Sectional garage doors for warm, integral and converted garages

Picture four or five thick panels stacked one above another in the opening. When the motor starts, rollers at the side of each panel follow a curved track, so the door rises vertically for the first stretch and then turns to lie flat beneath the ceiling. Like a roller, nothing swings out over the drive, so you can pull the car close and still open up.

The difference is what happens overhead. A sectional parks the full door under the roof rather than coiling it into a box. You give up some ceiling space for storage, and in return you get a much thicker, stiffer door that seals better on every edge.

Each panel is two skins of steel with foam bonded between them, and the joints between panels are rebated so they close tightly. That construction is what gives sectionals the best thermal performance of anything we install. For an integral garage it means a warmer hallway and bedroom above; for a converted space it means you can actually use it in January.

Insulated doors of this type generally land in the 1.3 to 1.6 W/m²K band. If you want to understand what that figure means compared with a single-skin door, the insulated garage doors guide walks through it plainly.

Sectional doors usually sit above rollers on price. The fitted figure includes the motor, handsets, safety features and disposal of the old door. What moves you up or down that range is mostly the physical door and the building it goes into.

If the garage is detached and used for a car and garden tools, the extra insulation of a sectional may not earn its cost, and a roller keeps the ceiling clear. If the ceiling is low, cluttered with pipework or already used for storage, a roller is also the simpler fit. We would rather tell you that on the survey than sell the dearer door, and the roller versus sectional guide lays out both honestly.

For a sectional we look at the headroom above the opening, the depth of the garage for the tracks, the side room either side for the running gear, and anything on the ceiling that the door would hit. Those four things decide whether a sectional will go in cleanly. Lead time confirmed when you order.

Because the panels are rigid and the motor lifts them on balanced springs, a sectional runs quietly and smoothly, which matters if a bedroom sits over the garage. The rubber seals along the bottom and sides stay in contact with the frame when the door is closed, which keeps out leaves and road dust as well as cold air.

Looking after one is simple. Wipe the panels down a couple of times a year, keep the tracks clear of anything stored near them, and check the bottom seal after winter. If the door ever meets an obstruction, the safety features stop and reverse it, and the manual release lets you open it by hand in a power cut. We walk you through both before we leave on fitting day.