June 2009
Monthly Archive
Wooden Door Safety
When your thinking of buying a garage door the main thing on you rmind probably isn’t safety, but unsafe garage doors are a realy problem and many people – especially in the past – used to get injured by unsafe garage doors. Wooden garage doors are no exception to this, and can be even heavier than steel ones and hence more dangerous. However the safety of garage doors has improved a lot in the last few decades. Even so, there are some deaths caused each year so it is something you should definitely think about.
There have been new legislations brought in in the US to try and stop problems and unsafe doors as much as possible. A lot of people get hurt when their doors shut with them underneath them, so in 1993 an act came in saying that every home in the US must have an electric eye system. This is a detector that will stop the door from closing if it detects you underneath it so hopefully you’ll never have the chance of getting hurt by it if it’s working correctly. You should always have your doors safety systems checked by a professional reguarly especially if you have children in the family just to be on the safe side.
Generally older garage doors are more dangerous than modern ones due to the new improvements. Some have a system where if the door touches something when it is closing it will stop, which is better than nothing but definitely not as safe as a wooden door that can sense things before it gets to them. If you feel unsafe with this kind of wooden garage door you should consider replacing it. Much older garage doors may have no safety system whatsoever and these should definitely be replaced as soon as possible as they are not consider safe for use.
The best way to make sure your door is safe is to regaulrly test it. This can be done much more effectively by a professional. You should also educate your family, especially the children, that the door is not a toy and can be dangerous if treated as such. They shouldn’t be using the garage door unsupervised especially if they don’t know the risks that can be involved in using it incorrectly. It may be an inconvenience to check the safety of your garage door regularly, but it is far better to be safe than sorry.
Wooden Garage Doors
So you’ve decided to buy a wooden garage door? Good choice! Nothing beats the warmth and traditional look you get from wooden garage doors on a house, and I’m sure you won’t regret the decision. The next things you need to think about are the types of garage doors you can buy as well as trying to find the best possible price available for the best possible door. Like anything there is a large range of prices for garage doors, and in general you get what you pay for. Wooden garage doors are prone to problems such as rot if they aren’t of high quality and treated properly by a professional.
There are far too many choices of garage door to go into them all individually in this article but we can certainly give you an idea of the prices you’ll be paying. For example, for a Tudor style wooden door you can get one for about £285 online which isn’t too bad considering the prices people used to have to pay for a wooden door. It’s always a good idea to go for a door that has been looked at by a professional – garage doors should last a long time and you don’t want to be replacing it in a couple of years because you’ve made the wrong decision and bought a door that isn’t of high enough quality to last the harsh weather it will have to cope with year round. Wooden garage doors prices tend to be quite expensive, but that shouldn’t put you off.>
On the other hand, the other end of the market can be very expensive. For example a Berkely garage door will often set ou back thousands of pounds just for the door. You may then have to buy other parts such as springs and mechanisms separately as well as getting it fitted professionally of course. You can be sure with this door though that you are getting high quality, and if fitted correctly it should last a long time.
If you are planning to spend a lot on the garage door then unless you know what you are doing make sure you get it fitted by a professional so that you know the job has been done to the highest standard. You don’t want to be spending a few thousand pounds on a new door every other year, so make sure it is done right the first time and things will be a lot easier. Custom wooden garage doors are another option but that’s a whole different article!
