One thing many homeowners may want to consider while garage door shopping is the various textures of garage door materials and the important impact it can have in the overall look of the door. While some homeowners may love the color and design of a garage door, they may not be so enthused when they get up close and realize it has a texture (or doesn’t). This preference varies from homeowner to homeowner, so it’s important to know what each material offers in terms of texture, feel, and appearance.

Textured Garage Doors

Steel garage doors are among the most popular garage door materials, and get their texture from the wood grain design embossed into the steel. The purpose of the embossing is not just beauty, but the small folds in the steel created from embossing provide additional strength and stability to the material. After embossing, the steel is stamped with one of the various garage door designs then finished with a wood tone paint or a standard paint color.

Wood garage doors, while typically smooth, can be wire brushed to give them a less polished texture and appearance. Reclaimed barn wood garage doors are gaining popularity because of their organic, rustic style. Barn wood doors are rough to the touch, giving them the authentic look and feel of a true original barn.

Vinyl garage doors are smooth to the touch, and though limited in styles and colors, they make up for it by being low maintenance and durable.

Similar to steel, fiberglass garage doors (though typically smooth) can be embossed with a wood grain. A woodtone finish can help accentuate the realness of the grain.

Smooth Garage Doors

While less common, steel garage doors can also be smooth. Typically this is found in more modern flush front design. Some homeowners prefer the durability of steel garage doors but aren’t crazy about the textured wood look. The ability to have a smooth steel garage door gives them the best of both worlds.

Wood garage doors offer many customization opportunities. You can choose the species of wood, the garage door design, as well as the stain color. Typically, a wood garage door is smooth. The wood boards are planed and sanded before being constructed into a garage door to eliminate the possibility of splintering and deteriorating at a rapid rate.

Wood composites are a combination of resin and wood fillers which give them characteristics of wood, without the maintenance. Similar to real wood garage doors, wood composite garage doors are smooth. This material can be painted a variety of colors or stained to look like real wood. Wood composites, such as Tricoya and Extira, are manufactured to be used outside. They can be customized to the homeowners specifications and are extremely durable.

Vinyl composite garage doors are smooth like wood doors, but are virtually maintenance free! It can be painted a variety of colors or painted with beautiful wood stain-like finishes. Vinyl composite offers many opportunities for customization which makes it a very popular garage door material.

Fiberglass is typically smooth. Unlike many other materials, customization options for fiberglass are limited, but it is very durable which makes it desirable for some homeowners. This material is very resistant to insects, warping, dents, moisture, and changes in humidity.

Garage door materials are each unique in their own way. Depending on the material, there are different designs, colors, and textures. Understanding what each material offers can be an important part of the door shopping process. Your Door Designer will be able to answer any questions you have about the texture of different materials and may even have some samples to show you at your consultation!