Home Improvement Interior Remodel Garage

Single-Panel vs. Sectional Garage Doors

How to Choose: Price, Features, Maintenance, and More

Garage interior with the door closed

 

imaginima / Getty Images

Most garage doors installed today are sectional doors with hinges that allow the door to bend and follow a curved path as it opens and closes. The other option when it comes to a garage door, and one often overlooked, is the single-panel door, sometimes called an up-and-over or swing door.

What Is a Single-Panel Garage Door?

Single-panel garage doors were all the rage before sectional doors came into fashion. These doors are single, solid slabs that slide up and into the space above your car when they’re opened. They occupy an area similar to a sectional garage door but can function quite differently. 

Instead of hanging on overhead tracks, most single-panel garage doors are hung on a strong hinge system attached to the jam. Once fitted with springs, the door can swing easily without a garage door opener. On occasion, single-panel doors are also hung using a system similar to a sectional door so they can be attached to an opener.

Garage
Garage

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What Is a Sectional Garage Door?

A sectional garage door has several horizontal panels that operate as segments joined together by hinges, bending and curving as it goes up and down. Sectional garage doors are a more modern convenience and are usually easier to operate. They also offer more insulation as a garage door option.

open garage door

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Advantages of Single-Panel Garage Doors

Single-panel doors offer several advantages over sectional garage doors but are not for everybody. Many people use them as part of a retrofit into their existing garage door hardware, but if you're choosing a door from scratch, there are several reasons why you might want to select a single-panel style:

  • Cost: Single-panel garage doors are considerably cheaper than sectional doors made from the same materials. The price will also be less when replacing a garage door torsion spring or cables. Because they're easier to install and have fewer moving parts, single-panel doors can save you a bundle compared to the costs of sectional garage doors.
  • Material and design variety: Sectional garage doors come in many styles, but they're generally limited to options that function well in 2-foot segments. This makes various frame-and-panel designs quite practical, but other mechanical and stylistic designs can be hard to execute. If you like a garage door to appear like a large block, the seams between panels usually interfere with the look. But with a single-panel door, you've got one giant palette to work with in nearly any material you can imagine, with no pesky panels interrupting the look.
  • Simplicity: A sectional garage door comes packaged with a vast array of tiny parts, springs, and other bits that make it difficult for a DIYer to install correctly. On the other hand, single-panel doors have relatively few parts and require less attention in hanging. Fewer parts mean less to maintain and, hopefully, fewer bits to break over the long term.
  • Vintage appearance: Many older homes are a better stylistic fit for single-panel garage doors. Many midcentury modern homes, as well as contemporary homes, are natural fits for garages fitted with single-panel doors.

Disadvantages of Single-Panel Garage Doors

Of course, single-panel garage doors aren’t all fun and games. Some potential negatives of single-panel doors include:

  • Safety: Perhaps the safety factor is the most important reason homeowners have abandoned single-panel garage doors. These older doors use extension springs, which can fail catastrophically when improperly maintained. Springs have flown off rusted connectors and gone through drywall, garage contents, and car windows.
  • Space limitations: The extra few feet a single-panel garage door needs to tilt has to come out of the driveway, meaning you’ll have to park further back while the garage door opens. There can also be slightly less space inside the garage as a single-panel garage door opens. For example, in a smaller garage, a tall pickup truck with an entire shell over the bed may interfere with the angle of the garage door as it swings open. If space is at a premium, a sectional garage door is the best way to go.
  • Expensive repairs: Although your single-panel garage door can handle some trouble, a sectional garage door may be better in extreme weather. When a single-panel garage door fails, it fails dramatically, with the whole door coming down at once. A failed sectional garage door may be dented or crushed in just a single section, providing a more straightforward, less expensive recovery. For example, if a teenage driver bumps a garage door, a single-panel door is a costly repair since the whole door needs to be replaced.

Advantages of Sectional Garage Doors

  • Safety: They're a safer option because they don't have extension springs that can corrode and pop off, causing a catastrophic failure.
  • No space limitations: A sectional garage door is the best way to go if space is at a premium. Sectional garage doors open vertically and are suspended under the ceiling. They fit into a track, taking up little real estate; meanwhile, a single-panel door requires more space to open and close because it tilts out as it opens. You will also need to keep a few feet of the driveway clear to allow for the opening of the door, and it might cut into more space in the garage.
  • Easier repairs: Although your single-panel garage door can handle some trouble, a sectional garage door may be better in extreme weather. A failed sectional garage door may be dented or crushed in just a single section, making replacing it easier and less expensive.

Disdvantages of Sectional Garage Doors

  • Limited styles: Sectional garage doors come in many styles, but they’re generally limited to options that function well in 2-foot segments. This makes various frame-and-panel designs reasonably practical, but other mechanical and stylistic designs can be hard to execute.
  • Difficult to install: A sectional garage door comes packaged with a huge array of tiny parts, springs, and other bits that make it difficult for a DIYer to install correctly.

The Bottom Line

Garage doors come in various configurations, with a style perfect for every home. When it’s time to choose your next door, consider the single-panel garage door if you’re into DIY or own an older home that can benefit from the unique look of these doors.