There are many ways of enhancing your home’s curb appeal, but few things are better at achieving that than installing a new garage door.

It’s a great time to shop for garage doors these days since they now come in a wide variety of styles, colors, designs, and, more importantly, materials.

Let’s take a look at the various types of garage door materials available today.

Steel Garage Doors

A garage door made of steel is never prone to warping, cracking, rotting, or expanding when there’s plenty of moisture in the air.

While steel is not immune to rust, the steel garage doors in the market today are designed to withstand rust better. They’re also more impervious to dents, although the thinner and lighter variety could sustain one with a strong enough impact from objects.

As far as design flexibility goes, steel garage doors can be easily customized in your preferred color or finish, like putting a faux wood overlay to give it a more rustic look.

Because they’re low-maintenance, durable, and quite economical, steel garage doors are a popular choice among homeowners.

Steel, however, is not a natural insulator. That’s why many steel garage doors in the market today come with polyurethane insulation.

Wood Garage Doors

Anything made of wood always lends a certain amount of beauty to a home, and wood garage doors are no exception.

Wood garage doors are for you if you’re going for a more traditional look for your home. Available in a variety of panel and window styles, finishes, and colors, garage doors made of wood will surely get a lot of attention from just about anyone who lays eyes on them.

Wood garage doors provide natural insulation, too. Of all garage door materials, wood carries the highest inherent R-value, which is the measure of a material’s thermal resistance. Aside from making your home more energy-efficient, a wood garage door is also pretty good at keeping outdoor noise in check.

The thing with wood garage doors is that they require a lot of upkeep. After all, wood is prone to warping, expanding, and rotting when exposed to moisture. You’re going to need to paint and stain it periodically to protect it and maintain its looks.

Aluminum Garage Doors

Garage doors made of aluminum are incredibly lightweight, although the models available these days are typically heavier and sturdier than before.

Like steel, aluminum garage doors warp, won’t warp, rot or expand due to moisture.

Aluminum garage doors are not as sturdy as steel ones, though. One accidental hit from a baseball courtesy of your kids playing catch, and it will likely sustain a dent. Strong winds could also do some damage to an aluminum garage door.

Vinyl Garage Doors

What a vinyl garage door has going for it is its reputation as a durable garage door material.

While some people worry about their sporty kids denting their aluminum or steel garage doors, those who have vinyl garage doors can relax knowing that they don’t dent or break that easily.

A vinyl garage door also requires very little maintenance, and hosing it down every so often is enough to keep it clean.

Fiberglass Garage Doors

If you like the texture of wood but none of its weight and propensity for shrinking, warping, or cracking when exposed to moisture, you might want to go for a fiberglass garage door.

Fiberglass has the uncanny ability to closely mimic the look of other materials, wood in particular. That makes it a more affordable alternative to the much heavier and more maintenance-intensive material.

Your garage will also have more natural light because a fiberglass garage door will be typically semi-transparent.

Fiberglass garage doors are also rust and corrosion-resistant, although they tend to become discolored and break in cold climates.

One clear downside of fiberglass garage doors is that you will have to replace the whole thing once it sustains damage. Since high winds damage fiberglass, garage doors made of the material are not recommended for homes in windy regions.

Your garage door material options these days are wider than ever before. Still, when you go shopping for a new garage door, always consider the area where you live before settling on any one material. That way, you can choose the right garage door material for your home.