If you’re a business owner, you’ve surely prioritized security and safety of your physical store or storage facility. And like a residential garage, commercial garage doors are designed to prevent possible break-ins and secure your assets from the outside elements.
Typically, business owners have two main types of commercial garage doors to choose from – steel roll-up doors and steel sectional garage doors. While both are roll-up garage doors in design, there are specific differences. We will highlight these and give business owners a few things to consider when choosing which commercial garage doors to proceed with.
Roll-Up Garage Doors
Roll-up doors have a simple set of mechanics: the door panels are able to “roll up” into a compressed coil when the garage door is opened. This retraction is pretty helpful because it doesn’t require headroom, unlike an overhead garage door. In addition, roll-up garage doors can be installed inside or outside of the garage, allowing for flexibility on where you want the doors placed.
You’ll probably observe that most commercial settings rely on steel roll-up doors for security – that’s because most stores have a limited amount of space to work with. The retracting doors fit nicely into a compact setup. And most importantly, for businesses, roll-up garage doors are fire-rated. So not only are you secured from the outside, these doors can automatically close when triggered by the smoke alarm, therefore helping to prevent fire from spreading quickly.
Steel Sectional Garage Doors
Like steel roll-up doors, sectional garage doors can make a huge impact on your commercial space. Steel sectional doors are versatile enough to be used on residential garage doors and commercial garage doors. Both require minimal upkeep, making them the perfect choice for hectic businesses.
Difference Between Roll-up Garage Doors and Sectional Steel Doors
The main difference between the panels is that rolling steel is much narrower and lighter – sectional doors have wider panels customized with window inserts. Of course, there is no retraction or folding feature that comes with sectional garage doors.
Here are a few more differences between the two types of commercial garage doors:
Quality of Performance
For most businesses, this should be the top consideration. From the number of guaranteed cycles to the actual sturdiness of the doors, roll-up garage doors trump steel sectionals.
Typically, if you require high-performance doors to be operated several times a day, then go for roll-up garage doors. But if your commercial space does not require a higher cycle capacity, a sectional steel design will very much suffice.
Maintenance and Security
Steel roll-up garage doors are king in low-maintenance garage doors. These do not have as many separate mechanical pieces that can wear out in time. They would only need regular lubrication to maintain optimal quality. On the other hand, sectional garage doors contain separate mechanical pieces, including railings, motors, sensors, etc. These will require more upkeep in general.
And as for security, since roll-up garage doors move fast and are made of bare steel that is hard to tamper with, it also edges out sectional doors security-wise.
Garage Door Installation
There are differences in garage door installation for these two garage doors. Installation is usually more complicated for roll-ups than for typical overhead garage doors. Roll-up garage doors require space on the wall for the coil to stay when the doors open. For sectional doors, that space is against the ceiling. There is more room for variation when mounting steel sectional garage doors than roll-up garage doors.
But, if you have vents, lighting fixtures, and other unmovable items that will be in the way of sectional doors, you may want to stick to roll-up garage doors that have a more compact design.
Possible Drawbacks of Roll-Up Garage Doors
As with all things, roll-up garage doors aren’t entirely flawless. Here are a few downsides with roll-up garage doors:
- Roll-up garage doors are more complicated to install than other types like sectional and overhead garage doors. It can take a whole team to complete the garage door installation, depending on the size of your doorway.
- There’s little customization that allows for steel roll-up garage doors. There’s no escaping the horizontal steel plates feature on the face of the door.
- It can be heavier, especially with insulation, than basic garage doors made of light composites depending on the steel grade.
Let Us Take Care of Your Commercial Garage Doors!
We’ve outlined the facts you need when deciding which type of steel doors to use for your business. Whether you opt for roll-up garage doors or steel sectional garage doors, there will always be some pros and cons for each one. It will be up to you which aspects of maintenance, design, and functionality you’ll prioritize. The important thing is you are well-informed before making a significant decision!
If you still need to consult with experts, we are experts in commercial garage doors here at Alpine Garage Door Repair. We can advise you on which unit can best serve you and your business. And we take care of garage door installation without any delays. Contact us today to learn more!