Garage Door Glossary of Terms

Here at Doormatic, we offer a vast array of garage doors and their associated products. When shopping for the perfect garage door, sometimes you may find yourself stumbling upon a word or phrase you’re unfamiliar with. To help you get to grips with garage door lingo, we’ve put together this handy glossary to key garage door terms.

ABS Garage Doors
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a plastic garage door material which can be chosen to match a house’s uPVC windows and doors.

Anodising
An oxide film coating applied to the surface of aluminium garage doors.

Astragal
Weatherstripping that is adhered to the bottom of a garage door to seal the gap between the door and the floor.

Bottom Bracket
The structural supports that can be found on both sides of the bottom section of the door, and which the lifting cables are attached to on sectional doors.

Bracket Mounted Track
Fastens vertical tracks to door jambs. This angle bracket is known as a Bracket Mounted Track.

Cable Drums
Placed on the torsion spring shaft. Cable drums allow the cable to be collected or dispensed in a tidy manner that prevents tangling or chafing.

Cable Safety Device
The cable safety device is designed to prevent the door from falling in the event of a cable break.

Extension Springs
The job of these springs is to offer a lifting force by stretching, and are mounted to each of the rear track hangers and then attached to a pulley to complete the mechanism.

Galvanising
A zinc coating applied to steel garage doors to prevent them from rusting over time.

GRP
Glassfibre Reinforced Plastics are made of plastic and fibres of glass that offer impressive strength, whilst still remaining lightweight. It is used in garage door construction.

Guide Rail
Rails which sit either side of a roller door frame to keep the door slats in a straight line for a secure close.

Jamb
Vertical framing for the garage door opening.

Rear Track Hangers
Provides the means to attach the horizontal track to the garage ceiling.

Rollers
The wheels that travel along the tracks to give motion to a garage door.

Sectional Garage Doors
Doors made from two or more ‘sections’ hinged together to provide effective covering of the entire opening. They usually open vertically.

Side-Hinged Garage Doors
Inside of opening upwards like conventional garage doors, this design opens outward like a pair of domestic double doors.

Top Seal
Weatherstripping located at the top of a garage door to protect the opening.

Torsion Shaft
Runs through the centre of the torsion spring, and is used to transfer the lifting force to the lifting cables and the cable drums.

Torsion Springs
Used to help raise and lower the door using their stored energy. They can either be manually wound or charged, before being mounted above the garage door opening. A shaft runs through the spring, which turns and moves the shaft to then raise or lower the door.

Track
Provides a path for the garage roller wheels. These vertical tracks are mounted onto the jambs (the framing) on both sides of the door openings.

Established for over 20 years, Doormatic have since earned themselves a reputation as premier garage door suppliers across Surrey and beyond. To find out more about what we can offer, simply get in touch with our friendly team today.

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Top Garage Storage Ideas – with Infographic!

If your garage is looking a little cluttered there are plenty of simple garage storage solutions to keep it neat, tidy, and looking as good on the inside as it does outside. You don’t have to be a DIY enthusiast to give your garage a storage makeover. Our handy garage organisation tips are easy to execute, and often have shop-bought alternatives if you don’t feel like getting your hands dirty. Take a look at our infographic and article below!

View/download infographic in high quality

Organisation is key: There’s no point in creating storage for the content of your garage if half of it is old and unused. Before you dust off the drill and get creative with garage storage ideas, it might be worth having a clearout. You may find that many of your items can either be discarded, given to charity, or would find a more suitable home in another area of the house.

Suspended Shelving: Just below the garage ceiling lies plenty of unused space, perfect for the installation of a suspended shelf. Tucked away at the top of the garage, these shelves are non-intrusive storage solutions that can hold several medium storage boxes full of odds and ends.

Wheelbarrow Wall-Hanging: Are you tired of your wheelbarrow falling over when not in use? Or of hauling down from a high-up location? Just one simple wall bracket can keep it safe and secure in the propped position for quick, easy access.

Folding Tool Cabinet: Don’t leave your tools languishing in a rusty tool box. If you dabble in DIY, it’s important to have all your equipment contained in one place. A folding tool cabinet is a stow-away, space saving feature that makes all tools organised and visible. Simply construct two or three pegboard boxes, complete with installed hooks, and hinge them together. Mount the completed hinge box onto the wall, securing it firmly.

Hooks Away: If you like to keep storage simple, wall and ceiling hooks can work wonders at getting some key items safely off the ground and somewhere more easy to reach. Anything from spades, tools, clothing, and sports equipment can be placed on these handy features.

Hose Bucket: Hoses are heavy, cumbersome and difficult to store. A little known trick is to fit a large bucket to the wall, using the hollow plastic structure to wind the large hose around. For added advantage, the bucket itself can also double up as a storage area.

Bike Rack: Tripping over bicycles can be a daily annoyance in a disorganised garage. Keep your bike up and out of the way with a simple homemade bike rack.

Shelving: If you like to keep things old school, install some standard shelving. These are available to buy and assemble from major DIY stores, but it is far cheaper to make your own from excess wood and screws; this way you can personalise the dimensions to suit specific items.

Fold-Away Work Table: If you use your garage for activities that need a work space, the required table can eat into your valuable space. Consider building or buying a foldaway version instead to conserve room.

Group and Label: Once you’ve reorganised your garage, it may initially be disorientating to remember where everything is. For example, if lots of items are now neatly stored in boxes, ensure you label these boxes clearly to avoid confusion. It’s also a huge help to group similar items together.

Doormatic are a leading supplier of top quality garage doors. We provide a huge range of of styles, materials, finishes and colours to seamlessly complement the exterior of your home. And if your garage door runs into any trouble, we can also offer repairs and maintenance across a wide area, including Surrey and London.

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Fitting 2 Carteck Sectional Doors and matching Personnel Door

This video shows 2 Carteck Sectional Garage Doors and a matching Personnel Door being fitted for a customer in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The Doormatic team fitted these Insulated Sectional Doors (fully finished in Anthracite) on a new build property – on a particularly blustery day! A matching Personnel door (also from Carteck) was fitted to the side of the garage. The Carteck Electric Door motors have been used in this installation – we can offer all our customers an improved price on the Standard Colours from this range if using the Carteck motor.

Carteck have a great selection on ‘on-trend’ colours and finishes available for you to choose from. They also offer wood effect finishes, or RAL colour matching. This versatility is one of the reasons they are so popular with our customers.

Carteck Doors also have great insulation properties – every door has 40mm thick steel sections that are double skinned, and filled with a foam core. They are also easy to automate, with 3 energy efficient drive motors to choose from.

We hope you enjoy the video – and if you’d like more information, or a FREE quote on new or replacement doors for your property, please call 01483 237393 or use our online form.

The post Fitting 2 Carteck Sectional Doors and matching Personnel Door appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/fitting-2-carteck-sectional-doors-matching-personnel-door/

5 Common Garage Door Problems… and How To Solve Them!

We’re regularly asked to repair or replace garage doors, and very often the problem stems from something that could be avoided through regular maintenance. We’ve put together a top 5 list of the most common garage door problems you may encounter.

 

Problem 1 – Old Rollers

Throughout the lifespan of your garage doors, rollers are called on to move up and down the track system over a thousand times. Not surprisingly, this can lead to them wearing out. In order to prevent extremely expensive repairs due to roller breakage, you ideally need to replace your rollers approximately every five years.

 

Problem 2- An automated door won’t close

The garage door will be the largest moving object with the highest traffic area within your home. With family members (and pets!) using it frequently as a main entrance, it can be easy to accidentally cause the safety sensors to move. If you notice that your garage door does not close, the first thing you should check is that the safety sensors are adjusted correctly.

 

Problem 3 -Lubricated operator/motor rail

Although not all garage door openers need to be lubricated, the ones that do should be maintained every 1-2 years. Other components such as the screw drive operator rails will need to be lubricated on a regular basis. Important – chain and belt drives will never need lubrication, so please keep this in mind even if some garage door repair companies tell you different.

 

Problem 4 – Operator / motor adjustments

Like anything, your garage door motor can lose strength and power. In order to resolve this issue, you can adjust the limit switches on your machine, which are usually located on the side of the motor.

 

Problem 5 – Garage door hinge lubrication

Here at Doormatic we cannot stress this enough, lubricating your garage door hinges is a fantastic way to keep them from breaking due to regular use. All you will need to do is to take some lubricant, such as WD-40, and lightly spray them once a year for a smoother and quieter running door – it really is that simple!

 

Helping You Make the Right Choice

At Doormatic, we’re dedicated to providing you with honest, clear and objective advice, so that you can make an informed and stress-free choice that fits your home and family’s needs today – and tomorrow. If the garage door problems you have aren’t covered by the above, we’re here to help!

Need assistance? Don’t hesitate to call us on 01483 237393.
You can also contact us here, or request a FREE Quote here.

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from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/5-common-garage-door-problems-solve/

Installing a Carteck Black Woodgrain Sectional Garage Door

This video shows a Sectional Garage Door being fitted for a customer in Wokingham.

The product is a Carteck Un-Ribbed Black Woodgrain Sectional garage door. We converted the garage from 2 single doors to one double door, and used the Novomatic 553 Electric Door Opener. For more information about the Carteck ranges we offer, click here ››. This is just one of the hundreds of doors we’ve fitted in Surrey.

We’ll be posting more videos soon. Remember to bookmark this page and check back often!
We have a wide range of Sectional Garage Doors available – you can read about this type of door here ››
If you’d like to discuss the supply and fitting of new garage doors for your home, please call us on 01483 237393, or contact us via this website. You can also submit a FREE Quote request here ››.

The post Installing a Carteck Black Woodgrain Sectional Garage Door appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/installing-carteck-black-woodgrain-sectional-garage-door/

Fitting a Carteck Sectional Door for a customer in Surrey

We recently installed this Sectional Garage Door for a customer in Farnham.

This Carteck centre rib Sectional Garage Door is fully finished in Cream. The door was fitted in Farnham, Surrey, and we used the Novoferm 563 Electric Door Opener – this comes standard with 2 remotes and a remote wall switch. This is just one of the hundreds of doors we’ve fitted in Surrey.

We’ll be posting more videos soon. Remember to bookmark this page and check back often!
We have a wide range of Sectional Garage Doors available – you can read about this type of door here ››
If you’d like to discuss the supply and fitting of new garage doors for your home, please call us on 01483 237393, or contact us via this website. You can also submit a FREE Quote request here ››.

The post Fitting a Carteck Sectional Door for a customer in Surrey appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/fitting-carteck-sectional-door-customer-surrey/

Fitting a Roller Garage Door in Woking

One of our most recent jobs was installing this Roller Garage Door for a customer in Woking.

The had their existing retractable manual door removed onsite prior to the installation of the new Roller Garage Door. This door is from the Alluguard range, and comes with 2 remotes as standard, along with an alarm and a wall console featuring a light and up and down switch. This is just one of the hundreds of doors we’ve fitted in Surrey.

We’ll be posting more videos soon. Remember to bookmark this page and check back often!
We have a wide range of Roller Garage Doors available – you can read about this type of door here ››
If you’d like to discuss the supply and fitting of new garage doors for your home, please call us on 01483 237393, or contact us via this website. You can also submit a FREE Quote request here ››.

The post Fitting a Roller Garage Door in Woking appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/fitting-roller-garage-door-woking/

Installing 2 Carteck Sectional Garage Doors

We perform hundreds of installations of Garage Doors every year. We thought it would be a great idea if you could see the various stages involved during the fitting process.

Here, you can see two of our team removing some older doors, and replacing them with 2 new Carteck Sectional doors. The video has been time-lapsed, so the entire job can be seen in a little over three minutes. We hope you find it interesting to see just how a project like this is undertaken from start to finish.

We’ll be posting more videos soon. Remember to bookmark this page and check back often!
We have a wide range of sectional doors available – you can read about this type of door here ››
If you’d like to discuss the supply and fitting of new garage doors for your home, please call us on 01483 237393, or contact us via this website. You can also submit a FREE Quote request here ››.

The post Installing 2 Carteck Sectional Garage Doors appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/installing-2-carteck-sectional-garage-doors/

Automated Garage Doors Benefits

Automated garage doors benefits – the Doormatic guide…

Those of you who’ve already discovered the joys of automated garage doors will know exactly how satisfying they are to have and operate. Let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like pulling up to your garage on a cold, wet, dark evening… and not having to get out of the car to open the garage door. If that sounds over-the-top (no pun intended) well… we all have to take pleasure out of life where we can, don’t we?!

Of course, there are other benefits to having an automated garage door, such as:

1: Ease of access – automation is just simpler, isn’t it? No more fiddling with keys in locks, pulling down bolts, or trying to stop doors being caught by high winds. Just press a button, and let the motor do the rest.

2: Better insulation – automated garage doors are very efficient at insulating your space and reducing loss of heat. This is a real bonus if you’re someone who uses their garage as a workshop or hobby room.

3: Energy efficient – they may seem to use a lot of power to work, but the amount of electricity required to open and close an automated garage door is actually very small. They generally only take 15 seconds to open or close, and don’t use much power when not in use.

4: Space saving – of our ranges, sectional or roller garage doors offer the most when it comes to making the most of your available space.

5: Added value – investing in an automated garage door can improve the appearance of your home. We can source and supply a door to suit virtually any property. They are available in a huge range of colours, materials and finishes.

Get an automated garage door for your home

We’ve been supplying and fitting automated garage doors in Surrey for over 20 years. If you’re considering one for your home, please give us a call on 01483 237393. We have a courteous, experienced team ready to assist you.

You can see actual customer feedback on Checkatrade ››

For a free, no obligation quote, please click here ››

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from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/automated-garage-doors-benefits/

Garage Doors Winter Maintenance Guide

Oh the weather outside is frightful…

It’s that time of year again, with strongs winds, increased rain and dropping temperatures. Yes, winter is here – and so is our garage doors winter maintenance guide! Obviously things aren’t all bad – it’s nearly Christmas, after all – but your garage doors are likely to be faced with some challenging weather conditions, and giving them some TLC now will be of real benefit.

Putting in some time into your garage doors winter maintenance is going to help you avoid possible need for repair further down the line – here are a few DIY tips from us that you can all put into practice.

1: A good clean is a good start! They don’t need to be spotless, but removing dirt, especially around the hinges (if your doors are hinged) will help stop ‘clogging’ and prevent the onset of rust.

2: Pay particular attention to the weather stripping (located towards the bottom of your doors), keeping an eye open for any cracks or tears that may be developing. This area is key in keeping your garage interior dry – and the winter weather out.

3: If your garage doors have windows, check and clean these also. If you do notice any damage, it’s better to act now than wait – rain and snow can cause further problems. The sealing around the windows is an area that needs some vigilance, as this protects your window frames. If in doubt, give us a call for advice.

4: If your doors have any moving parts, check for build-ups of grease on the tracks and rollers, and wipe away with a cloth. Grease build-up can impede the smooth opening and closing of your doors, especially in winter. To be safe – please do not attempt to adjust any cables or springs without expert assistance. If you notice a problem with these aspects of your door, call us for assistance.

5: It’s cold, snowing, you’ve just arrived home… and your garage doors won’t open. You’ve guessed it – the batteries in the remote control have run out. We’ve all done it – so check you’ve got a fresh set of batteries running, and avoid that ‘oh no’ moment!

Need help with your garage doors winter maintenance?

If you think your garage doors need some expert attention, please give us a call on 01483 237393. We have a courteous, experienced team ready to assist you.

You can see actual customer feedback on Checkatrade ››

For a free, no obligation quote, please click here ››

The post Garage Doors Winter Maintenance Guide appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/garage-doors-winter-maintenance-guide/

Garage Door Fitting and DIY danger

Garage door fitting is not as easy a DIY job as some garage door suppliers – including major high street companies – will lead you to believe.

In fact, garage doors can be very dangerous to fit. The springs that help lift the garage door are under incredible tension. We have just had an example of a client removing the spring tension clip on a Canopy Up & Over Door before the door was screwed to the frame. You can see what happened in the picture above!

The result, luckily, was the spring ripping off the door BUT this could have been far worse. Had the client’s face or arm been in the way, the physical damage could have been terrible. Canopy Up & Over Doors are the most basic of garage doors to fit but they should always be fitted by a very competent tradesman.

Need help with garage door fitting?

If you have a garage door project you need assistance with, please give us a call on 01483 237393. We have a courteous, experienced team ready to assist you.

You can see actual customer feedback on Checkatrade ››

If you would like a free, no obligation quote, please click here ››

The post Garage Door Fitting and DIY danger appeared first on Doormatic Garage Doors.

from Blog – Doormatic Garage Doors https://www.doormaticgaragedoors.co.uk/garage-door-fitting-diy-danger/