If you are thinking about investing in a new garage door, but you want something different from the conventional up-and-over or side hinged options, a sliding, roller or sectional door may be the answer.
The main door opening mechanism available to the home market are:
Side hinged
Up and over
Sliding
Sectional and
Roller
This article will look at the sliding door which sees the door itself slide away from the garage entrance to a resting point to the side of the door’s opening.
How it works
A sliding door is composed of several vertical sections (panels), all of which are hinged to enable it to turn around corners.
The door is supported at the top and bottom on runners that are guided by a track that leads away from the door’s opening to a convenient storage point. This storage position may be directly adjacent to the opening, or it may be some distance away on an opposing wall. There is no limit to the length of track that can be used.
The advantages of a sliding door
1. Unlike an up-and-over door, a sliding door does not take up roof space that could otherwise be used for storage. Neither does it have an “opening zone” within the garage that needs to be kept clear.
2. The sliding operation also means that no “opening space” is required in front of the door. This means that the door can still be opened if a vehicle or other obstacle is parked within inches of it.
3. Garage doors that slide on tracks are very easy to operate because the weight of the door is always on the track. This means that they require a minimum of effort to open and to close. This makes them ideal for people of all ages and genders. They can also be secured internally or externally.
4. This form of door is very easy to automate with a motor and a remote control and most people who own one select this option. The fact that the door does not lift means that only low powered motors are required and the wear on these motors is minimal.
5. Unlike every other kind of door, there is no limit or restriction on the width of the garage’s opening. A single sliding door will work in all situations without the need to split the door into two or more sections. There is also no weight/loading issue as can be the case with sectional and roller doors that are supported above the door’s opening.
6. Most roller doors are available with an insulation layer and they can have finishes that mimic natural wood or panelled ironmongery.
7. Sliding doors to garages, storage buildings and outbuildings are very popular in the commercial sector. Indeed they are probably the most widely used system and this is because of their reliability, ease of use, speed of use and toughness.
8. It is possible to include a separate side hinged human access door into a sliding door. This makes ingress and exit easy, even when the main door is locked and secured.
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