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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
After carefully selecting everything from the perfect roof down through siding, windows, and a grand front door, don’t let your home’s exterior design fall apart at the garage. Because of their size and visibility, garage doors can increase curb appeal and property value. Considering how comparatively fast and easy they are to install, there’s really no excuse not to make this major entry point equally welcoming for family and guests.
Gone are the days of plain white doors—more homeowners are choosing gorgeous natural wood or wood-look garage doors to elevate style. Take a look to see how garage doors with an array of wood finishes add warmth and character to all kinds of homes!
Natural Wood Garage Doors
If you want natural wood garage doors, the options are practically limitless. A number of species come standard on different models—including durable cedar, redwood, fir, and meranti, to name a few—but you can also opt for a truly custom look that uses the specialty wood of your choice. Raw woods have all sorts of grain patterns and colors, which you can complement or enhance with stains to achieve the perfect finish for your home. It’s important to discuss with a professional to understand how your choice of species and finish will wear over the long term.
If you want to preserve the look you fell in love with on the day your door was installed, take advantage of garage door manufacturer factory finish options, which are backed by a limited warranty. The door are stained under controlled conditions and shipped to the dealer ready to install. You'll find shades that complement most trim and exterior door colors, including Natural, Cedar, Teak, Mahogany, Butternut, and Dark Oak.
Like all wood products exposed to the elements, even factory-stained garage doors require regular surface maintenance. This usually means reapplying a topcoat every two years or so to keep the door looking fresh and new. Address any damage or moisture issues immediately to avoid extensive repairs down the road.
Well-made and properly maintained wood doors can last for decades, and for those invested in a one-of-a-kind work of art, there is no substitute.
Wood-Look Garage Doors
For homeowners who want the look of wood without the upkeep, there are low maintenance faux-wood options that mimic the real thing without compromising on aesthetics. Wood-look doors can be so realistic that you might mistake them for the genuine article, but their looks are achieved by applying a convincing faux woodgrain paint finish and/or a thicker faux wood composite overlay to a no-fuss steel garage door base.
A quality steel door includes layers of galvanization with a baked-on primer, and topcoat to prevent rust, so it requires little attention on your part. Just wash the outside of the garage door twice a year with a mild dish soap and water to remove dirt, salt, or ice-melt, which can dull the finish.
Faux wood garage doors constructed from a durable composite material are even more comparable to their natural wood counterparts. The cladding is molded using real boards from species like clear cypress, pecky cypress and mahogany for an authentic woodgrain look and feel.
Like wood, these doors can be painted or stained in finishes ranging from whitewashed to deep Walnut to the warm, organic gray found in reclaimed wood.
Many homeowners also appreciate that faux wood doors won’t rot, warp or crack—so there’s little guesswork to decide if they’ll look as good in the future as they do when you buy them.
As you can see, there's plenty of opportunity to personalize your garage door with a wood finish that adds texture, color, and unique natural beauty to your home.
Choosing Your Finish
Once you’ve decided between a real wood or a faux wood garage door, you can explore the finishes you have to work with. There are multiple variables to consider between the characteristics of natural wood and the colors available through human ingenuity, but the final goal is always the same: you want something that looks good on your home. So, take a step back to see the bigger picture. What other colors are present on the structure? Are you looking to gently complement or boldly contrast with the garage? Is a natural tone appropriate, or would something deeper brown, richer red, or weathered gray tie together your design vision? Clopay's® Door Imagination System lets you see how different garage door styles and colors look on a photo of your home, so be sure to give it a try if you aren’t sure where to begin.
Whether you want wood or wood-look garage doors, the experts at Clopay® can help you find the perfect solution. They have options suitable for super modern homes, rustic Craftsman designs, simple farmhouses, grand Mediterranean architecture, classic traditional residences—practically everything, and all with more curb appeal than you’d think a garage door could deliver. Find a local dealer to discuss the possibilities and upgrade your home!