- Timber on a galvanised steel frame
- Sealed all six faces before hanging
- Tip-up or sectional mechanism
A timber garage door is chosen for how it makes the house look, and on the right Pretoria property nothing else comes close. It is also the door type that most rewards being specified and maintained properly, and the one most often written off prematurely when it could have been restored.
Where wooden garage doors belong
- Character and period homes through Waterkloof, Brooklyn, Muckleneuk and Groenkloof.
- Properties where the garage is a prominent part of the street elevation.
- Estates with design guidelines specifying timber or a timber appearance.
Weight and specification of wooden garage doors
Timber doors are heavy, and that has consequences through the whole installation. Springs must be rated for the finished door, not the previous one. The operator must be sized to the actual weight. A timber door hung on a motor sized for steel is the fastest way to destroy a good operator, and we see it regularly in Pretoria.
Wooden garage doors and the Highveld climate
Pretoria sun and summer storms are hard on a finish. A west-facing elevation will fade and check faster than a sheltered one, and the bottom rail is where water sits and rot starts. We specify the finish for the exposure and tell you honestly what the maintenance cycle looks like.
Restoring rather than replacing a wooden garage door
If the frame is sound and the problem is sag, hardware or finish, a timber door is usually worth restoring. Rehanging, rebalancing, new hardware and a proper refinish costs a fraction of replacement and keeps a door that suits the house. We price restoration alongside replacement.
Timber-look alternatives to wooden garage doors
Where the appearance matters but the maintenance does not appeal, foiled and powder-coated finishes have improved considerably and hold up far better on an exposed Pretoria elevation. We show both and let you decide.
Get a quote for a wooden garage door in Pretoria
Free survey, itemised written quotation covering the door, hardware, operator and finish, fixed price once approved, twelve-month workmanship warranty.
Common questions
About wooden garage doors
Meranti is the sensible all-round choice in South Africa: stable, takes stain evenly and reasonably priced. Cedar is lighter, which matters on a wide double door, and naturally insect-resistant. Saligna is beautiful but heavy. Pine only works under a deep overhang with disciplined recoating.
Look at it once a year. If the finish has gone matt or chalky at the bottom rail or the vertical edges, sand lightly and put two coats on. North- and west-facing doors in Gauteng need it more often than sheltered doors at the coast.
Usually because the back and the end grain were never sealed. Water goes in at the unsealed edges and the board moves. We seal all six faces on the bench before the door is hung, and build the timber onto a galvanised steel frame that carries the load.
No — timber cannot curl around a barrel. A wooden door runs as a tip-up panel or as a hinged sectional door. If you have no headroom for either, a woodgrain-finish aluminium door gives the same look on a roll-up mechanism.
Related
Also worth a look
Insulated Garage Doors
Warmer garage, quieter house
Foam-cored sectional garage doors with thermal breaks and full perimeter seals, for attached garages, converted rooms and bedrooms above the garage.
- 40mm bonded polyurethane core
- Thermal break at every section joint
- Full perimeter seals, all four edges
Sectional Garage Doors
Where headroom allows a panel stack
Sectional doors lift in hinged panels that stack flat against the ceiling. They seal better than any other garage door and run quietly enough not to…
- 40mm insulated panels
- Full perimeter weather seals
- Glazed panel options
Sliding Garage Doors
Where there is no headroom at all
Sliding doors run sideways along the wall instead of upward. The answer when a garage has no usable headroom and a roll-up or sectional door will…
- Runs sideways along the wall
- Manual or motorised
- Suits low-roof and basement garages