Reasons for the Need to Buy a Garage Sliding Door

Space

• One reason that a homeowner might need to buy a sliding garage door is a lack of space in the areas where another type of door may swing or store. Barn doors open outwards into space that landscaping and plantings along the driveway may occupy. Overhead doors require a large amount of space just below the garage ceiling for mounting brackets and to hold the door when it's open. This may be impossible in a lofted garage or a shorter structure with limited ceiling space. Rolling doors make use of the space along one side of the garage, curving along a track on the floor.

Structure

• A garage's ceiling structure may limit what types of door it can support. Overhead doors require a ceiling that can hold the full weight of the door, as well as the weight of metal brackets and, in the case of an automatic door, an electric motor. Garages without sufficiently strong ceiling joists can be a dangerous place to secure a heavy load. Horizontal rolling doors support their own weight, which makes them suitable for garages that lack the structural integrity to support an overhead door, such as older or smaller structures.

Large Garage Openings

• Garages with very wide doors may need rolling doors. Overhead doors come in standard sizes, and large garages that use them may need two or more openings to accommodate multiple cars. A large garage with a single opening can use a rolling door to provide full access to the garage when the door is open. Rolling doors can also open only part of the way, leaving just enough space for a person or a single vehicle to enter without directly exposing the entire garage interior to the outdoors.

Physical Limitations

• In the case of manual garage doors, opening an overhead door or barn doors may be beyond the physical abilities of an elderly or very young person, or someone with an injury or physical disability. Manual rolling doors are easy to open since the user doesn't have to actually lift the weight of the door.