Garage Door Basics
Garage Door Construction
All Delden residential steel garage doors are manufactured in the USA, affirming Delden's commitment to high quality and durability.
Delden steel doors are built with low-maintenance, heavy-duty steel. Choose from 1000 single, 2000 double or 3000 Series triple-layer construction for your desired level of energy efficiency and noise control. Experience the strength, security, and peace of mind you get with steel.
Single-Layer: Steel
Get value and durability with a Delden 1000 Series single-layer steel door. These heavy-duty steel doors are durable, reliable, and low maintenance.
Double-Layer: Steel + Insulation
A Delden 2000 Series double-layer steel door provides durable, low maintenance features, plus a layer of vinyl-coated insulation for increased thermal properties and quieter operation.
Triple-Layer: Steel + Insulation + Steel
For the toughest, most energy-efficient steel door, a Delden 3000 Series triple-layer door includes the ultimate in thermal properties, plus a layer of steel for a finished interior look and added durability.
Wood Garage Doors
Creating a superior door starts by selecting the finest milled woods. Made in America by skilled craftsmen, Delden wood doors are meticulously crafted for reliable performance and long-lasting beauty. These carriage house doors can be designed to reflect your own style. With wood, you get it all: quality craftsmanship, modern functionality, and timeless beauty.
Paint and stain grade doors are shipped in their natural finish and require finishing. All doors must be finished on all six sides of each section within two days of receipt of doors and prior to installation.
Our Paint System
The Delden 5-layer paint system begins with:
(1) rugged gauge steel that is
(2) hot-dip galvanized to completely coat the steel in zinc to prevent rusting.
(3) A paint pre-treatment is completed to prepare the material for painting.
(4) A primer coat is added for additional protection and longevity.
(5) Lastly, a tough polyester colored top-coat paint provides the durable and long-lasting color that needs no additional painting.
Delden steel doors are built with low-maintenance, heavy-duty steel. Choose from 1000 single, 2000 double or 3000 triple-layer construction for your desired level of energy efficiency and noise control. Experience the strength, security, and peace of mind you get with steel.
Energy Efficiency
A garage door opening is the largest moving object in your home. Insulated garage doors will help to reduce the transfer of heat or cold air into your garage. This is important for a number of reasons:
(1) If your garage is attached to your home, air in the garage can travel through the doorway to your living area. An insulated garage door will reduce the transfer of air from the outside to the inside.
(2) If you use your garage as a workshop, your comfort will be a top priority. An insulated garage door will help keep the temperature in the garage within a narrower temperature range as compared to the extreme range of the outside temperature.
(3) If your garage is below another room in your home, air can travel through the ceiling of the garage into the floor of the room above. An insulated garage door will keep temperatures in the garage fairly stable to reduce the temperature fluctuation in the room above.
(4) An insulated garage door is generally quieter and has a more attractive interior than a non-insulated door.
What is R-Value and U-Factor?
For a multitude of reasons, the garage door industry has officially replaced R-Value with U-Factor as the standard measurement of thermal performance. (Sources: DASMA Announcement, DASMA Technical Data Sheet #163)
R-Value is the measurement of energy efficiency in one area of a garage door section, typically from the thickest point. It does not account for around the perimeter or between the door’s section joints.
U-Factor is the measurement of energy efficiency of the entire installed unit. Every area of the attached door is accounted for.
With R-Value, the higher the number, the better the insulating properties of the material. However, an R-16 value is not twice as good as an R-8 Value. R-16 does not offer twice as much thermal resistance or twice the energy savings of an R-8 value. A value of R-16 offers a 5% reduction in heat flow and a 5% improvement energy efficiency than a value of R-8, not 50%. See chart below for R-Value comparisons.
U-Factor measures how well a product can keep heat from escaping from the inside of a room. The lower the number, the better a product is at keeping heat in. Delden's steel-back garage doors range from U-Factors of 0.19 - 0.27. As referance, most well insulated double-pane windows, that go in your living room, range from 0.15 – 0.30.
A garage door's insulating capabilities can be greatly affected by the door's construction. Delden's door section construction and insulation options help keep your garage as comfortable as possible.
Construction options for DELDEN® low maintenance steel doors include:
- Series 1000 Single-Layer: Steel (Good)
- Series 2000 Double-Layer: Steel + Insulation (Better)
- Series 3000 Triple-Layer: Steel + Insulation + Steel (Best)
Wind Load Garage Doors
You don't have to compromise style for preparedness. Practically every door that Delden offers is available with a wind load reinforcement system to withstand high-wind conditions. Delden Wind Load garage doors look identical from the outside and are engineered to meet local building codes on the inside. Simply choose the door style that is right for you and Delden's authorized garage door dealers/installers will handle the rest.
Although the strength of garage doors is a significant concern in high-wind conditions, many people simply are not aware of the need for reinforced garage doors. These garage doors are often referred to as Wind Load rated, Storm/Hurricane rated or simply Wind rated. As the homeowner, you, with the assistance of your builder and garage door dealer, are responsible for choosing the appropriate wind load product to meet or exceed your local building code.
"Wind pressure is often the most devastating culprit in a hurricane. A category 3 hurricane with winds of 130 mph exerts pressures equivalent to the weight of a typical family car on a two-car garage door."
— Dr. Steve Lyons, Hurricane Expert, The Weather Channel
FACT: About 90% of residential wind damage starts with wind entry through the garage door.1
FACT: Less than 30% of homes in hurricane prone areas have adequate garage door wind load reinforcement systems.2
FACT: Fewer than 50% of consumers in hurricane prone areas know that their garage doors are required to meet building code criteria for wind pressures.2
FACT: Winds can stay above hurricane strength many miles inland. Hurricane Hugo (1989) battered Charlotte, North Carolina - about 175 miles inland - with gusts to nearly 100 mph.3
In recent years, a number of hurricanes have made landfall in the US and caused millions of dollars in damage from high winds. As a result, local building officials, townships, counties and states have adopted and are enforcing more stringent building codes directed at strengthening the foundations, structures and components that are associated with building construction.
Sources:
1. Copyright 2021, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.
2. August 2006, Electronic Answers, Amarr Garage Door Hurricane Preparedness Study.
3. Revised August 2001, Hurricanes, Unleashing Nature’s Fury: A Preparedness Guide, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service.