"Should Panel Garage Doors
Be Used On Your Project?"

Panel garage doors can bring a facade to life with the shadow and light play of their varying surface elevations. They add a special dimension to the front elevation of any home. They are appropriate for the traditional style of home design and in some contemporary settings. They come in nearly unlimited configurations and can have windows in the top panels when appropriate for the overall design theme. They are available in wood or steel that is insulated and can have a smooth surface quality or a wood grain texture. They have a distinct appearance separate from flush garage doors and can add a great deal of value to your home.

Panel Garage doors Photo

The photo at the left shows panel doors manufactured by Overhead Door from their Smooth Select 101 Series. This series is non-insulated, but you can get the same doors in the Elite Series with insulation bearing an R-value of 7.3. These garage doors are very green-conscious as they are manufactured from 88% recycled Douglas-fir.

These garage doors feel, look and sound like solid wood. The recycled Douglas-fir is fused with exterior grade waxes, resins and sealers and mixed into dry compounds that allow the finished product to resist moisture, splitting, cracking, checking, warping, denting, panel shrinkage/bending, and all of the other problems that panel garage doors manufactured from solid woods can suffer.


They are SCS Certified to contain a minimum of 88% recycled content according to their manufacturer.There is no need to apply exterior primer paint to the surface prior to applying your color coats as the surface is prepped and ready to accept finish paint right from the factory. These garage doors feature an aluminum bottom seal retainer containing a replaceable long life weather seal. This product comes with a 5-year limited warranty.

Panel Garage Doors Photo-2

The photo at the right illustrates panel garage doors in a contemporary setting also manufactured by Overhead Door.

These garage doors are premium insulated steel that will aid in keeping your garage comfortable in cold and hot climate zones. They are packed with polyurethane insulation with an R-value of 17.5. They feature hot-dipped galvanized surfaces with two coats of baked on polyester paint.

Steel Door Cross Section

The joints between the panels are constructed with in-between section seals that minimize air, light and moisture infiltration during heavy-wind and rain storms. The cross-section at the left illustrates a cut-away of the door construction and the bottom seal. This product comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

Both of the overhead garage door series featured above come in a variety of widths and heights for residential purposes. You should consult your local Overhead Door® dealer near you for exact sizes, styles and pricing. If you have low-ceilings in your garage, they have special track systems that will accommodate your situation.

Garage door prices for products featured in this article are: $$$$$

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❖ Testimonials ❖

We have been following your blog and we have found a lot of useful information in it.

Cecil Sibanda
Product Coordinator
Dorman Products, Inc.
Colmar, PA

I was pleased that I was able to easily find the proper tall storage cabinet for my garage. I needed lockable storage to keep my toddler away from sharp tools and solvents that my husband stores. Garagetips-101 solved my problem!

Renee M.

I love the detail in your garage building pages. They helped me understand how to engineer a foundation for a garage we are planning that our building department will approve. I had the inspector go to your pages and review what I was talking about. Now, I am studying the wall framing sections, as we plan to build it ourselves this fall. Thank you so much for the great information.

R.G.,
Des Moines, IA

Great stuff on wall framing. I never really understood the on-and-off spacing concepts for the wall studs until I read your explanations.

Will,
Grand Island, NE

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Little Known Facts

Did you know that the overhead garage door that we are all familiar with today was invented in 1921. It is a fact! A fine gentleman from Lewisville, Texas named C.G. Johnson invented the upward acting door system and in 1926 he invented the electric garage door opener.

The overhead door was a huge improvement over the hinged carriage door of the day, that was heavy and always in the way - open or shut.

Mr. Johnson's concept was a huge success. He aptly named his company, Overhead Door Corporation. Mr. Johnson is still with us today in spirit, as his business has grown to include over 450 authorized dealers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.