Shocking, Helpful, and Interesting Garage Door Facts
Our team at Aaron Overhead Doors lives and breathes garage doors! We talk with our customers day in and day out about garage door repair, installation, and maintenance, but in this article, we want to share some additional garage door facts you might find interesting and valuable!
1. The First Garage Door
The word “garage” originates from the French word “garer,” which is a place where horses are kept. Original garage doors were swinging carriage doors or sliding doors used on the structures that stored horses and carriages when that was the primary mode of transportation.
The first electric overhead garage door was invented in 1921 by C. G. Johnson. It’s interesting to note that Johnson’s son, C. G. Johnson Jr., invented the first remote-controlled garage door opener. What a legacy!
2. You Paid How Much For That Garage Door?
When most homeowners start planning for a new garage door installation, the cost is a contributing factor they consider. From the brand, style, material, and design of their new garage doors, people want to know what specials are offered and how to get the best deal.
This isn’t the case for everyone, though. Take this $350,000 garage door designed like an aircraft hanger. This US mega-mansion owner paid more for his garage door than the Ferrari he stores in the garage!
3. Yearly Garage Door Use
You hop in your car in the morning to go to work and use your garage door remote to open and close your garage door. You come home at the end of a long day and do the same. Maybe you use your garage door more or less, but on average, homeowners complete 1,500 opening and closing cycles per year!
Pro Tip: Schedule regular garage door maintenance to keep your garage door system operating efficiently year-round, and address any garage door repair needs as soon as you notice an issue!
4. Garage Door Art
Creating unique garage door designs and custom garage doors is an excellent way to make your home stand out. However, some homeowners take the idea of customized garage doors to an entirely new level! Introducing garage door art: where anything goes, and your imagination is the only limitation to your garage door style and design!
5. The Largest Garage Door
Imagine overhead doors so tall that it takes 45 minutes to open them fully! NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida houses the tallest garage doors in the world. They are used to enter the rocket assembly bay. Aaron Overhead Doors offers premium commercial doors, specialty high-lift tracks, and more, but even we are amazed at the sheer magnitude of doors this size!
6. Most Common Garage Door Color
It might not be too shocking that the most popular garage door color is white. However, what we find incredible is the number of color customization options available! Clopay is one of the top garage door brands on the market. They partner with Sherwin Williams to offer over 1,500 color options for garage doors with their Color Blast system. 1,500! And that’s not even counting grain finishes for wood garage doors.
7. The Average Garage Door Weight
Many people don’t consider the weight of their garage door. Automatic opening and closing make it an afterthought to some, but the weight of your garage door matters! The weight of a garage door can affect the following:
- Safety
- Door balance
- Durability
- Maintenance requirements
- Installation costs
- Garage door opener compatibility
- Manual operation, if necessary
- Energy efficiency
The average garage door weighs 200 pounds. Wood garage doors are the heaviest doors at upwards of 500 pounds. Aluminum and fiberglass doors are the lightest. These and some steel garage doors can weigh under 100 pounds!
8. Unique Garage Door Materials
The most common garage door materials are wood, faux wood, steel, aluminum, and glass garage doors. Between these materials, there’s something for everyone! However, certain brands stretch their limits beyond the norm to create true works of art with unlikely garage door materials.
The best example of this is Axolotl garage doors for Amarr. These luxurious, high-end garage doors use the following materials for stunning results:
- Semi-precious metals
- Concrete
- Terracotta
Which Garage Door Fact Surprised You the Most?
We want to hear from you! Did you already know any of these garage door facts, or were they all new to you? If you have any questions based on these garage door facts or want to chat with a qualified garage door professional about garage door installation or repair near you, our Aaron Overhead Doors team is here for you!
We know all the ins and outs of garage doors and are always happy to serve you with unbeatable garage door service near Buford, Milton, and Buckhead, GA…and that’s a fact!