Buying a new Garage Door can be a tricky process. There are so many options on the market, and you need to figure out how to compare garage door manufacturers to each other.
You’ll need to consider different materials, styles, and overall appearance before making a purchase decision.
So, in this article, we take a look at the world’s leading garage door manufacturers. We’ll delve into their history, products, and services, so stick around.
Amarr
The story of this garage door brand begins in 1951 when three brothers—Abe, Morris, and Herb Brenner—launched a business in North Carolina.
They understood the need for quality building and construction. The company offered a few services, focusing on garage door installation.
Today, Amarr has three manufacturing facilities across the USA. Together, they produce and ship out over half a million doors each year.
After production, the doors go off to over 4,000 independent professional dealers. Some of these include Costco, Window World, and Amazon.
One of the most unusual designs Amarr offers is the Classica Collection. This innovative garage door layers wooden elements on top of a durable steel frame, giving it a high-end look at a more affordable cost.
Another great collection is Amarr Horizons, which is made from glass instead of relying on traditional materials. This gives your home a modern look while allowing additional light to come in.
Still, Amarr offers a design section if you prefer a more personalized door. There you can customize the garage entrance as you see fit.
ArmRLite
In 1948, Jack Dourney kicked off his garage door brand in New Jersey. The company started out with an emphasis on quality and ingenuity.
By 1959, Dourney had his first breakthrough: a welded aluminum and glass garage door.
Not only did the door look great, but it was also lighter than the steel garage doors his contemporaries were manufacturing. This made opening and closing the door much easier and reduced production costs.
In addition, because of the materials, the doors were incredibly low-maintenance.
Today, the company services all 50 states using independent dealers and provide doors for clients like Starbucks Coffee, Barnes & Noble, and BMW.
ArmRLite makes garage doors to order, so customers can choose the door’s overall look and any features they may want to add.
You can pick different colors and finishes for the aluminum and the glass separately. However, ArmRLite offers many ready-to-go designs if you want to avoid the hassle of customization. All you have to do is supply your measurements for your new garage door.
CHI Overhead Doors
CHI opened its doors in 1981 as a single garage door repair shop in Arthur, Illinois, and has grown to a network of dealers across the country.
They have several model lines of residential garage doors, ranging from traditional steel and fiberglass doors to ultra-modern contemporary doors to fit any style of home.
For more traditional homes, CHI has two types of carriage house-style garage doors with the option of cedar or mahogany wood overlays. Not only will these doors add a flair to your house, but they’ll increase its resale value, as well.
You can customize your new garage door and request a quote directly from CHI’s website.
Clopay
For over 50 years, Clopay has been a significant player in the garage door market and has one of the largest selections of garage doors of any brand. They offer both affordable and luxury doors to appeal to all customers. In both categories, you should be able to find quite a few distinct designs.
If you’re looking for a high-end door without breaking the bank, check out the Gallery Collection. This is Clopay’s take on the standard carriage garage doors.
Clopay also makes entry doors as well as garage doors. This allows you to match your home’s exterior doors to your garage door and create a cohesive look.
With over 52 distributing channels, the brand sends its products all over the USA and Canada. In addition, it’s an active member of multiple industry groups, such as the International Door Association.
Finally, Cloplay has an online Garage Door & Entry Door Design Center, which allows you to see what the doors will look like before installation.
DAB Doors
DAB opened its doors in Dade County, Florida, in 1980. Since then, the company has offered excellent products and services to its customers.
There are a few different design collections on the brand’s website, but they are most well-known for their Hurricane Master Garage Doors.
Designed specifically for the Florida market, these are one of the world’s strongest garage doors. Over its time in the garage door industry, the business has acquired eight patents, each giving DAB Doors a unique advantage in the market.
For example, one of them outlines how the doors don’t need additional reinforcements. This, in turn, cuts costs and the product’s final price.
DAB is another company that belongs to the International Door Association.
The only issue with the brand is the limited distribution chain. Most customers live in or near Florida. DAB ships anywhere in the country, but you may need to pay additional fees and wait longer for your order to arrive.
Delden Garage Doors
Gene Renner began his journey selling overhead doors in 1956 but had made plans to quit the business. Yet, after a disastrous tornado in Kansas City, garage door sales went through the roof.
Fast forward to the early 1980s when Delden Manufacturing partnered with Amarr and Ankmarr to create one of the first national garage door manufacturing brands: the Garage Door Group. That partnership is still going strong as Amarr manufactures the components that go into Delden’s designs.
Today, Delden has locations all across the midwest. The largest facilities reside in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Osage Beach, Missouri.
Dynamic Garage Door
If you’re in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas, check out Dynamic Garage Door. The company produces high-end custom garage doors that make your home stand out.
Dynamic primarily deals with major contractors specializing in luxury homes and restoring historical estates. Other than doors, Dynamic provides architectural gates, shutters, and deco hardware. It also has a repairs division that ensures that all its products are correctly maintained.
While the brand uses different materials, its specialty is wooden garage doors made from reclaimed and exotic woods from around the world. Master carvers work on each garage door by hand until they’re ready for shipping. The final result is both stunning and unique.
Since most pieces are handmade, you can customize them in many ways. A lot of the time, people will opt for designs that allow their home to seamlessly blend into their surroundings.
With limited production, the company has a small distribution radius. Dynamic services Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Marin County, and San Diego. Anyone outside that area will find it challenging to get their hands on a custom Dynamic garage door.
Everite Door Works
Everite started in 1939, making it one of the oldest garage door companies on our list.
As with most businesses at the time, it focused on creating durable wooden garage doors. Over time, other manufacturers gradually shifted towards steel construction since it was more cost-effective.
While Everite offers a few select garage door models based on a steel core, most of their lineup is still wood construction. These days, the company boasts some of the best wooden garage doors on the market, all while boasting a few additional materials.
Doors are available in hemlock, cedar, sapele, extira, or plywood. In addition, some doors can be finished in composites and PVC products. No matter which material they use, Everite has maintained its impeccable quality and craftsmanship.
In addition, Everite can produce a completely custom garage door. Although this will be the most expensive, this option gives you freedom over your door’s design, finish, and dimensions. Traditional and semi-custom doors are marginally more affordable, but you have fewer options.
Everite also offers door accessories like panels and specialty glass windows.
Great Northern Door
Ty Ostroviak founded Great Northern Door in 2004, making it one of our list’s youngest garage door brands. Based in Crosslake, Minnesota, they’re a family-owned and operated business creating custom wood garage and entry doors.
They custom-build each garage door from a selection of different woods: alder, cedar, walnut, and mahogany. If a solid wood door isn’t what you had in mind, they also offer their DURA-EEZ line of garage doors with polystyrene insulation built inside a Douglas fir frame.
Great Northern Door has dealers primarily in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois but is also expanding into select other states.
Hormann Garage Doors
The Hormann Group began in 1935 and has been a family-owned business ever since. Although they started in Germany and primarily focused on the European market, they entered the North American market in 2001. They purchased Northwest Door in 2015 and sell garage doors under both brand names.
A part of the US Green Building Council, Hormann is focused on minimizing its environmental impact. They’re one of the first garage door manufacturers to use 100% of their total energy demand from green energy sources.
Even with the environmentally conscious approach, Hormann offers a wide variety of traditional and modern door solutions for all applications.
At the top of the range are their Polaris wooden garage doors, which are handcrafted from cedar, fir, and plywood. They also offer a full range of traditional and modern garage doors made from steel and aluminum.
Although not that well known in the US, Hormann is one of the largest garage door manufacturers on this list, servicing over 30 countries worldwide.
Lux Garage Doors
As you can guess by the name, this brand prefers to deal in luxury garage doors. Lux makes custom wood garage, main entry, and interior doors, but they also offer glass and steel garage doors. However, just because the designs are high-end doesn’t mean the cost has to be.
Wooden garage doors start at roughly the same price as most insulated steel garage doors from other companies on this list. No matter what type of door you go with, there are countless customization options, including finishes, windows, and hardware.
Other than garage doors, Lux supplies wooden floors, doors, and hardware. They have excellent post-sales services and can ship garage doors across the USA.
Martin Garage Doors
Leno Martin launched Martin Garage Doors in 1936, inventing one of the world’s first one-piece overhead doors. Before that, most people had side-hinged garage doors on their homes.
During the 60s, the company developed sectional garage doors. By the mid-90s, Martin Garage Door was a household name in the USA, exporting garage doors to over 40 countries worldwide.
Over the years, Martin has continued to innovate with new features that help reduce door hinge injuries or allow homeowners to control the speed of their garage doors.
Today, Martin Garage doors offer one of the largest collections of overhead doors in hundreds of colors, designs, finishes, and multiple structure materials.
Midland Garage Door
Midland opened its doors (pun intended) in 1978 and focuses on the value segment of the garage door industry with a lineup almost completely constructed from steel. However, they still weave in some creative elements like decorative panels and windows. Midland offers two series of glass garage doors in different tints and shades for a more modern look.
Each door has a unique look to match a variety of decor, and you can customize the colors and hardware.
Midland has facilities in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
Northwest Door
Northwest Door was purchased by the Hormann Group in August 2015. It still operates as an independent company and deserves its own entry on this list, even though Hormann shares much of its line with Northwest Door.
The Modern Tech and Modern Classic series of doors are unique to Northwest Door. These doors attempt to add some modern flair to an otherwise traditional design. They incorporate stylish window designs that you don’t usually see in a traditional garage door. Both are constructed from a lightweight aluminum frame with either a glass or steel overlay.
In addition to the Modern series, Northwest Door has two entry-level series aimed at budget-conscious buyers. The Builder Classic series is an affordable take on a modern glass garage door, while the 500 Series is a basic, maintenance-free insulated garage door.
Overhead Door
Another heavy-hitter in the garage door industry, Overhead Door has been making garage doors since 1921. What makes them unique, however, is that in addition to a complete line of garage doors, Overhead owns several garage door opener brands, including Genie.
Overhead has over a dozen separate garage door models, so there’s something to fit every homeowner’s tastes.
They have basic steel and fiberglass doors for the value-conscious homeowner, traditional wood sectional and carriage doors, and several styles of insulated and wind-load garage doors. Their newest series is the Envy garage door, which combines an aluminum frame and a full glass overlay to create a sleek, modern look.
Once you’ve found your perfect garage door, you can go to the Garage Door Designer, where you can customize your door before uploading a photo of your home to see what it would look like.
Raynor
Bill Borberg and Ray Neisewander started Raynor together in 1944. Bill had an affinity for steel fabrication, while Ray excelled at woodworking.
This combination gave the pair a clear advantage at the time, making them one of the first to introduce a mix of materials in their garage doors.
What I like most about Raynor is how easy they make it for homeowners to choose a new garage door. Unlike other manufacturers who bombard you with options right at the start, Raynor separates their garage doors into four series based on their construction. From there, homeowners can choose distinct styles and options.
The Advantage Series is your basic steel pan garage door, which can be ordered with or without insulation. Moving up to the Traditions Series, you get a more durable, 3-layer steel construction with polystyrene insulation.
The Aspen Series builds on the Traditions Series’s strengths but adds a unique design flair. Here you’ll find contemporary designs, more window options, and Raynor’s highest R-rating garage doors.
Finally, there’s the Distinctions Series, Raynor’s semi-custom line of garage doors. They’re available in a variety of wood stains and window options.
Raynor has partnered with LiftMaster to offer their popular garage door openers under the Raynor name. They’ve also partnered with Sherwin-Williams to offer over 1,500 unique paint colors for your new garage door.
After you select a series, you can move on to creating it yourself. Raynor has a design center and smartphone app like the other major garage door manufacturers. With it, you can upload a photo of your home to see how your new garage door will look.
Raynor has over 800 distributors in the United States and almost 200 in Canada to install your garage door.
Ryterna
Ryterna is based in the UK and is one of the youngest companies on our list, only having opened its doors in 1993. They produce multiple varieties of three basic types of high-quality garage doors.
Homes in the UK are very different from the homes we have in the US. A typical sectional garage door often won’t work because of the limited space. That’s why, in addition to the basic overhead sectional garage door, Ryterna also produces side-hinge and sliding garage doors.
Side-hinged garage doors function like standard doors, swinging in and out. This adds more space inside the garage since there aren’t any rails or hardware to get in the way. However, you lose a few feet at your garage entrance whenever you need to open the doors. While this version can add some visual flair to your house, they’re not for everyone.
Ryterna has over 100 different panel types, from classic to modern, so you can get a custom look for your side-hinged garage door.
They also offer side-sliding garage doors to maximize small spaces. Instead of rolling up and down, the door tracks run parallel to the walls to make the door more space efficient. Ryterna’s side-sliding doors can be ordered in various styles, both with or without windows.
Ryterna custom-makes its garage doors to measure so you’ll get a truly unique entrance for your home.
Silvelox
Silvelox is an Italian company that has since made its way to the USA by selling high-end, energy-efficient garage doors with truly amazing technology.
Unlike nearly every other garage door, Silvelox doors don’t use a center rail to lift the door. Each door has its own proprietary motors to raise and lower the door.
For example, the Secur line is a one-piece garage door that combines the security of a one-piece door with the space-savings of a roll-up garage door. Another example is the Securlap sectional garage door which folds in on itself as it opens.
Silvelox is one of the more expensive garage door manufacturers on this list. However, if you’re looking for an artisan-crafted garage door with unique technology, there’s no better option.
SIW Windows & Doors
Living in Florida, I can appreciate what Abdiel Lopez had in mind when he started SIW Windows & Doors in 2004. Other garage door manufacturers usually have one or two wind-rated models of garage doors (which is required in many southern states). He built his entire business on it.
Hurricane-rated garage doors usually sacrifice aesthetics to make the door stronger. SIW was able to design doors that were strong enough to survive Florida storms and still look great.
Because they’re a smaller company with a very specialized product, the shopping experience is slightly different with SIW. Instead of choosing a product first, you talk to a dedicated team member who will go over your individual situation.
While the purchase process may be longer than you’re used to, it’s worth it. However, since they specialize in wind-rated doors, SIW focuses most of its distribution around the Florida area.
Wayne Dalton
From humble beginnings in 1954 in rural Ohio, Wayne Dalton has grown into one of the largest suppliers of commercial and residential doors in the United States. You can purchase their residential garage doors from independent dealers or Lowe’s, either online or in-store.
Wayne Dalton is one of the few garage door manufacturers on this list to make doors from every type of material: aluminum, glass, steel, fiberglass, vinyl, and wood.
Most garage doors are available in wood-grain-looks like cherry, mahogany, and oak or standard colors like black, white, almond, and various browns or greys. They also offer custom wood doors in either paint-grade or stain-grade hemlock, cedar, and mahogany.
After choosing a style, you can go into the designer section on the website. It’ll allow you to customize your door before uploading a photo of your home to see what it would look like.
In addition to residential garage doors, Wayne Dalton manufactures rolling, sectional, and high-speed doors for commercial applications.
Windsor Door
Windsor Door is a family-owned-and-operated manufacturer that’s been around for over 50 years. Although a minor player in the industry, they nevertheless have several garage door series that should appeal to most homeowners.
All Windsor Doors are built using a durable steel frame. Customers can choose from several different finishes, window options, and insulation with the entry-level 7 Series doors.
Windsor offers the Steel Wood series with finishes in walnut, cedar, or naturally aged grey wood for a more natural look. Like the 7 Series, these doors can include various window and hardware options.
Their top-of-the-line model is the LP-Trim series of garage doors. These include natural wood over a durable steel frame and come finished in either cherry, walnut, or ebony.
Their manufacturer’s website has a design visualizer to help customers pick out their perfect garage doors. However, since you can’t upload a picture of your home, it’s less helpful than the Wayne Dalton Design Center.
Finally, their website lets you browse their designs, but you can only get a quote by talking to a sales representative.
The post 21 Garage Door Manufacturers to Get That Perfect Look appeared first on Garage Transformed.
