Garage Door Recommendations

[Vet65te]

We're in the process of building a new house in Prescott AZ and would like to hear recommendations on sectional garage doors. I've already decided on using the Liftmaster 8500 openers and heard the doors are going to be Wayne Dalton 9100 series but have also heard some negative comments about that brand, mostly about the spring setup called Torquemaster. I'd appreciate any input on the various brands out there like Clopay, CHI, Wayne Dalton, etc?
Thanks,
Mike T.

 

[upndown]

You can get any WD door with Torsion Springs, just specify when ordering, that way you can use the Liftmaster opener. I stopped using the Torque Master years ago.

Where are you building in Prescott?

 

[Vet65te]

Upndown - We're about 10 miles outside of town to the northwest on Williamson Valley Road. Broke ground on Nov 1 and hope to have the house done by August/September. The Wayne Dalton Doors were a new name to us and after upgrading the motors, started hearing a lot of negative comments about WD doors. A friend in Austin did say that like most manufacturers, WD does make an upgraded door but their website lacks any specifics such as gauge steel used. Even if the doors were considered reasonable, that Torquemaster spring setup doesn't seem to have any fans so it's time to ask for input and find another mfr of garage doors.
Mike T.

 

[Desertwndrr]

Wayne Dalton are ****. I swear that they are made of cardboard.

For really well insulated doors I use Raynor. For basic insulated doors I use Amarr.

 

[Vet65te]

I've noticed that most manufacturers market their doors towards style, insulation qualities and colors and to a lesser extent, construction specs which is what I'm more interested in. A friends house recently had Amarr doors installed and they appear to be put together well so I'll add them to the list of doors to ask the sub-contractor about.
Mike T.

 

[GTO]

Amarr

 

[BajaScout]

Good choice on the Liftmaster. Have had mine for 13 years with no issues other than replacing a lightbulb every 5 years or so.

 

[SH7mi]

IMO nothing beats a nice redwood garage door and a high end opener.

 

[dieselgarage]

I went with Hass doors. 2-12X12 and 1-14x14 3" thick door insulated not cheap but a very good door

 

[Vet65te]

Hass is a new name to me but I had never heard of Amarr or Wayne Dalton before either. Just checked the Hass website and they don't have any dealers in Arizona. Took a closer look at the Amarr doors a friend had installed and while the hardware looks sturdy enough, I saw that these doors do not have a steel inner panel. As has been pointed out by others, some brands will have entry level doors and will also produce higher end doors. The search continues.
Mike T.

 

[upndown]

Wayne Dalton are ****. I swear that they are made of cardboard.

For really well insulated doors I use Raynor. For basic insulated doors I use Amarr.

Mike, you're going to read comments like this pretty much about every door made. You are right, every door co has entry level doors, I call them Beer Can doors. They go up in quality and price from there.

In your friends case, he has the entry level insulated door..Metal, Insulation and usually a paper backing. Amarr does make a Metal, Insulation, Metal door. Same with WD, the 9100 is a basic insulated door, the 9600 is Metal backed. The one feature I always liked about WD doors is the pinchless sections, especially if there are younguns running around, but stay away from Torque Master. Just my opinion.

The next thing to address is availability and price in your area, product as well as installation, you may find it's cheaper to get it from the Phoenix/Tempe area, even with a trip charge. Best of luck!

 

[Vet65te]

I suspected the 9600 series WD might be a steel/insulation/steel door but in my 'travels' through their website, it wasn't plainly spelled out. On the flip side, the Amarr Garage Door site did get into specifics related to models and it was much easier to find the clamshell steel design. I think you're right on the availability issue, the friend who recently had the Amarr doors installed did contract with some in Phoenix, not a local. On the subject of that Torquemaster spring setup, I was unable to figure out if they offered any other setup or if it was the only mechanism that came with their doors. Maybe I can get the sub to 'mix & match' using a 9600 WD door with the more common spring arrangement. I will find out this coming week.
Thanks,
Mike T.

 

[AndyL]

Down in arizona - see about a garaga dealer. They're my personal favorite door (and no I don't sell them or represent them in any way; I wish my local supplier would pull their heads out of their arses and sell them at a competitive price so I could start selling them)

9100 is a lower end builder grade door... Yes you can do much better. Even just stepping up to the 9600 is worth the 50-100$/door - just to get the steel on the back side rather than 'composite' (read cardboard).

Yes, you can tell the dealer you want a 9100 or 9600 with regular torsion hardware - not torquemaster; literally its a difference in order of checking the correct box, pricing if I recall should remain the same, however expect the dealer to up-charge you.

 

[upndown]

Mike, when I was still installing doors I could buy doors all over the Valley. Most of my dealings were with WD of Tempe simply because of product and service. I bought many doors with the torsion set up.. same price! I don't represent or am I connected to them in any way, just throwing them out there and sharing my experiences.

When you get to a certain price point, most are comperable.

 

[kenfath]

Take a look a Martin Doors. www.martindoors.com
We have a 7x16 that's about 15 YO. No problems. Its basically a plain, windowless, insulated door. They have some features which other doors don't have. They have all styles, but this is what we wanted.

 

[Desertwndrr]

Mike, you're going to read comments like this pretty much about every door made. You are right, every door co has entry level doors, I call them Beer Can doors. They go up in quality and price from there.

In your friends case, he has the entry level insulated door..Metal, Insulation and usually a paper backing. Amarr does make a Metal, Insulation, Metal door. Same with WD, the 9100 is a basic insulated door, the 9600 is Metal backed. The one feature I always liked about WD doors is the pinchless sections, especially if there are younguns running around, but stay away from Torque Master. Just my opinion.

The next thing to address is availability and price in your area, product as well as installation, you may find it's cheaper to get it from the Phoenix/Tempe area, even with a trip charge. Best of luck!

You are right, every door has an entry model. However, every higher end WD door that I have installed is junk compared to every entry Amarr or Raynor door that I have installed. Just saying.

Amarr is a great door.

Raynor is greater.

I have both Amarr and Raynor on my personal house. The Amarr doors are on the basic garage while the Raynor door is on the climate controlled workshop.

 

[Vet65te]

I've found local dealers in the Prescott AZ area for Amarr, Raynor and Martin and we'll probably contact them this coming week. Garaga doesn't appear to have any dealers near my area. Any particular models in those brands to recommend for steel-insulation-steel configuration with a thought towards 'thicker gauge is better'? Also, while we're on the subject, are their torsion spring setups all standard across their model lines or are their upgrades to those items too. I assume all door manufacturers offer high-lift tracks that put the door closer to the ceiling when a car hoist is involved?
Thanks,
Mike T.

 

[Vet65te]

Getting closer to selecting a garage door manufacturer but a new name has popped up. Anyone heard anything good or bad about MidAmerica Garage Doors, I believe they are based in Oklahoma. The particular model that's been offered is the Vantage since it's built with .025 steel front and back and is an insulated 2" door. Thanks, Mike T.

 

[FlyingLow]

I went with clopay in the gallery series and a lift master opener, very happy with it. Metal on the inside, no cardboard.

 

[inphx]

In the past i used clopay doors - in phoenix i purchased from http://www.steelbuilding.com/doors/garage_doors.htm

 

[millw66]

I had a Garaga door installed with 5 pains of glass. In 1 year I had 3 pains crack, 2 the seals went and fogged up. Installer says they are manufactured too tight. Windows were replaced under warranty (had to argue and fight for that) - however I had to pay to have them installed.

I wouldn't recommend Garaga - at least not a door with windows, unless you want to spend 100 to 200 a year.