Are you thinking about updating your garage doors? Garage door replacement has become an extremely popular home upgrade for many homeowners. First of all, it is a cost-effective remodeling project when you consider how significantly it can alter your exterior style and how affordable it is. New garage doors are also going to be more energy-efficient, quiet, and may possibly come with smart technologies for better usability.

Choosing the Right Panel Material 

Of all the decisions you need to make when investing in new garage doors, choosing the actual material is just one part of the process. The material is going to have the biggest impact on the long-term maintenance and functionality of your new garage doors, so you want to make sure you choose the right product for you. This article compares the two most popular garage door panel materials: vinyl and wood.

Vinyl Panels

Vinyl is definitely the more practical of the two. It is also the more affordable option and is cheaper to take care of in the long run. Usually, vinyl tends to look a little bit like plastic or aluminum. That is, it looks like synthetic material, but there are some more expensive vinyl products that have more realistic prints on them. For example, you can find vinyl that has fake wood prints that actually look pretty convincing.

Of course, the main advantage of choosing a vinyl with a wood print over an actual wood product is the fact that the vinyl is going to be waterproof. In fact, the very best thing about owning a vinyl garage door is how cheap and easy it is to take care of. That being said, many people still prefer wooden garage doors.

Wooden Panels

Many people who choose wooden garage doors also have a wooden window and door frames around the house. They want their garage doors to match the finish on these other important style elements on their exterior. Another great advantage of having a wooden garage door is that you aren't stuck with any color or finish. It is quite easy to refinish your garage doors whenever you want to change the style. Usually, a wooden garage door panel is still going to have a metal frame. So, the actual structure of the door isn't determined by the strength of the wood. This means that a modern wooden garage door panels should work just as well as a vinyl panel.