Most major garage door manufacturers offer a line of doors in the Carriage House style. These doors are normally more expensive than the base metal panel garage door, but for the extra money you get a striking enhancement to your home’s curb appeal and general overall appearance.
Carriage doors come in various materials and window and hardware treatment. Most people think of natural wood when considering this type of door, but you can get the same style in a composite material or stamped steel that will give you the look of natural wood.
Most wood garage doors are constructed of Western Cedar or Clear Hemlock Fir. The construction can be a combination of wood, insulation and composite material as well. If you are considering purchasing this type of garage door, your best bet is to call a reputable garage door company and let them give you an overview of the options available. Trying to research information available on the hundreds of style and material combinations on your own can be a daunting task, so we recommend you save yourself a lot of time and just give your local company an call.
If you do decide to go with natural wood, be aware of the recommended maintenance requirements of this material. Here is information from a major garage door manufacturer concerning finish of their wood carriage house garage doors:
The finish on your door must be inspected for discoloration and coating delamination every 12 months and more frequently if exposed to direct sunlight or harsh environmental conditions. The door must be re-coated with a layer of exterior grade, UV resistant, clear protective topcoat at least every 2 years for maximum longevity. In locations of severe weather exposure, more frequent maintenance may be required. We recommend Minwax® Helmsman® Spar Urethane or Minwax® Clear-Shield™. We recommend a Minwax® gel stain or high quality exterior-grade latex paint. Gel stains tend to be more vivid than paints in final appearance; however exterior-grade latex paints tend to last longer.
Custom Composite garage doors
If you decide against natural wood, a composite option is available. Here is some info from their website on a composite door from Coplay, one of our recommended suppliers.
Full cladding and overlay faux wood Carriage House doors combine the beauty and texture of natural wood with the energy efficiency of an insulated steel door.
composite door construction
Canyon Ridge® Collection Limited Edition Series carriage house doors are constructed of an energy efficient, durable steel core and finished with full composite cladding and overlays that have the appearance of authentic wood doors. The cladding and overlay materials are molded from actual wood pieces to replicate the natural texture and intricate grain patterns of the species they emulate. These two layers are attached to an Intellicore® polyurethane insulated steel door for added strength and energy efficiency. The end result is a distinctive, customized wood-look door that is often indistinguishable from the real thing.
Canyon Ridge® Collection Ultra-Grain® Series doors featuring Intellicore® insulation technology present a smart choice for homeowners. Clopay’s Intellicore is proprietary polyurethane foam that is injected into a garage door, expanding to fill the entire structure. The result is a door with incredible strength and durability. Its dense insulation also produces a quieter door, while it’s industry-leading 18.4 R-value provides year-round comfort and improved energy efficiency.
Steel Carriage House Door
You can get the ruggedness of steel construction and still retain the look of a traditional wood carriage door. It provides a good combination of features and value. In addition to fine detailing and low maintenance, General Doors, another of our recommended suppliers, offer many features in their steel carriage garage door like:
Natural woodgrain texture with a beaded panel design
- Unique center bead creates authentic old-time swinging door look
- 24 gauge hot-dipped galvanized steel skin (17% thicker than 25 gauge steel)
- Durable 2-coat baked-on polyester paint finish
- 2” thick sections assembled using Tog-L-Lock fastening system
- Resilient bottom weatherstrip in aluminum retainer to minimize air infiltration
- Heavy duty hardware and standard design full leaf hinge
