Choosing The Right Garage Door

A garage is home to your personal automobiles and usually a large selection of sporting goods and tools. Therefore in order to keep these possessions safe the right choice of garage door is vital.

A garage door is one of the most important components of your garage. It not only provides security but also can be a design statement for the rest of your property.

Before you build a garage or decide to give your existing one a facelift, it is essential for you to determine the style, shape and size of your garage doors. This will give you a fair idea on how much drive through width you require and also so you don't end up compromising on a stilted garage entry.

There are basically 5 types of garage doors. All manufacturers follow these 5 basic types in garage door manufacturing. The types are: retractable doors, canopy door, sectional door and side hinge door. These entire doors are different and unique in their performance and services.

Retractable Doors: This type of garage door, that when opened, a large portion of the door swings outwards. After that it retracts back into the ceiling of your garage. The pivot points of the doors are located at the top the door and this makes you unable to park your vehicle close to the door so you should ensure enough room is available on your driveway. The installation of these doors is easy. These types of doors are the easiest ones to be automated with a suitable electric opener.

These doors provide good security to your vehicles as they are fitted with four latches. These retractable doors are available in timber, GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic), steel and ABS. One point to note though is that this door provides you with a reduced drive through width, due to side spring assemblies.

Canopy Doors: When a canopy door opens it swings outwards and then slides upwards into the garage ceiling. It leaves one third of the door outside the garage. The security of the door is enhanced as the pivot points are located down the door. These doors are easy to install as no tracks are required inside the garage and the entire door mounts to the door frame. Canopy Doors are available in timber, steel ABS and GRP. This garage door provides a good drive through width.

Sectional Doors: Sectional doors are made up of numerous separate panels, which are hinged horizontally. They fit to the rear surface of your garage brickwork. The door rises upwards vertically and then backwards into the space of ceiling. Sectional Doors provide better security and protection against weather. The doors are provided with insulation. These are typically manufactured in steel. These doors can be assembled in 4 hours as they come in the form of a kit.

Roller Doors: Roller Doors roll up into the garage ceiling as a single curtain. They are fitted to the garage's rear surface of the front brick work. The roller doors as the name suggest rolls vertically upwards. These doors provide good security and protection levels. These doors are primarily manufactured in aluminum and steel. The installation of these doors is quite easy.

Side Hinge Doors: Side Hinge Doors are manufactured in steel, timber and GRP. These doors open outwards and look very traditional. These doors need appropriate clearance while being opened. The security of these doors is good if bolts are used at the top and bottom of the door.

Garage doors are an essential part of your garage. So while buying a garage door you should check for the quality, security and durability of the door.

About The Author
Joshu Crossman writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on Garage Doors please visit http://www.garage-ideas.com/ and for additional Garage related articles please visit the following article page http://www.garage-ideas.com/garage-articles/.

Garage Door Opener Safety

Automatic garage door openers are such a convenience that they're practically standard in most garages today. Once upon a time, you could get rain soaked while you got out of your car to open the garage door to park. This modern day convenience has eliminated this scene from our landscape.

But along with the convenience, there are some issues to be aware of concerning your safety and security. If your home includes elderly folks or young children, some older garage doors can pose a risk. If your home is child free, you still need to concern yourself with any neighbor kids that you could be held liable for if an accident were to occur.

Newer overhead roll up garage doors feature pinch resistant or anti pinch panels. Without this feature small fingers could get injured if stuck in the gap between panels while the door is closing.

Garage doors and openers for the home are required to be compliant with Underwriters Laboratories spec 325, and have been since 1993. The UL325 spells out guidelines for a few other mechanisms like gates with automatic self closing equipment - but those are not required to meet UL325 like garage door openers are.

If you are thinking of selling your house, and you have an older garage door or opener, it might not meet UL325 specifications, and it will show up on the home inspection. Given the minimal cost of door openers, it might be a good idea to replace an older garage door opener before making contact with an agent. That will be one less obstacle to closing your home sale when the time comes.

Some of the main UL325 specifications are obvious and should be a good indicator of an garage door openers adherence to the spec. An electronic eye at the base of the door automatically cause the opener to reverses during the close cycle if object or person breaks the beam. A fragile person could be hit on the head by a closing door without this feature.

In some circumstances, an object can obstruct a door from closing even without interrupting the electronic beam. UL325 compliant door openers will automatically reverse if they sense excessive load on the closing mechanism, indicating an obstacle. This prevents the door from crushing down on an obstacle until something breaks.

To conclude, safety and security of a garage door are important considerations, not to mention possible realestate transaction liability. It might be more convenient to replace older doors and openers ahead of time. It's not expensive, and it keeps family and others safe.

About The Author
Scott Hares writes for http://steel-garage-door.com A free informational resource for anyone considering a new roll up overhead garage door.

Build Your Own Garage Workbench

A garage workbench is an essential piece of equipment in any home workshop. A workbench will allow you to complete projects easily and with greater accuracy. A variety of pre made workbenches are available to fit your needs. If you prefer, you can make your own workbench, either with a kit or from a plan.

Choosing a garage workbench

Workbenches are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Benches are great for woodworking, crafts and other household projects. You can purchase a bench at most home improvement stores. Another option is to build your own bench. You can find plans in books and on the internet with instructions to create the perfect bench to suit your needs.

A table style workbench is made of heavy duty materials to stand up to regular use. Most models have a hardwood top with metal legs. Table tops can also be made of steel. These resemble a typical table shape with nothing underneath.

Cabinet style benches have drawers or cabinets in the space under the table top. This is great for utilizing otherwise wasted space. This method allows for additional storage space. Some have a pegboard backing that is perfect for hanging hand tools. You won’t need to dig through drawers or a tool box to find what you need.

A power strip bench is a good choice if you use power tools often. These come with up to nine outlets in a strip with a heavy duty power cord. They also have current protection to prevent overload. These can be either six or eight foot benches. Some have a tool caddy to hold smaller tools.

Build Your Own Workbench

Consider building your own bench to get exactly what you want. Kits are available with everything you need to create your bench. Instructions and materials are included with the kit. With this method, you will be limited to the kit’s design. The benefit is that all pieces are pre cut. You won’t need to worry about uneven cuts.

You can build your own bench and purchase all the materials. This method is a bit more complicated, but you have more control about the final outcome. Free workbench plans are available on the internet with detailed instructions for you to follow. Cut the plywood according to the directions and be sure to make your cuts straight.

For best results, choose good quality wood, oak or a hardwood plywood is an excellent choice. Use several coats of polyurethane to protect the top of the bench. Be sure to sand between each coat. A good urethane coating makes messes easier to clean up when working on projects later.

Organizing and Making Room in your Garage

You will need to organize your garage and create storage space to make room for workbenches. Determine what you need to store. Start with a good clean out and get rid of things you don’t need. Throw away old paint and other junk. Give away or donate old items, tools or other things that are too good to throw away, but that you don’t need any more.

The walls of your garage offer great opportunities for storage space. Cabinets are great for organizing clutter. High cabinets are good for storing chemicals and paints. Sharp items can be put up high to keep them away from children. Consider locks if you have young children. Locker cabinets are perfect for larger items. Drawers are good for organizing tools, fishing equipment and other small items.

About The Author
Jack Blacksmith writes articles for http://www.inside-woodworking.com. He is trying to help people on his informative website on topics around http://www.inside-woodworking.com/workbenches-clamps/garage-workbench.html and workshop organisation.

Organize The Garage – A Little Creativity Can Save You Money

The garage and/or workshop can be one of the most cluttered areas of the home. Many products are available to help sort and organize the different items in the garage, but all you really need are some basic items that can be found around the house or purchased at a local discount store and your own creativity. Here are ten quick tips to get your garage organized without spending a fortune.

1. Use a large garbage can to store bulky sports equipment such as balls, baseball bats, and hockey sticks.

2. Small plastic food containers can be used to hold small pieces of your current project. If you don’t complete the project immediately, just label the cover with masking tape and permanent marker. All the pieces will stay together and the container will be easy to identify.

3. Install large hooks for items such as hoses, extension cords and folding chairs. Coat hooks work great for this.

4. Plastic office organizers work great in the garage. They can be used for sand paper, tools, and other small items.

5. Printer paper boxes are sturdy and stack well. Check with local offices, they may just give some to you.

6. If your garage is unfinished, use the space between the studs for shelves. Just cut a 2x4 to size and nail in place. This works great for small containers and spray paint cans.

7. Baby food jars work great for very small item such as nails and screws. Just screw the lid to the bottom of a shelf, fill the jar, and twist into the lid.

8. Use canisters or jars on the workbench to hold frequently used tools.

9. Staple twine or heavy string to a board at about one-inch intervals leaving a little slack between staples. The loops created by the slack work great for storing screwdrivers. Secure the board to a convenient location.

10. Label Everything! You don’t need fancy labels, masking tape and a permanent marker work just fine.

An excellent place to look for garage organizing ideas is in the kitchen. Items such as silverware trays, dish strainers, spice racks, plus a whole lot more have many potential uses in the garage.

About The Author
Jamie Anderson of Creative Organizing Tips wants you to get organized and stay organized. Sign up at Creative Organizing Tips to receive you weekly assignment that will guide you to organizing success - one step at a time.
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