September 28, 2018

Your guide to adding personality to the garage door

Give your garage door some added personality

Thinking about changing the way your garage door looks? It’s appearance is something that you should think about with great care. After all, it’s one of the largest architectural elements of your home. It can add (or detract) from your home’s appearance by a lot. It’s certainly something that the neighbors will see, but it also plays a huge role in curb appeal, and your garage door may make the difference between a potential buyer making and offer and looking elsewhere.

The garage door on your home may make up between 25 and 40% of the exterior façade. As such, you certainly want to make sure that it blends perfectly with the rest of your home’s aesthetic.

If you’re considering a home makeover, or just looking to get it in shape to put it on the market, the best place to start is by liking your garage door. Not sure how to do that? It’s all about reimagining what’s possible. We’ll run through some important tips to help make sure you love your garage door.

Cleanliness matters

Your home gets dirty, and rain can only do so much to wash away pollen, mildew and dust. Your garage door will also collect dirt and debris, so the place to start is by keeping it clean and well cared for. You’ll want to wash that garage door between two and four times per year. It’s simple to do, too. A little bit of the same soap solution that you use for your car, a good brush (with a handle extender if necessary), and a water hose is really all you need. Wet, wash, rinse, and you’re done. However, if you find that you have tough stains and other issues, you can learn more here.

Paint It

Another quick tip to help you fall in love with your garage door once more is to give it a new coat of paint. This is particularly important if you’re painting your home, or having new siding installed. Not sure how to paint that garage door? Follow these instructions for painting a sectional metal door that’s already got a good base coat.

We’ve got a few more tips for you, too:

  • Most major paint companies offer a design center where you can test paint samples to find out what you like most. Three design centers worth your time are:
  • Your tastes might not be quite the same, but the following advice may offer some value:
    • For double garage doors, you’ll want to stick with lighter colors – dark colors detract from the visibility of the home itself, and make passersby focus on the garage only.
    • If you have a single garage door, no wider than nine feet, you can go with just about any color you want, but you should shy away from very bright colors.
    • You should consider tying the color of your garage door to the color of your home’s front door, depending on the style and design of the home. You can also do the same with other decorative elements to create a seamless whole.

Adding decorative windows

Adding decorative windows to your garage door can dramatically change its appearance. They also offer two types of benefits – aesthetic benefits for the appearance of your home, and practical benefits in the form of additional light for the garage’s interior.

With that being said, if your garage does not already have windows, and you intend to install some, it will definitely affect your opening system. The springs are designed to handle a specific amount of weight. Glass can actually be very heavy, so you’re adding a great deal of additional weight to the door, which can cause damage to the springs, or even to the electric garage door opener in some cases. Read this to learn more about the challenges you’ll face.

Adding exterior embellishments

While windows and paint can help change the look of your garage door, you can also add decorative features to the outside. For example, a pergola top adds beauty and style to the garage door and the exterior of your home, and can be tied into with a pergola in your yard.

Another option would be to add exterior accent lighting to the garage door. You’ll find a wide range of exterior lights that add both illumination and beauty – choose from just about any style you want, including carriage house, Art Deco, rustic, and more. Not sure what your options are? Take a quick spin through Pinterest to see what other people have pinned as inspiration for their own homes.

Holidays and special occasions

You’ll find any number of reasons to decorate the outside of your garage door. You’ll want to hang Christmas lights, and put up Halloween decorations. You’ll decorate for Independence Day, and more. Tie those in with the decorations on your front porch and front door.

Safety and performance

Finally, make sure that your garage door is up to snuff. It requires annual maintenance to stay in good working condition – inspect the hardware that holds it all together, and make sure that the opening system is in good shape, too.

Need help?

If you find that your garage door isn’t in the best health, or you just cannot live with the aging door any longer, we can help. Contact us at 508-966-0242. We’d be happy to discuss your needs in terms of garage doors and garage door openers, and we will be happy to offer you a free quote, as well.

If you’d prefer, you can visit us in person, or you can take a trip through our digital Design Centre. Peruse our image gallery to explore more options.

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