When some homeowners decide to buy an overhead garage door, they simply buy the one that catches their fancy without factoring in the strengths and weaknesses of that door. This article discusses four kinds of garage doors and points out their advantages, as well as their drawbacks, so that you can pick what will best serve your needs.

Retractable Overhead Garage Doors

This is a one-piece solid door that swings up, and out as you open it. It comes to rest inside the garage. This kind of door is good if you want to add a new door to an old-style house because of its antique look. The drawbacks of this kind of garage door include requiring a lot of space as they open. They are also very easy to break into; all an intruder has to do is to pull up one corner of the door and they will have access to the house.

Canopy Overhead Garage Doors

These are designed in the same way as the retractable ones but the difference is that canopy doors don't require as much space as retractable doors while opening. This difference comes about because the canopy door doesn't fully open into the garage; instead, part of it remains outside the garage. These doors provide better security than retractable garage doors because if someone tries to force them open, it will be very difficult to gain access since part of the door has to be inside the garage while the other part remains outside.

Sectional Overhead Garage Doors

These are built from many hinged sections that rise and come down along rails. They provide the greatest level of security due to the strength of the sections they are made from. They require very little space and they provide varying extents of insulation (depending on their thickness) for the garage. Since they are very popular, a buyer is assured of having many designs to pick from as a result of several manufacturers making them.

Roller Overhead Garage Doors

These are made from a series of slats that operate in the same way as blinds in your windows do. When you open a garage door of this kind, the slats wind up as the roller is retracted. The drawback of this kind of door is that additional design features like windows or panels can't be integrated into them since their slats are very narrow.

As you can see, each overhead garage door type comes with its own benefits and shortcomings. Before you buy your next garage door, carefully consider the attributes of the four types presented above and then see how they fit into the purpose for which you are buying that overhead garage door. You will then choose the best one for your needs. For more information talk to an overhead door supplier, like Mike's Garage Doors.