Just about every home needs a garage door. One of the most popular kinds, at least as far as commercial properties go, is known as a roll up garage door.
Chances are you’ve seen these featured on warehouses, storage lots and other properties. But they can be used on residential garages too. Keep reading to learn more about this specific type of garage door.
What Is It and How It Works?
A roll up garage door is made up of numerous smaller panels.
These panels are long rectangles that run the width of the door, but are generally much smaller in height.
The shorter they are, the less room the door will take up when it’s opening or closing.
These panels are all attached to one another by some type of hinge.
This means that if you were to lay the garage door flat on the ground, you could essentially roll it up similar to a rug.
The sides of the door are installed into tracks that run the height of the garage door then the length of the door across the unit’s ceiling.
So when the door is opened (usually with a motor), the garage door’s panels can negotiate the ceiling of the unit as it’s being pulled back across the ceiling.
When it’s time to close the door, the panels do the same thing in reverse.
How to Install It?
Installing a roll up garage door means first purchasing the door itself after taking measurements of the unit’s opening.
Then you need to install the tracks that will go on the side.
Lastly, an electric motor is necessary to pull or push the door open and close.
Unless you’re a skilled craftsman, it’s best to leave installation to a professional.
Parts and Materials It’s Made From
Roll up doors are generally made from steel or some other kind of metal.
This helps keep the door affordable, but also sturdy and reliable.
Steel and other metals also provide great durability against harsh elements and you don’t have to worry about it aging like wood options.
Some type of electric motor is also needed for your roll up garage door.
But it’s a simple enough machine.
All it really needs to do is retract some type of chain that is attached to the garage door and gravity will do the rest.
Obviously, when you want to open the door, the motor pulls the chain in.
Designs – is it Fit for Commercial Design and Residential?
You typically only see roll up garage doors in commercial situations.
Warehouses, for example, generally use these doors by their loading docks. Storage lots, too, make use of roll up garage doors.
That isn’t to say that they can’t be used in residential homes, it’s just very rare.
Often you’ll see a similar design to a roll up door, but with much larger panels.
Roll up garage doors are an efficient way to provide your unit with the cover it needs, but in a way that won’t take up an unnecessary amount of space.
