Few materials provide the warmth, elegance and sophistication of wood. It has been a common building material for hundreds of years and remains an immensely popular option for homeowners today. It is also one the most coveted materials for garage doors, as it provides a classic look and often blends well with rest of the home’s facade.
Although highly coveted, wood is also one of the most expensive building materials and, therefore, an unfeasible option for many homeowners. Luckily, faux wood garage doors, a more affordable product that mimics the appearance of real wood, have recently seen many improvements and are becoming an increasingly popular alternative. Exceptionally durable and beautiful, these doors are an ideal blend of function and fashion. If you’re looking for a new garage door and would like to make a signature statement with the exterior of your home, consider upgrading to faux wood garage doors.
In this article, we will explain what wood-look garage doors are, how they compare to authentic wood doors and how to match them with the rest of your home.
What Is a Faux Wood Garage Door?
Faux wood garage doors consist of a core and an overlay of faux wood or a wood composite. The core is generally made of one of the three following materials:
- Steel: Faux wood garage doors that contain steel feature a steel base with faux wood composite overlay and cladding. Popular collections include the CANYON RIDGE® collection Limited Edition series and Ultra-Grain® series as well as the COACHMAN® collection.
- Aluminum: These doors are made with aluminum as a base and are overlaid with faux wood composite to appear like a wood garage door. The material is a popular base due to its light weight, corrosion resistance and ease of maintenance.
- Fiberglass: Faux wood garage doors made from fiberglass feature a molded wood-grain fiberglass surface that closely resembles the texture and graining of authentic wood. Fiberglass is considered to be one of the materials that can best mimic real wood.
Types of Faux Wood Garage Doors We Offer
Quality Overhead Door offers several popular collections of composite wood garage doors, including the following.
CANYON RIDGE® Collection LIMITED EDITION Series
The gorgeous, fashionable and distinctive doors from this collection feature a sturdy, well-insulated steel base and cladding and overlays made of faux wood composite. These doors look like swing-out doors but offer the convenience of upward operation.
CANYON RIDGE® Collection ULTRA-GRAIN® Series
A more affordable alternative to the Limited Edition series, the Ultra-Grain® series features an authentic-looking woodgrain paint finish that is highly resistant to the elements. The surface of the steel door is covered by stained clean cypress composite overlays, which create attractive carriage house designs. This collection is a great option for homeowners who love the attractiveness of natural stained wood and the strength of steel.
CANYON RIDGE® Collection MODERN Series
The garage doors from the CANYON RIDGE® Collection MODERN series feature a variety of contemporary styles that go well with modern and mid-century homes. There are a number of design options to choose from, including aluminum inlays, horizontal plank designs and full-view glass options.
What Are the Benefits of a Faux Wood Garage Door?
Faux wood doors offer both the appearance and functionality of authentic wood garage doors, allowing you to enjoy the appeal of wood without spending a ton of money. They provide the following advantages.
Lighter
Faux wood doors are considerably lighter than their real wood counterparts, which means they’re also easier to install and open by hand. Real wood doors, on the other hand, may require specialized openers and springs. Lifting them by hand can also be a challenge.
More Durable
Composite wood doors, thanks to their strong core and composite overlay, can better withstand the natural elements, including wind, rain, sun and extremely hot or cold temperatures. They can also resist dings, cracks and various other kinds of damage. Their resistance to cracking means that moisture is unable to infiltrate and cause rotting, which can help your door last much longer.
Less Upkeep
If you opt for a faux wood door, you will save yourself many hours of upkeep in the future. Whereas wood doors require regular painting, staining and various other tasks to protect them from the elements, faux wood doors need minimal upkeep.
More Economical
Although valued for their beauty, wood is one of the priciest materials for garage doors and, therefore, beyond the budget of many homeowners. Fortunately, in recent years high-quality faux wood garage doors have become more affordable and are an increasingly popular alternative to real wood.
COMPOSITE WOOD VS. REAL WOOD GARAGE DOORS
At first glance, real wood and faux wood garage doors may appear very similar. However, they differ significantly in several respects, including their price, durability, aesthetics and maintenance requirements. In this section, we’ll address some of the most commonly asked questions about these two garage door materials.
HOW MUCH UPKEEP IS REQUIRED?
The maintenance requirements for faux and real wood are drastically different.
Faux Wood Upkeep
With faux wood, you get the look of authentic wood without the upkeep. If you’d rather not spend a lot of time and money maintaining your garage door, faux garage doors may be a good option for you. Faux wood garage doors are also much easier to clean than real wood doors.
The lifespan of these doors is significantly longer than that of traditional wood doors and can go many years without the upkeep that wood doors require.
Real Wood Upkeep
Wood garage door maintenance is notoriously involved. Wood garage doors require lots of upkeep, which includes staining, painting and other activities.
Without proper upkeep, real wood garage doors are susceptible to weather and other factors such as moisture and termites. Because of this, homeowners will need to sand down and repaint their wood garage doors once every few years. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be put off — if it is not regularly painted and re-sealed, it will become vulnerable to rotting or bowing due to rain, moisture, temperature fluctuations and more.
DOES A FAUX WOOD GARAGE DOOR LOOK LIKE REAL WOOD?
As is the case with practically any product, faux wood doors can vary greatly in quality. While the highest-quality options are virtually indistinguishable from real wood, some less-expensive options are not as convincing, especially when viewed up close. Some would even say that the more economical wood-look doors do not look or feel at all like the real thing.
Although there are many high-quality products that perfectly resemble real wood, make sure to examine the products thoroughly before you buy one. Taking a close look at samples or visiting a home that has the door you’re considering are great ways to assess the authenticity of a certain product. Quality Overhead Door provides a large selection of premium wood-look garage door products.
HOW DURABLE IS FAUX WOOD COMPARED TO REAL WOOD?
Composite wood and real wood offer different degrees of durability.
Faux Wood Durability
Faux wood doors, due to their sturdy core and wood overlay, hold up better against the harsh elements, including the sun, rain, storms and extreme temperatures. They are resistant to all types of damage, including cracks and dings. Since faux wood doors can’t crack, moisture cannot make its way inside and cause rot or other forms of damage. This ultimately increases the lifespan of the door and helps it retain its attractiveness over time.
Real Wood Durability
Normal wood garage doors do not dent, but they may rot, warp or bow if not properly weatherproofed. However, if wood garage doors do experience any of the above forms of damage, the entire door does not necessarily have to be replaced — only the damaged panels.
The direction your house faces may influence your decision as well. If your garage faces west or south, real wood doors may not be the best option. Doors facing these directions are most exposed to the sun, and as a result, will require even more maintenance to maintain their original appearance.
In certain climates, wood doors will crack or dry out too much. Wood-look doors, on the other hand, are designed to look great and hold up in any climate.
HOW EASY IS THE INSTALLATION OF FAKE WOOD VS. REAL WOOD GARAGE DOORS?
Wood-look garage doors generally take less time to install than real wood garage doors, which is partly due to their lighter weight. This means faux wood doors are also easier to replace and, if you lose power, they’re easier to open by hand.
Real wood doors, on the other hand, are solid, thick and heavy. They’re more difficult to maneuver than their faux wood counterparts, and the installation requires a certain procedure. Although an experienced DIYer may be able to install a wood garage door with the help of an assistant, we recommend that you leave this risky project to professionals.
Professionals are trained to deal with the immense weight of real wood doors and can ensure the springs are properly adjusted. If your wood garage door is not properly installed, it could pose a serious danger, and its lifetime may be significantly shortened.
WHAT IS THE AVAILABILITY OF EACH OPTION?
Because wood-look garage doors aren’t custom-made, they are usually readily available. Choosing a faux wood door will save you both time and money, as there will be no need to wait for your door to be made.
Authentic wood doors, on the other hand, are custom-made, which means there will be a wait between ordering and installation, and the length of the wait will be affected by how much you choose to customize it.
HOW HEAVY ARE FAUX WOOD VS. REAL WOOD GARAGE DOORS?
One of wood’s biggest drawbacks is its heaviness. Its weight may require special springs and openers, and it is not safe to operate it by hand. For this reason, an automatic door opener will need to be installed as well. This makes the installation process more complicated than that for faux wood doors.
Faux wood doors, on the other hand, are significantly lighter, which also means they’re easier to install and can be manually opened.
WOOD VS. FAUX WOOD INSULATION
Wood is naturally an insulator, so if you replace an aluminum or vinyl door with a real wood one, you can expect your energy bills to go down. They are also a great sound barrier, which you will appreciate if you have noisy neighbors or live near a busy road.
However, high-quality faux wood doors generally insulate even better than natural wood models, thanks to the polyurethane insulation found in their core. For instance, the Classic Wood Collection, which features a three-layer construction with polystyrene between the interior and exterior boards of natural wood, has an R-value of 5.9. The Limited Edition and Ultra-Grain® series from the CANYON RIDGE® collection, both of which feature steel cores with faux wood overlays, have R-values of 20.4 and 18.4, respectively.
HOW CUSTOMIZABLE IS EACH OPTION?
Faux and real wood doors provide different degrees of customization.
Customization of Faux Wood Garage Doors
Faux wood garage doors can be customized to a certain extent. For instance, the CANYON RIDGE® Limited Edition Series comes in a variety of colors, including walnut, medium or dark finish, whitewash, slate or primed finish. There are also quite a few other customizable options like hardware, specialty glass and more.
Customization of Real Wood Garage Doors
Authentic wood doors generally provide more customization options in terms of color, wood type, stain, panel design, wood grain patterns and window placement. If you opt for real wood, it will be easy to customize your door to reflect your personal tastes and the architectural style of your home.
While customizing your wood garage door is fun, this does mean you’ll have to wait for some time while it’s being built. If your timeline is constricted, it may be better to go with a faux wood garage door instead.
HOW TO MATCH YOUR WOOD-LIKE GARAGE DOOR TO YOUR HOME
If you’re interested in a faux-wood door for your own home but are not sure how to match it with the rest of your exterior, consider the following tips.
Match the Garage Door and House Color
Paint the garage door the same color as that of your house, not the color of the trim or white — unless your house color is white. Painting your garage door and house the same color can make your house appear larger.
Paint All Trim the Same Color
In most cases, it looks best to paint the trim around your garage doors to match the trim on the rest of your home’s exterior. However, in some instances, it may be better not to call attention to the trim by painting it in a contrasting color.
Use Different Accent Colors for the Garage Doors and Front Door
Using the same color for both can often make the garage door stand out too much and may chop up the facade of your home.
Limit the Garage Door to One Color
Although certain historic or special doors may call for more than one color, most garage doors look better when painted a single hue.
For Brick Homes, Find a Garage Door Color That Matches the Brick
This ensures the color of your garage door will blend well with the rest of your exterior and improve your home’s curb appeal.
Choose a Beautiful Color for Your Front Door
To help draw attention away from your garage door and toward the entrance (the focal point of your home) pick a striking and appealing color for the front door. Other ways to draw attention to your front door include lighting, flowers, a bench or other tasteful elements around the door.
Choose a Single Style for Both Your Garage and Front Doors
Picking the same style for your garage door and front door is an effective way to boost your home’s curb appeal. It will give your home a more uniform look and make it feel more welcoming and comforting. Both garage doors and front doors are highly customizable, and there are many colors, window designs and decorative and functional hardware styles to choose from. Choose options that complement your home’s overall style or that of your neighborhood.
LET QUALITY OVERHEAD DOOR INSTALL YOUR WOOD-LOOK GARAGE DOOR
Garage doors are large and heavy, and installing them is a potentially dangerous and time-consuming process that should be left to professionals. Furthermore, installing them incorrectly can put you and your family in danger — garage doors are under much tension, and their springs or cables could snap if improperly installed. It’s true you may save money in the short term by installing your garage door yourself, but incorrect installation can lead to pricey repairs down the road.
It’s best to leave this complicated and risky process in the hands of a professional installer. If you live in Northwest Ohio or Southeast Michigan, you’re going to want the experienced technicians at Quality Overhead Door to perform this service.
If you ever experience any issues with your garage door, we also have the expertise to diagnose the problem and get your door back up and running. Our experienced team of technicians service all makes and models of garage doors and many other products, such as entry doors, fireplaces and awnings.
If you’re shopping for a new garage door, we offer a wide selection of high-quality doors, so you’re likely to find the product to suit your home style and personal tastes. We are authorized dealers of the industry-leading brands Clopay®, CHI, Wayne Dalton and LiftMaster.
Quality Overhead Door has been serving the Toledo community since 1982, and we attribute the longevity of our business to our trustworthiness, our massive selection of products, the experience of our employees and our superior customer service. Our goal is to see our customers happy with the overhead doors at their homes or businesses. Whether we’re performing installation, maintenance or repairs, we work hard to provide superior service that gets the job done efficiently.
We want our customers to be satisfied with every aspect of our services. We provide free estimates for any installations, and we always send highly qualified technicians to provide services, which means you’ll never have to deal with a contractor. We also only install products from top-rated manufacturers and provide a free warranty on all products we install — so you can be sure we always stand by the work we do.
If you have any questions regarding our installations, services or product lines, our responsive and knowledgeable team would be happy to answer them. Call us at 419-578-8700 or get in touch through our online contact form.
Additional Resources On Types of Garage Doors:
- Garage Door Insulation Buying Guide For Homeowners in Ohio and Michigan
- Buyer Guide for Contemporary Garage Doors
- Best Traditional Garage Doors
- Best Carriage House Style Garage Doors
- Best Contemporary Garage Doors