Improving My Garage Door

If you are going to update your garage style, you want to pick a panel material that complements the rest of your home decor. Obviously, many features on the outside of your home are made out of hardwood. But, does this mean you should also install hardwood garage panels to match? This article weighs up the pros and cons of installing hardwood garage doors.

Maintaining Hardwood Garages

Of all the popular garage panel materials on the market, hardwood products are going to be the most time consuming to maintain and take care of over the years. Hardwood panels will be directly exposed to moisture and sun. They will fade and require refinishing in order to maintain the strength and style of the panels.

But, most modern panels are actually hybrid in nature. They usually have a synthetic frames that the hardwood rests in. This means that the wood is not actually susceptible to such severe warping or water damage. But, the outside of the wood will still be vulnerable since it is exposed to moisture. This means that the wood will need to be refinished once or twice over its lifetime.

Refinishing Hardwood

You might need to refinish your hardwood once a decade. Some people do this anyway just because they want to change the color or make their finish brighter. In fact, this is often very best reason to install hardwood panel.

Hardwood is really the only material that can be easily refinished. So, if you want to change the color scheme on your home exterior, you can also change your garage door colors. This is a luxury you don't have with most synthetic products like fiberglass, which is very difficult to refinish. Wood is easy to refinish, and can even be done as a DIY project.

If you do desire the hardwood look, but don't want to deal with the maintenance, there are obviously some alternative methods. For example, you could choose to buy a synthetic material, like vinyl, that has a fake wood print. Even though this doesn't look quite as good as a real wood panel, it is a great alternative for people who want low maintenance.

Many people are willing to deal with the fact that wood panels are little more demanding to own. They might need some more care over the years, but it is worth it if you want the authentic style of raw wood. Contact a service, like Garage Door Pros, for more help.