Your climate is totally different than Florida or Texas and we see many failed garage doors around Denver. Denver’s extreme climate and high UV exposure demand the absolute best in garage door construction and design. Choosing the right garage door is one of the most important things you will do for your home and family. Smart Garage Door Service can help.
After installing and servicing thousands of garage doors throughout Denver Metro for the past 8+ years, here is our honest assessment of the garage door brands we believe to be the best for homeowners in Colorado.
What Makes a Garage Door Good for Colorado’s Climate?
Before we get into specific brands, it helps to understand what Colorado’s climate actually demands from a garage door.
One key aspect to consider when choosing a garage door in the Denver metro area is UV resistance. The higher the altitude the more intense the UV, and Denver sits at a very high 5,280 feet above sea level. This means that even short periods of time outside for your garage door can cause it to begin to fade, chalk, and deteriorate rapidly. You will want to look for a garage door manufacturer that uses high quality paint and finish that will hold up well to the intense UV rays here in the Denver metro area.
Another feature to look for in a Colorado garage door is the insulation value or R-value. As mentioned earlier, Colorado experiences large amounts of temperature change, some as large as 50 degrees in a single day. An insulated garage door can keep your garage at a comfortable temperature. In addition, an insulated garage door can keep heated or cooled air from entering the attached garage and then traveling into adjacent living spaces.
Hail – While some may think this is not a huge issue for residential garage doors, the fact is that Colorado is located in the heart of the Front Range, an area that experiences some of the worst hail events in the country. When selecting a garage door, it’s essential to consider the amount of hail resistance that your door will receive. Some doors feature thicker steel gauges than others, and certain door construction types can withstand more hail impact than others. A single layer steel door is not the best option when it comes to protecting your home from hail damage.
An exposed garage can be affected by wind, so the door must be able to withstand strong gusts. Heavy reinforced sections and sturdy hardware are best to combat wind loading. This is a feature that is incorporated in the majority of higher-end doors and is typically not found in very inexpensive garage doors.
The Best Garage Door Brands for Colorado
We at Smart Garage Door Service have determined that there are several garage door brands that are superior to others when it comes to Denver’s climate. The Clopay brand is one of the most recognized names in the industry and they make a wide array of quality garage doors. Clopay uses thick steel gauges in their doors, which are perfect for areas such as Denver that are often affected by hail. Their doors are also designed with great insulation to keep cold air out in the winter and hot air out in the summer. Clopay offers several lines of doors including the Gallery Collection, the Coachman Collection and the Reserve Collection. These lines of doors have a wide array of R-values to choose from, with the highest R-values reaching up to 18, which is perfect for an attached garage. Clopay also has a great finish department, with many great colors to choose from, including many great painted finishes. However, it is worth noting that their lower-end primer finishes do not hold up as well to the intense UV rays in Denver at higher elevations as their higher-end painted finishes do.
Amarr – Quality for the Long Haul – Installed in Colorado by Smart Garage Door Service. For over 50 years, Amarr has designed, engineered and manufactured premium garage doors. Amarr is one of the few remaining US manufacturers of high quality garage doors, and we believe their products are an excellent choice for homeowners seeking a reliable, attractive and well-insulated door. The insulated steel doors made by Amarr are extremely durable, and come in a wide range of attractive colors to match any home’s style or architecture. The Heritage and Lincoln lines of garage doors are particularly popular among homeowners in the Denver, Colorado area due to the wide selection of carriage house-style garage doors available.
The third Garage Door brand for Colorado that we review are the Garage Doors by Wayne Dalton. The garage door products from Wayne Dalton offer innovative designs. In addition, the Torquemaster spring system found in the products of this company is a real safety advantage. For example, the Torquemaster spring is completely enclosed within a tube. As a result, should the spring break it will not pose a threat to people around the garage door. As already mentioned above, the Garage Doors by Wayne Dalton come with insulated steel construction. They are also available in a variety of colors to allow for matching with other design features of your home.
CHI Overhead Doors make premium quality steel doors, they are made in the United States with tight panel construction and the best paint finish on the market. With many different options available and the flexibility to customize to fit your needs and budget Smart Garage Door Service highly recommends CHI doors to our customers. They are a great option for homeowners looking for a garage door that will look great and last for years to come.
Hormann Garage Doors: For High Performance Garage Doors in Denver Homes. Hormann Garage Doors are German engineered to provide excellent performance, safety, and reliability. With doors that have some of the highest R-values available on the market, the premium quality doors from Hormann are ideal for use in attached garages that are converted into living spaces. Many of the premium homes in Denver’s higher-end neighborhoods and custom homes feature doors from Hormann Garage Doors.
What to Avoid
Do not consider a single-layer steel garage door. In a hail event, the door is going to dent and even penetrate. The door provides no insulation value to your garage. The steel can be damaged from the sun over time. The additional cost of an insulated steel door is minimal when you consider the value that it brings to your garage and your home.
Do not buy an unknown/ off-brand door being sold by big-box stores or online. They typically use thinner steel, poor quality hardware and terrible finish options. I have seen many of these types of doors fail in a matter of a few years. The savings just are not worth it in the long run.
Our Recommendation for Denver Homeowners
For most homes, in the Denver Metro area, a good garage door for a home would be a 2-inch thick door with a high level of insulation in a steel door, typically painted. These doors are typically the least expensive and most durable garage doors for hail resistance, insulation value, dent resistance and UV resistance for the many Colorado years to come. The most cost effective options would be a Clopay, Amarr or a CHI Overhead Doors’ garage door.
We have also found that the top-of-the-line designs from Hormann and Wayne Dalton make a great addition to many homes.
At Smart Garage Door Service we carry the top rated Amarr, Clopay, Hormann, and Wayne Dalton garage doors to meet the high demands of Denver and surrounding Colorado areas. Let our team of professional experts provide you with a free in-home estimate to pick out the perfect new garage door for your home or business. During your free in-home estimate our team will come out and take the exact measurements of your garage door opening, discuss with you the different garage door styles, and options to fit your homes architectural style and budget. We strive to give our customers the best garage door purchasing experience possible and guarantee complete customer satisfaction on all of our new garage door installations. Call us today at (720) 299-5604 to schedule your free in-home estimate.
