Tips for Choosing Your Commercial Garage Door

Garage Doors , Tips and Troubleshooting   Brett Rowley  | 24 December 2018

What to consider before choosing your commercial garage door

When it comes to protecting your business, it’s important that you choose a commercial garage door that serves its full purpose. 

Industrial garage doors come in a wide variety of styles including industrial roller doors and roller shutters, with each style completely customisable to meet your business requirements. 

Unlike residential garage doors, commercial doors are needed for much larger spaces, are used more frequently and must be accessible by larger vehicles and groups of people. 

This is why commercial garage doors must have certain qualities to be able to successfully fulfil its purpose. Your garage door might also impact your business insurance premium.

To ensure you choose the most suitable garage door for your business, we’ve summarised a few characteristics that are necessary for industrial garage doors.

 

The type of commercial door you want

Roller doors & industrial shutters

Industrial roller doors can be found typically on homes, storage facilities, restaurants, retail outlets or any commercial building that does not have enough space for a sectional garage door. Unlike the sectional door, roller doors require a lot less space to be stored when they are open and make it an excellent choice for any small business that does not have the required storage space.

warehouse garage door - gryphon

PROS

  • Roller doors are versatile and can be operated manually or automatically.
  • Are extremely durable and are built to last, with neoprene weather seals preventing moisture from entering your garage or business.
  • Requires minimal maintenance and repairs.
  • Can be installed to meet fire escape requirements.

CONS

  • Can be expensive depending on style, insulation options and installation fees.
  • Is prone to dents if it is aluminium.
  • Insulated doors are heavier than non-insulated.

 

Sectional garage doors

Sectional garage doors are made up of 3 to 8 panels – depending on size of entrance, and are lifted using a track system that can be operated manually or automatically through a motor. They are commonly used in warehouses, car washes, car yards, high traffic buildings and even homes. Commercial grade sectional doors can be produced from many different materials including, steel, aluminium, copper, glass and vinyl.

profile-fineline-colour-surfmist

PROS

  • Extremely energy efficient.
  • Very durable and made to endure the harshest of elements, reduces all wind noise and allows for insulation to be applied.
  • Depending on style choice – can also provide excellent natural lighting and reduce the amount of artificial light required.
  • Sectional doors are quite versatile and allow users to operate the door manually and automatically. Can also be used with cars or objects very close to the door.
  • Sectional commercial garage door repair can be done in segments, and is usually easier to fix than a roller door.

 CONS

  • Requires significant overhead or back space to allow for the door to rest when the garage is open.
  • Regular maintenance is required to ensure rubber seals and lubrication on the tracks is intact.
  • Can be quite costly to repair if there is an operational fault within the whole system.

 

Custom made doors

Choosing the perfect garage door for your business can get quite overwhelming, especially when there are so many different styles and designs, as well as catering for the functionality of your operation.

Aluminum Bar Grille Panel - Garage Door - Commercial Door - Gryphon

This is where custom made doors are a great alternative where you can choose exactly what you want it to look like and exactly how you want it to operate. If you are still undecided and nothing in the market appeals to you and your business, contact the professionals at Gryphon Garage Doors where they provide a wide range of customisable options and excellent customer service.

We have plenty of options for you to choose from. Get in touch with us and we’ll organise a free on-site visit so we can discuss your needs and options to quote you accordingly.

 

Door features and add-ons

Functionality

The type of garage door you choose will be based on the nature of your business. If you have an industrial warehouse setup, then you will need to opt for a more heavy-duty roller door. Particularly, if there is going to be large amounts of traffic coming in and out of the loading bay, as well as large groups of people. 

Industrial roller doors have been designed to be able to undergo up to 20,000 cycles in one lifetime. They are versatile and can be operated manually or automatically, are extremely durable and have been built to last. 

Customisable options include neoprene weather seals (which prevents moisture from entering the premises), insulation, and automatic motors.

Size

The size of the space will dictate the size of your commercial garage door and commercial garage door motor as well as the style. Certain types of garage doors cannot be customised to fit very large entrances. In this instance, sectional garage doors and roller doors are recommended. However, if it’s only a small entrance with a little backroom, then an industrial roller door will be your best option.

Another situation where a commercial roller door would be used is a fire door, which can be found in schools, hospitals and hotels. They come in a wide variety of sizes and have been designed to protect the premises from fire and smoke damage.

Motor type

Motor type will determine whether or not your commercial garage door is manually operated or automatic. The need for a motorised garage door will depend on how often the door needs to be opened and closed. For industrial doors that must be opened several times a day, a heavy-duty motor will be required, which is not only quicker but capable of dealing with the frequency.

The larger the door, the heavier it is, the bigger the motor required. That being said, there are low powered motors for lighter doors which aren’t opened and closed so frequently. With a large heavy duty door, you’ll also want to make sure that you have reliable industrial & commercial garage door openers.

Security

One fundamental characteristic that is required with any commercial garage door installation is security. All entrances of a business, large or small, can be used as entry points by thieves, that’s why it’s important to maintain adequate security of the commercial property at all times. 

The industrial garage door you choose must be highly durable, made of strong materials that cannot be easily damaged or tampered with, and contain a locking system that cannot be hacked or picked. 

This is where industrial roller shutters are the perfect solution for large commercial warehouses or factories, that need tough security with easy functionality.

Insulation & weather seals

Insulated commercial garage doors are the perfect choice for those who want thermal efficient security. As the largest opening in your business, it can also be an area of extreme heat gain and energy loss.

Insulation and weather seals can help regulate temperatures inside warehouses and factories, as well as protect your property from extreme winds and rain.

Visual appearance

Last but not least, the commercial garage door of your choosing still needs to look good and match the building it is installed to. Just because it’s an industrial garage door in an industrial area doesn’t mean appearance is irrelevant. The look and feel of your garage door can contribute to the overall brand image of your business, so yes, that old, dented and rusty roller door needs to go. 

Aluminium and Colorbond steel doors can be powder-coated to come in many different colours to match any existing themes and styles of a building.

 

Where to get your commercial garage door serviced, repaired and installed 

Gryphon Garage Doors is one of the best garage door companies for sectional and roller door repair in Perth, and have been helping Australians protect their homes and commercial spaces in stylish ways for over 25 years. Why is this important? Well it means we’ve come across countless different jobs, and have had to overcome each one. So no matter your situation, you gotta get a Gryphon. We have:

  • Finger proof safety 
  • Quietest motors on the market 
  • Trained professionals 
  • Customised products
  • Warranty up to 7 years!
  • After sales service

Your garage broke down and you need it to open ASAP? Not a problem, give us a call and we will try our best to get to you today and open your space. We look forward to hearing from you.

Brett Rowley

Brett is a garage door expert who also runs Gryphon Garage Doors. He strives for great customer service, excellent product knowledge and constant innovation.