Wood vs. Faux Wood Garage Doors: Which Is Right for You?
November 14, 2021What is one of the best things you can do to increase the resale value of your home? Replace your garage door. Are you surprised by that?
According to the Remodeling 2018 Cost vs. Value Report, investing in a high-quality, good-looking garage door has been proven to net a 98 percent return on investment when a home is sold. In other words, if you put the money into a garage door now, you’ll see almost all of it come back to you at the closing table.
Why?
A garage door replacement is often viewed as more functional and not one of the more glamorous home improvements, but consider this. In many modern homes, the garage door has overtaken the front door as the home’s main entryway. It is typically the most-used point of entrance and exit for a home’s occupants. It also typically faces the road, meaning its one of the first things people see when they look at your house.
That means it has the potential to either make or break your home’s curb appeal. And, let’s face it — whether you’re planning to live in your home for the next twenty years or you’re about to list it on the market, what people think about your home — and how much they are willing to pay for it — matters.
If you’re looking to replace your current garage door with a new one, there’s no better option for improving your home’s curb appeal than a wooden or faux wood garage door. They’re eye-catching, solid, dependable doors. And, there’s no denying how much beauty a good-quality wood garage door can add to your home. It’s also a quick and easy way to change the overall look of your house if it’s time for an update.
If you’re like a lot of people, you may not know much about the different kinds of garage doors on the market today. You’re not sure what the difference is between wood and faux wood garage doors. If that’s the case, then you’re in the right place. Here’s a rundown on what type of garage door you should consider for your property.
What Is the Difference Between Wood and Faux Wood Garage Doors?
A wood garage door is exactly what it sounds like — a garage door made of solid wood, often redwood, cedar, hemlock or even Douglas Fir. In contrast, a wood-look, or faux, wood garage door is a door that has a steel core and then a wood overlay. This gives it the beautiful look of a classic wood door but means that it’s lighter and typically less expensive than the real thing.
Their similarities come in look and feel — a good-quality faux wood door will generally be indistinguishable from a wood door from the street. The difference between a wood and a faux wood garage door are typically found in their price point, availability and maintenance needs. For example, a wooden garage door is going to typically be more expensive, take longer to install and going to need extra maintenance to protect it from elements like extreme weather and termites. However, they also come with many benefits that make them the right choice for certain homeowners. While each offers its own set of pros and cons, it’s important for homeowners to understand the pros and cons of both options in order to decide which is the best choice for them.
Pros of Wood Garage Doors
There are many pros to owning wood garage doors. Here are just a few to consider for your home.
1. Curb Appeal of Wood Garage Doors
Wood garage doors are designed to be beautiful and elegant and often are regarded as much as a decorative item as a functional one. Typically wood doors are custom-made for each home, which means owners can personalize them by selecting the look and color that goes best with their home — in other words, there is much more variety available in wood doors.
At a time when homeowners are more likely to go in and out of their garage than their front door, having an attractive entry point in the garage door is an appealing option.
2. Durability of Wood Garage Doors
Wood garage doors are solid and built to last. It takes a lot to damage them, and they can stand up to pretty much anything you throw at them.
If you’re worried about the impact of overzealous teenagers’ game of pickup basketball in your driveway or a well-meaning relative who attempted to park a little too close, don’t be. Wood garage doors don’t dent. Not only that but when they do experience typical wear and tear — in the form of cracks, chips, rot or warp — you can simply have the damaged panels replaced instead of the entire door.
3. Good Resale Value on Wood Garage Doors
A beautiful garage door is a showstopper. If you’re thinking about selling your home now or ten years from now, consider how your home is going to look to someone as they pull up into the driveway. Will they see a beautiful, custom-made wood door? Or will they see something old and dented and the same as what your neighbor has across the street?
Garage doors have a huge impact on the resale value of a home. Their appearance and condition can even make or break someone’s interest in seeing the interior of your home, which will impact how quickly you sell your home and what kind of profit you make on it.
Cons of Wood Garage Doors
There are a few considerations to allow for if you decide to install wood garage doors.
1. Wood Garage Doors Can Require More Budget
Wood garage doors usually cost more than faux wood garage doors. This is mainly because of the material — wood, especially high-quality, moisture-resistant wood like cedar — is usually a more expensive material.
2. Wood Garage Doors Require Regular Maintenance
Wood garage doors are vulnerable to weather and other outside factors like moisture buildup and termites. Rain, sun, storms and varying temperatures wear away at the wooden surface. This means that a wood garage door will need to be sanded and repainted every couple of years. And that’s not a maintenance item you can put off, either. If a wood garage door isn’t re-painted and re-sealed regularly, it can become susceptible to moisture and rot or even bow in the winter because of the colder temperatures.
3. Wood Garage Doors Have Longer Initial Wait Times
Being able to customize your garage door’s style and color is fun, but it does mean that you’ll have to wait for it to be constructed. It can’t just be pulled out of a warehouse. Expect a longer wait time between order and installation, which may become a factor if your timeline is constricted for some reason.
Pros of Faux Wood Garage Doors
Like wood garage doors, faux wood doors also have a number of pros. The main pros of a faux wood garage door are their reliability, affordability and ease of maintenance in comparison to traditional wood garage doors. Learn more about the pros of these types of garage doors below.
1. Faux Wood Garage Doors Are Reliable
By choosing a door with a steel core and wood overlay, you guarantee your garage door will hold up better against the elements — sun, rain, storms and temperatures can’t get through steel. These doors are harder to damage and crack, and, when your door can’t crack, then moisture can’t get inside and cause rot and other damage. This ultimately extends the life of your door and helps it to maintain its appearance over time.
2. Faux Wood Garage Doors Are Affordable
Faux wood garage doors are not custom-made, although they are still available in a wide variety of colors and styles. Since they aren’t custom-made, they’re typically readily available. This means a huge cost-savings AND time savings because you won’t have to wait for your garage door to be constructed. These lighter-weight options are also easier and quicker to install, so your installation costs will be lower, a definite bonus for the budget-conscious consumer.
3. Faux Wood Garage Doors Are Low Maintenance
Real wood doors have to be sanded down and repainted every couple of years. If you don’t want to spend much time or money on upkeep, faux garage doors are for you. They do not require regular painting needed to keep them looking gorgeous. You won’t need to reseal them as they age. Over time, they remain easy to clean and hard to damage.
Cons of Faux Wood Garage Doors
You will also discover a few cons of faux wood doors, including the following.
1. Higher Cost of Faux Wood Garage Doors
Yes, they’re cheaper than real wood garage doors, but faux wood doors are still a more expensive option than doors made from other materials. This is because you’re still paying for a high-quality steel door, and it is still overlaid with real wood products.
2. The Appearance of Faux Wood Garage Doors May Vary Based on Quality
Like anything, there are varying degrees of quality when it comes to faux wood doors, and it’s important to make sure you’re satisfied with the appearance of the “faux” wood. While these doors can look like the real deal from far away, some of the less-expensive options aren’t as convincing when you’re up close. Some people have gone as far as to say that they don’t look or feel like real wood.
While there are many high-quality products out there that do look like the real thing, be careful what you choose. Looking at samples up close or asking to drive by a home with the door you’re considering are always a great way to evaluate the authenticity of a particular product.
Choose Halo Overhead Doors for Your New Garage Door
With so many options available to you, don’t you wish there was somewhere you could go to touch the doors, see the colors and get a feel for which style would complement your home? You can.
The showroom at Halo Overhead Doors boasts a wide variety of samples of materials, colors and styles for you to choose from. We aren’t going to let you pick a door you aren’t sure about. We want you to be thrilled when the new door arrives. And the best way to make sure that happens is to let you see it before you buy it.
We know this is especially important when you’re trying to decide whether to buy a wood door or a faux wood door. Sometimes the best way to determine if you prefer the classic look and feel of real wood over the price and convenience of faux wood is to touch and see it up close and in person.
For the last 25 years, Halo Overhead Doors has been installing residential and commercial garage doors in the Houston area. Locally owned and operated, we proudly offer high-quality personal service to each of our customers. We provide installation of a variety of styles, including the following real wood and faux wood collections:
We are a Cloplay® Master Installer. Our technicians are experienced in the maintenance and repair of a wide variety of brands of garage doors, and they have years of experience with a wide variety of garage door issues, including:
- Malfunctioning photosensors
- Broken torsion springs
- Cracked panels
- Frayed cables
But don’t worry if you don’t see your issue on this list or you aren’t sure exactly what’s wrong. Our technicians can diagnose problems and come up with the best solution to have your door functioning at maximum capacity as quickly as possible.
Whether you’re in desperate need of a new garage door or your existing door isn’t functioning like it should, we invite you to give us a call at (713) 224-3667, request a free estimate online or visit our showroom to discover just how we can turn your garage door from something functional into something beautiful.