Wood Panels On An Aluminum Garage Door?

gregsatt

Would there by any issue with putting some sort of wood panels on top of an aluminum garage door to make it look like a carriage type door?

Any suggestions on what would be the best way to attach the wood?

Thanks,
Greg

mickeyco

There'd be a ton of issues; extra weight that the springs and opener probably can't handle, the additional thickness would cause the wood to hit the top of the opening so the entire track would have to be relocated, then there's the aesthetics. You know you can buy a wood garage door that already looks like carriage doors, another option if you're trying to do it on the cheap might be a faux finish.

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Greg Palmer

I used to install wood panels on metal doors but abandoned it due to the difficulty in dealing with natural wood...cracking, shrinking, etc. It's heavy too! The after-sale headache is not worthwhile. Customers are mad even though most wood related problems can be traced to customers not following the necessary maintenance requirements.

I now recommend my customers to go with Fatezzi faux wood carriage house garage doors. It's not for everyone. I mean I probably would not install on a house that is less than $500K. The product is a 1/2" thick cladding or panel that is attached to any flushed insulated metal door. What makes the Fatezzi garage door appealing is that the product does not have any of the problems related to real wood. It will not warped, crack, shrink or rot. It is also cheaper than wood door (100% solid door or wood panel doors). Another big plus...the faux wood panels are very realistic and look and feel just like real wood. It's also light weight so most existing openers will work with it.

JoshEaton

I second Greg's recommendation. I have a customer who insisted on a wooden garage door. However, like most people, she had a sticker shock after I quoted her the cost.

I try to discourage my customers from real wood door based on my bad experience with clients who insisted on the "real thing." It's not only pricy but maintenance issues of real wood over time is a big problem. Real wood doors are beautiful to look at but it's a headache after one to two years. It has to well maintained or else problems will crop up quickly. I just do not think real wood door is the way to go (solid wood or panel on metal door). It's just asking for trouble.

Anyway, my customer also looked at Clopay's Canyon Ridge faux wood garage door sold though Home Depot. It's beautiful but comes with a sticker shock as well. She got a quote for $4,500 for a 9'x9' door. Three doors and you're looking at some serious money. That's before tax, shipping and install fees. To make a long story short, she googled faux wood garage door and found Ackue based in Sanford, Florida. It looks like the company supplies the same faux wood material to Clopay based on her google search. The Fatezzi faux wood door material offered by Ackue is identical to the Clopay Canyon Ridge door. But it is half the price of the Clopay's door! Just to be sure we compared samples and they look identical. Clopay is not only more expensive but the company only offers two colors and only a couple of door designs and options.

Just to clarify...Both Ackue and Clopay doors use a 1/2" faux wood cladding/panel material attached on a 1-1/2" metal insulated door. They are not "solid wood" door. The back side of the door is metal and white in color.

I must say the Ackue doors are simply gorgeous and elegant and is a head turner. My customer is extremely pleased with the faux wood doors and I am convinced that faux wood is the way to go.

Jeld-Wen also makes a faux wood door but it is not the same material as Ackue or Clopay. The material is harder and heavier and does not look realistic.

SuperGlazier

You can't use treated lumber without putting some kind of spacer between the aluminum and lumber, creates a chemical reaction without the spacer.

Also, what the others have already stated.

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