What a sliding garage door can mean
The word covers two quite different doors. B&D says a sectional door, the panels that run up and back across the ceiling, is also called a sliding or overhead garage door. Other people mean a door that slides sideways along the inside wall.
Work out which one you mean before you compare anything, because they need room in different places: a sectional door needs ceiling space, while a side-sliding door needs clear wall beside the opening.
Side-sliding, side-hinged and bifold garage doors
These open sideways instead of up, which is why people look at them for a low garage or a ceiling they want to keep clear for storage.
Gliderol makes bi-fold doors, along with track type and counterweight tilt doors, which it describes as produced for architecturally designed homes. Steel-Line lists barn style doors in its specialty range, next to louvre, slatted and mesh aluminium doors.
They sit in the makers' specialty ranges, so ask early who makes the door, who will service it and what the warranty expects.
Choices for a garage with low headroom
| What the maker says | Who says it | |
|---|---|---|
| Sectional door, low headroom rear mount | Needs 150mm of headroom, against 290mm for a standard install | Steel-Line |
| Sectional door, low headroom front mount | Needs 200mm of headroom | Steel-Line |
| Flex-A-Door | Offered for garages with restricted headroom | B&D |
| Tilt door | Suits openings with restricted side room or headroom | Steel-Line |
| Wall-mounted opener | Frees up overhead space (Commander Ultimate) | Merlin |
| Side-mounted opener | Standard on the Multi Drive 1500 Pro | Steel-Line |
Questions to ask about a side-opening door
- Which maker builds it, and who services that brand near me?
- How much clear wall or swing space does it need beside the opening?
- Can it take an opener, and which one?
- How does it seal at the sides and along the bottom?
- What servicing does the warranty need, and how often?
Bushfire-prone land and side-hung doors
A City of Busselton summary of AS 3959 says that at BAL-12.5 and BAL-19, panel lift, tilt and side-hung garage doors need seals or guide tracks that leave no gap over 3 mm. Your own BAL assessment and building surveyor set the rules for your home, so raise it before choosing a door.
Looking after a side-opening door
- Keep oil and grease out of any track; Steel-Line warns that grease in tracks attracts dirt and dust.
- Hose steel parts down with clean fresh water at least every six months, and more often near the sea, as BlueScope advises for Colorbond steel.
- Ask at handover which parts you may lubricate and which the door specialist should service.
What we would do
If a low ceiling is the only reason you are looking at sliding or bifold doors, get the headroom measured first. Steel-Line's low headroom rear mount needs just 150mm, so a sectional door may still fit and leave the side walls clear for shelves.