Garage doors are the largest entry into your home. With such a prominent position on your home’s exterior, it’s understandable why some would prefer to invest in a high-quality variant that keeps their property safe and beautiful.
No one wants to find themselves wishing they had made a different door choice when driving home from a long day of work. After all, the look of your home is up to you, and you should enjoy every aspect of your property’s aesthetic. To help in your decision-making process for your new garage door, read on to learn five reasons wood garage doors are better than aluminum.
Wood Is More Welcoming
The natural use of wood on such a sizable portion of your home’s exterior helps you engross yourself in the faraway feeling of a cabin in the woods. Though you may not be able to encapsulate that feeling in the city or suburbs entirely, wood is a much better choice than aluminum when creating a calming, natural exterior. Aluminum garage doors are often better for more modern designs. Wooden garage doors offer a more homely appeal for those aiming to design their house with a ranch or cottage-themed aesthetic.
Wooden garage doors also appeal to those seeking a more personalized form of elegance and beauty. The wood of your garage door often comes with a story to tell. Whether you know exactly which forest it came from or followed along in the process of its design, every custom door becomes a conversation piece.
As much as an aluminum door attempts to mimic it, there is never anything quite like the genuine article. In that sense, wooden garage doors always have them beat.
Wooden Doors Don’t Dent
The main concern regarding damage to an aluminum garage door is that they dent when bumped into. These dents create an awkward situation where the stability of the structure may not be in danger, but the look of the garage gives visitors a negative impression of your home.
Wooden garage doors do not dent, and if they are damaged, it’s easy to recognize the need for replacement. Both benefit from the ability to replace specific panels. With that in mind, wooden doors allow you to patch problem areas with fillers or seal damage with paints. This feature makes for easy repairs with certain levels of wear and enables owners to maintain the door’s look.
Aluminum doors are also not suitable for regions with harsh weather. Heavy winds invite an increased chance of dings or dents due to how thin the material is. Strong enough winds constantly push against the door and cause other debris to knock against it. If you live near the ocean, aluminum garage doors are also susceptible to corrosion from saltwater. Overall, wood comes out on top when it comes to regions with harsh weather and locational requirements.
You Can Achieve a More Custom Fit
One of the most significant advantages that a wooden garage door has over an aluminum one is how much you can customize your door. When looking for wooden garage doors for sale, you have the benefit of numerous choices to help you discover an option that fits the style you imagine for your home.
Though wooden garage doors are an excellent fit for homes with a ranch or cottage-style design, that does not mean they are exclusively suited to these themes. There is a wide array of choices, from modern minimalistic designs to detailed patterns custom-made by experts. To add to that layer of customizability, owners can also choose from several hardwood or softwood species. The grain pattern and geographical location of the wood both play a part in your options when it comes to deciding which one is best for your home.
Wood Insulates Better
If you worry about the costs of energy efficiency in your home, then wood is a naturally apt material to help with your utility bills. This cost-saving ability is due to the makeup of its fibers, which allow for an exceedingly small, compact amount of airspace within the material.
For garage doors, this feature takes some of the stress off your air conditioning systems and saves you money. Aluminum is not as effective and requires the additional installation of separate insulation materials for it to contain the AC. Even with added insulation, aluminum is almost always playing catchup when it comes to its insulating performance for your home.
However, you can still add extra insulation to wooden garage doors to achieve an even higher degree of efficacy in regions where air conditioning or heating runs constantly.
Wood Is More Eco-Friendly
Proper wood producers are often proud to tell you that their wood is ethically sourced, no matter what species you decide on. This pride comes from manufacturers doing their utmost to ensure that the wood they replace the wood they use in their products with new trees. The replanting process results in more wood production for the future, replacing the harvested wood and even adding more than they removed.
Meanwhile, the process of creating a mass-produced aluminum door creates excess pollutants. When using wood that is local to your environment, you can cut down on the gasses necessary to transport and lift the materials to your home. Afterward, long into the future, once your door has hit the end of its use, recycling the wood for other uses remains an option. Alternatively, aluminum involves the added step of melting it down during recycling someday.
When deciding on the material you wish to use as your garage door, wood is a clear winner in terms of quality and customizability. There may be materials that attempt to mimic it, but nothing captures what the real thing delivers. If you’re looking for a more comfortable option for your home that does not dent in a bit of windy weather, wood is worth considering. With these five reasons wood garage doors are better than aluminum in mind, you can choose a garage door that leaves you satisfied every time you head up your home’s driveway.
