Up and over garage doors are used widely in the UK. Such garage doors are affordable and easy to install. These doors offer high reliability, simple opening and closing mechanism, and easy to maintain features. These advantages make such garage doors a favourite with UK homeowners. Such doors can be found in different materials, designs, colours and finishes. The secure, convenient and attractive features of these doors mean that more and more homeowners prefer such doors for their garage.

Because of the popularity of up and over doors for garage, all types of products and parts related to these doors can be found everywhere. It is easy to find garage door repair, replacement and installation companies. These doors are highly suitable for homeowners who do not have large budget for the garage improvement. Most such garage doors in the UK are available in two options – canopy and retractable.

The canopy up and over garage door is quite common. It has a simple mechanism to close and open. When open, a third of its frame protrudes out of the garage giving it a look of canopy so it has been named canopy garage door. It offers maximum width for drive through. The door is held and balanced with the torsion springs. This type of door is not used where an electric door operator is needed.

The second option is retractable garage door. When opened, the door completely retracts into the garage. It has gained wide popularity because electric operator can be used with it. Its lifting arms take up some space in the sub-frame of the door. The opening width is slightly reduced because of these arms. The vehicle’s width should be measured properly before using a retractable garage door. The advantage is that it can be used for heavy door by just increasing the strength and size of the adjustable tension springs on the side. This mechanism is used in garages that have width wider than 8 feet. It is suitable for garage doors that use hardwood panels. It is the only option with double garage doors.

There are three types of materials for the door panels. The choice of material depends on specific requirement and preference. The steel garage door offers good value for money. It provides maximum security and safety. Steel doors are reliable and last longer. GRP or glass reinforced polyester is the second option for the door panel material. It is a low maintenance and good looking option for garage door. It can be found in a wide range of styles and sizes. Timber material is also used for making such a garage door. The real wood provides warmth and natural beauty. It is machined beautifully to give the high aesthetic look to the garage door. It requires some care but it is a sustainable and natural material.

The total weight of the door and the direction the door opens should be kept in mind when selecting a particular mechanism for the garage door. Canopy design cannot support weight of a large door panel so this mechanism cannot be used in up and over garage doors that have double door system. On the other hand, the retractable door can be expensive because of more materials, automatic operation and additional features.