The Great Big Garage Door Glossary

Here at Associated Garage Doors, we’re always trying to use our blog to help our customers and garage door owners across the country look after their garage doors better, as well as understand them a bit better.

Given how many different components there are to a garage door, the latter isn’t always easy, which is why we’ve decided to create a comprehensive glossary of garage door terms, so our readers can better get to grips with what we mean when we talk about the different parts of a garage door.

ABS

ABS, which is known properly as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is a type of plastic that is used to create certain types of garage door. They are often chosen to match a home’s uPVC windows and doors.

Aluminium

Aluminium is a strong and relatively lightweight metal that is a popular garage door material.

Anodise

Anodising is an electrochemical process that transforms a metal surface, such as aluminium, to give it a unique finish.

Bottom bracket

Bottom brackets can be found on either side of a garage door and are usually attached to the lifting cables.

Bracket-mounted track

A bracket-mounted track is simply a vertical track that has been attached to the jamb of a door with angle brackets.

Cable drums

Usually placed on a torsion spring, cable drums allow a cable to be wound or unwound in a neat and safe way that guards against any knotting or tangling.

Cable safety device

This device is attached in place just in case a cable breaks. In the event of a cable break, the device will stop the door from falling and potentially injuring someone.

Extension springs

Extension springs are essential to the garage door opening and closing process because they provide lifting force. They are mounted to the rear track hangers and attached to pulleys.

Galvanise

Galvanising is essentially a coat of zinc that is applied to steel garage doors that combats rust and improves the longevity of the door.

Garage door opener

The garage door opener is the device used to open and close electric garage doors from your car or home. 

Glass fibre reinforced plastics

Glass fibre reinforced plastics, otherwise known as GRPs, are a type of material used in the construction of garage doors. GRPs are favoured for their unique mixture of high strength and low weight.

Guide rails

Guide rails sit on both sides of a roller door frame to ensure the slats stay in line and run smoothly.

Insulated garage doors

These types of garage doors come with an insulative layer attached to the back of the door and can improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Jambs

Jambs are essentially the frame or lining of the garage door opening.

Manual garage doors

These are garage doors that need to be opened by hand rather than using a garage door opener.

Rear track hangers

Rear track hangers are used to attach the horizontal garage door tracks to the ceiling of the garage.

Rollers

These are the wheels that roll along the tracks and allow the garage door to open and close. These need to be lubricated properly otherwise the door may creak or judder.

Roller garage doors

Roller garage doors are characterised by their small slats that coil back into a neat roll when opened.

Sectional garage doors

Sectional garage doors are split into two or more sections or panels and open section by section. They can be seen as partway between a roller garage door and an up and over garage door.

Side-hinged garage doors

Rather than opening upwards like most conventional garage doors, these open outwards. They tend to give the garage a more rustic, barn-like feel.

Torsion shaft

Torsion shafts run through the middle of a spring and transfer force to the cables.

Torsion springs

Torsion springs are used to aid the opening and closing of the garage door by carefully releasing their stored power.

Track

The tracks essentially provide a path on which the rollers can move, allowing the garage to open and close. The tracks are mounted on each side of the garage door opening.

Up and over garage doors

These garage doors are characterised by a single panel that arcs backwards when opened. They are usually the cheapest style of garage door.

Weatherstripping 

Weatherstripping is used to seal the gap between the bottom, sides and top of the garage door, and improves the garage door’s energy efficiency.

Wooden garage doors

Wooden garage doors tend to have excellent soundproofing and energy efficiency, but they are also rather expensive and are susceptible to rotting if not properly maintained.

 

Hopefully, this glossary of garage door terms has cleared a few things up for you!

If you ever have any garage door-related questions that you need to ask, don’t hesitate to call the experts here at Associated Garage Doors. We also offer a stunning range of front doors and composite doors. 

We operate throughout  Kent, Tunbridge Wells, Heathfield, Hastings, Sevenoaks and beyond.