Sectionals, Rolling Doors, and High-Speed Roll-Ups—Which door is right for you?

Is it about time you changed out your commercial garage door? Maybe you've never bought one before, and you are looking for information. No matter what your needs, there are a few things to know before you make a purchase.

Ask any homeowner to describe a garage door, and they'll explain something with hinged panels that lifts to the ceiling. While this a common type of garage door, it barely scratches the surface.

Sectional doors might be the standard for residential addresses, but commercial, agricultural, and industrial properties typically have broader needs. These doors can be made of steel, but you can also find options reinforced with rubber and fabric materials.

Overhead sectional doors

Like any sectional garage door you would find on a residential home, these doors are made of several sections or panels that are assembled on top of each other. Unlike the residential variety, though, commercial sectional doors tend to be much larger.

So what's the difference? Mainly, it comes down to how these doors open. Different movements mean different hardware.

Commercial buildings are generally built with high ceilings, meaning that commercial sectional doors must be larger than residential sectional doors. These doors move up and along the wall and then move inwards as they reach the ceiling to achieve the maximum possible headroom.

Based on the interior height of your building, you'll have the choice of several different movements. Here are the three most common:

• Standard: This is the same type of movement typically used in residential homes
• High lift: The door turns inward near the ceiling as it rises along the wall
• Full vertical lift: These doors are commonly used for loading bays

Nearly all commercial sectional doors are made of galvanized steel, and many also receive a polyurethane injection to boost their overall durability and insulation.

Not all doors are insulated, though. Non-insulated doors are commonly used in buildings that don't need heating or cooling, such as a storehouse for agricultural machinery.

Rolling steel doors

Unsurprisingly, rolling steel doors roll up. Rather than traveling up and backward along horizontal tracks, this style of door rolls up above the door jamb.

Because these doors have to roll tightly, the sections that make up rolling steel doors are much smaller than a sectional door panel. Commonly called slats, these sections rarely measure more than 3 inches high.

Rolling steel doors have a lot of uses. The most common reason to install a rolling steel door is to separate two sections of a building. This could be to keep dust or debris from floating across into another area.

Another reason to install rolling steel doors is to meet insurance requirements. Manufacturers design these doors to withstand anywhere from 30 to 240 minutes of fire exposure, meaning that they can prevent fires from spreading into other areas of a commercial property.

Foodservice counters sometimes use rolling steel doors to close their shops, and you've probably also seen this type of door in a shopping center as a metal grille.

The one thing they all have in common? They roll up!

High-speed roll-up doors

Though not as easy to find in the real world, this type of door is common to a few particular industries—food distribution, mining, and rail.

Food has to be kept cold in the food distribution industry, or else it will go off. If the doors to a refrigerated area are left open, the temperature will quickly rise. Therefore, distribution centers use high-speed roll-up doors to open and close the refrigerated areas quickly.

And by quick, we mean quick! Some models can open a full 96 inches in a matter of a second. Albeit, closing is a bit slower (48 inches a second), but only for the sake of safety.

These doors are tough. Some models are made of durable rubber that helps absorb impacts, while others are made of reinforced vinyl. You can find both models in the rail, mining, and food distribution industries.

Ready to find out more about one or more of these doors?

If you're in the area of St. Catherines, ON, contact us now at 1-800-263-4972.

The experts here at Garaga can help you with all your commercial and industrial garage door needs. Our years of experience and knowledge have prepared us to help you find the best model for your commercial property.

If you're ready, we can conveniently send over a no-obligation quotation by email.

Want to see what you're buying, first?

Go through our Commercial Door Pictures Gallery and take a look at what we have to offer.