Steel or Fiberglass Garage Door?

One of the issues you’ll have to confront when picking out a garage door is the material it is made of. In this article, we look at the issue of selecting a steel or fiberglass garage door.

Steel versus fiberglass – which is better? In this case, it is a landslide verdict. Steel garage doors crush fiberglass garage doors, pun intended. The modern steel garage door is a premium form of garage door while fiberglass is at the bottom of the rung. Let’s take a closer look.

Steel is a solid, hard product. It makes for a great garage door because it lasts, provides tremendous security since it takes one seriously strong ogre to break through steel and is easily insulated. Modern steel garage doors area also easily coated or covered on the exterior in a manner that can make them appear as though they are wood or what have you.

Are there any downsides to steel garage doors? Of course. There are three primary issues. One is they can rust over time if in a humid, salty area such as by the ocean in Florida. Second, they can dent. Third, repairing dents and damage can be expensive. These three issues might be a major or minor concern in your circumstances. It just depends.

Fiberglass garage doors are usually built over an aluminum frame. They are very light, which puts less strain on garage door openers. That being said, they are also pretty flimsy and difficult to insulate. They fade badly over time and look really bad. If you live in a cold area, the fiberglass can shatter when hit by an object such as a skateboard in the winter. All and all, these doors should be avoided in most cases.

Steel or fiberglass door? The answer is clearly that steel is superior. Why then would anyone go with fiberglass? Steel garage doors are not cheap in the least. They can run you $700 to $1,200 on average. Fiberglass doors can run you in the $200 to $500 range. That is a sizeable difference and nothing to laugh at. 

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