How to Buy a Garage Door in Plano, TX

Parts and Panel Warranties

What is their parts warranty? The manufacturer's warranty on garage doors is usually 3 to 10 years on panels and only one year on parts. If other companies offer a lifetime warranty, ask them if service agreements are required to maintain your warranty (ours does not). Your garage door is the most significant moving part of your home. Don't you want a garage door you can count on without the hassle?

Plano Overhead orders the thickest gauge steel possible on all our garage door components. Our lifetime warranty includes the springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, sections, and all associated hardware.

Labor Warranty

How long do they warranty their labor on garage door installations? 1 Year (Best), 90 days (Worst), 30 days (Bad), No Warranty- yes, they're out there! (Worst). We stand behind our work and do not require maintenance agreements to uphold our warranties. We strongly encourage yearly service to maintain our garage doors, but if you have any issues, we take care of them at no charge.

Spring Styles

How many springs does their two-car garage door come with? Two Galvanized (Best), Two Oil Tempered (Better), One Spring (Good), and Stretch Springs (Worst). The garage door spring is the most essential piece of equipment in your home other than your air conditioner. If you treat your garage door like a front door, like most people, it should be worth ensuring you get the most reliable and durable springs on the market. Our Oil-tempered and galvanized spring options both come with a lifetime warranty.

Steel Gauge and Thickness

What thickness of steel is their garage door made from? 24 gauge (Best), 24 gauge nominal (Bad), 25 gauge (Worse), or 26 gauge (Worst). 28 gauge steel garage doors can be bent by hand and cut with a standard box knife. Some customers think the thickness matters when a hailstorm comes through! 24 gauge steel garage doors are the thickest available for residential garage doors so that we can put a lifetime warranty on them.

Rollers

What rollers does it come with? Nylon Coated Steel 11 Ball Bearing (Best), Steel 10 Ball Bearing (Good), Nylon (Worst). Rollers are like the tires on your vehicle; once they go out, you are out of luck. Utilizing a nylon sleeve AND a steel bearing core, nylon-coated steel rollers are as good as possible. Nylon-coated steel rollers come with a lifetime warranty. Other than good springs, nylon rollers are the next most important in the longevity of your garage door.

Hardware

What thickness of steel is their hardware made from? 14 Gauge (Best), 16 Gauge (Good), 18 Gauge (Bad). We replace broken hinges on competitors' garage doors every day. The customer is none the wiser until a hinge breaks or a cable snaps because the company chose the builder package when they bought your new garage door from a local supplier. Our hinges and hardware are 14 gauge or thicker and have a lifetime warranty.

Reinforcing Top Strut

Is a top reinforcing strut included? Yes (Great), No (Worst/Dangerous). Without a top reinforcing strut, the top panel of your garage door can be destroyed when your spring breaks. Most garage door opener manufacturers will void all warranties without a top reinforcing strut because there is nothing to keep the top panel from folding in half after years of operation. Struts take extra time, effort, and money- but they are necessary for safe and dependable operation. Our struts are top quality and also have a lifetime warranty.

Consider Noise Level

Is upgrading the rollers worth it? Nylon-coated steel rollers can reduce your garage door's sound by almost 65%. This is a must-have if you have rooms above or near your garage! Don't be fooled by companies that quote "Nylon Rollers" but fail to mention that they are ONLY nylon with no steel bearings. Notice that our roller on the right has a steel bearing wrapped in nylon for durability AND noise reduction. Steel rollers with ten ball bearings are great, but a nylon coating makes quite the difference.

Insulation Values

Will Insulated Doors Pay for Themselves? Yes! Garage doors are measured by what is called an R-value. The higher the R-value, the more energy-efficient the garage door will be. A double steel, sandwich style 2″ polyurethane injected insulated garage door can affect the temperature in your garage by as much as 10 to 15 degrees depending on which direction the garage door faces. Keeping the garage temperature down also prevents attics from getting as hot in the summer. The more insulation, the quieter the door will operate as well. Thicker panels rattle and pop less as they open and close. Not to mention, they look a lot better from the inside when they're insulated!