your garage isn’t attached to your house, you can get a garage door with a low R-value, or even no insulation at all.

So check the R-value of a garage door before you buy it. The higher the number, the better its insulation properties.

2. What’s headroom, backroom and sideroom?

Headroom is the amount of space inside the garage between the top of the garage door and the ceiling.

Backroom is the inside length of the garage, from front to back.

Sideroom is the distance between the sides of the garage door and the side walls of the garage.

You need to know these dimensions when you’re installing a garage door because the hardware needs a certain amount of room to operate freely.

3. If I’m replacing my garage door, how do I remove the torsion springs?

Torsion garage door springs are under extreme pressure and, if not handled properly, could release with enough power to kill you! You need specific tools and training. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that you leave this job to a professional if you are a professional becareful.

4. Can I paint a steel garage door?

You can definitely paint a steel garage door. If you use a good quality latex paint, it’ll last a long time. But don’t use an oil-base paint – it’ll bubble and peel off.

You can paint other garage doors, too. Wood garage doors look great when painted or stained. Fiberglass garage doors can be painted, too. The great thing about painting a garage door is that you can match it to the décor of the rest of your house.

5. How can I tell if my garage door is unbalanced?

You should be able to lift your garage door with one hand, no matter what the size. Garage door systems are specifically designed to take the weight off the door. If you can’t lift the door easily, then it’s probably unbalanced, and you need to call a professional garage door installer to fix it.

6. What are the advantages of aluminum garage doors?

Aluminum garage doors are easy on the mechanisms because of their light weight. Therefore, they last longer. However, there isn’t much difference between aluminum and steel garage doors if the door is 12 feet wide or less.

And, of course, when the garage door is finally worn out, aluminum is recyclable, which is really good for the environment.

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by Sanford on May 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Do it Yourself, Garage Doors, Reviews
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Posted by Sanford on May 16, 2012

https://sanforddoors.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/top-6-garage-door-questions/

Do I Really Need To Insulate My Garage Door?

You may not think garage door insulation is important, but insulating your garage can provide unanticipated benefits that can make this a worthwhile project. If you’re like most homeowners, your garage is the biggest uninsulated area of your home. Not only does this increase your heating and cooling cost, but a lack of insulation around the garage door itself is an invitation to critter infestation and moisture damage. Even if you don’t spend that much time in your garage, you should look into garage door insulation and see if it’s right for you.

Attached Garages

Attached Garage

garages that are attached to your home, proper garage door insulation can be as much about insulating your home as it is insulating your garage. A metal garage door with too much space around the door can be a horrible conduit for heat loss. Garages, being as large as they are, will conduct more heat from your home than you probably think. Even if you can’t feel the loss in the garage entryway, the walls that are shared with the garage can increase the strain on your central heating and cooling. Attached garages are considerably closer in temperature to the main house than their stand-alone counterparts, but this means the difference between the garage and the outside air is greater. This difference is a leading factor in the formation of moisture in the garage.

First, you should put weatherstripping on the bottom edge of the garage door. Then, you’ll want to install insulation on the door itself. Polystyrene and injected foam insulation are the most popular and appropriate forms of garage door insulation. They are cut into panels that allow for easy, inexpensive installation. The relatively small area of a garage door makes this one of the cheapest insulations projects you can do for your home and because heat gets lost so quickly through a metal door, it’s also one of the insulation projects that makes the most sense.

Stand-Alone Garages

Stand-Alone Garage

If you have a stand-alone garage or a garage that is only marginally connected to the house, you might need to have a different insulation strategy. Obviously, the area of a stand-alone garage isn’t a drain on the heating and cooling efficiency of your home, but these garages also don’t get the benefits of your home’s central heating and cooling. If you don’t spend much time in your stand-alone garage, you can probably provide sufficient protection from infestation and moisture with simple weatherstripping.

On the other hand, many people use stand-alone garages as impromptu rec rooms fitted with a pool table or ping-pong table. If you spend time hanging out in your garage, especially if it’s not connected to your home, you may want to consider higher end insulation. Essentially, treat your garage as a basement and insulate not only your garage door but the walls as well. Good insulation and a basic space heater or air conditioning unit will enable you to create a pleasant environment for your garage. The installation of this insulation won’t be cheap but it will be a lot less expensive than attempting to extend your central heating and cooling.

Insulation and Garage Door Installation

The best time to deal with this insulation issue is when you’re installing or replacing your garage door. Most garage doors are made from metal or wood. If you would like a wood garage door, but don’t want to pay the extra price for the material, remember wood is a much better natural insulator. Metal, on the other hand, may be an easier choice for your garage door, but remember it’s probably a good idea to throw some insulation panels on there when you have the garage door installed.

4 Comments
by Sanford on May 14, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Do it Yourself, Garage Doors
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Posted by Sanford on May 14, 2012

https://sanforddoors.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/do-i-really-need-to-insulate-my-garage-door/

Should I insulate my garage?

Don’t Break the Bank for Nothing!

In effort to save money on energy bills, people think insulating anything and everything will help retain heat and thus run the furnace a little less. While that is true in areas of the house that are conditioned with heat or AC, this isn’t the case for the garage. Trust me, I found out the hard way, after breaking the bank. I insulated my entire garage which is not heated … the walls, ceiling, and garage door and notice only a small difference.

Some will spend $500 insulating, only to find out the there isn’t much of a difference. You may only notice 15°F difference, so when going from 5°F to 20°F, you still aren’t going to spend a whole lot of time in the garage, so why bother? Now if I spent a lot of time in the garage and added a heater, that’s a different story and I would probably see a big difference. In that case, insulating the garage is definitely worth it.

Unless your garage is heated though, insulation will have little affect on the temperature of your garage in cold climates. Just because you add insulation won’t make the garage that much warmer or cooler. The main purpose of insulation is to slow the conduction of heat from the walls and ceiling to the outside and vice-verse. Insulation does not generate heat. If your garage is already cold, the area will virtually remain the same temperature whether you have insulation or not. And remember this, when you open your garage door in an unheated yet insulated garage, you recycle the air in a matter of seconds then trap the new cold air until you open the door again. And no, things like a refrigerator, freezer, or lights will not heat the garage to make the insulation worthwhile.

Some have argued that the wall(s) which separate the main house from the garage will allow some heat to pass and thus warm the garage, but that shouldn’t be the case! The walls which separate the garage from your main house should be insulated to prevent as much heat as possible from conducting into the garage from the house. If those walls are not insulated or not insulated enough such that your garage is warm without a heater, then that is something I would fix immediately so as to retain as much heat as you can in the living space of your house where your heater is working hard to keep it warm. In that case, adding more insulation may be necessary.

R13 Insulation

Now, if you do want a warm garage, then I would add a heater and insulate the ceiling, walls, and garage door. Depending on the size of your garage, insulating the walls with batts of R-13 will typically run you about $100. If the ceiling has 24″ center joists, that will cost about $200. The garage door will cost about $100 if you use the pink Styrofoam stuff from Home Depot, but that will only insulate your door to about R-6. If you spend a lot of time in the garage, buying an insulated garage door might be better, but it will cost you about $1500.

But before you do anything, the best way to make your garage a little more comfortable is to stop any cold air infiltrating into your garage from the outside. Put new weather-stripping down where the garage door makes contact with the ground. If you have a door entrance from outside into the garage, make sure the seal is intact and no air is coming in around the frame. These are good first steps that will only cost you about $40 and can make quite a difference. Even a slight draft can make your garage feel much colder than it really is when it’s 10°F outside.

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by Sanford on May 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by Sanford on May 7, 2012

https://sanforddoors.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/should-i-insulate-my-garage/