The one piece up and over garage door has not disappeared yet by a long way and there are always new designs and surface finishes and colours coming onto the UK market to keep up with the latest trends in other home improvement products.
The up and over one piece garage door has been the main type of garage door manufactured and 
installed throughout the UK since the 1960s. The use of springs, cables and basic locking systems soon became questionable once the roller and sectional garage door types began to sell in larger numbers. Why have a door that swings out and bashes your knees? In the rest of the developed world the sectional and roller door is pretty much all that is used. One of the main reasons they have stayed is down to the ease of installation and diversity in the somewhat smaller garages we tend to have here in the UK. Many obstuctions internally make a sectional door difficult and lack of headroom may make the roller door too low on drive through height.
What Makes a Good Up and Over Door Mechanism?
Look for a sturdy chassis, preferably in a box section, galvanised steel parts and a good quality paint or laminate finish. The springs ideally are best zinc plated to avoid any rust and deteriation issues. Most importantly of course is the locking, and this is best when steel rods are used for stability rather than cables which have a tendancy to stretch and also hang down when the door is open. The optional steel fixing sub frame should always be used wherever possible as this gives a better seal than a timber frame and is more secure whilst also matching the door panel perfectly in the case of a steel up and over door.
Can Up and Over Doors Be Remote Control?
Yes, most up and over canopy doors can be made automatic and all retractable operating garage doors can easily be made remote control at any size.
Canopy doors are made up to 8 feet wide and have a spring across the top and open in an action that leave a third of the door protruding and retractable doors are made at any size and have the springs at the sides and slide into the garage on rails
What you must never expect from any up and over garage door is a complete weatherseal as the door panel has to move through the frame opening and therefore always has a tolerance and this means gaps. These gaps are very well wealed in most high quality doors and the weakest point is nearly always the bottom where a gap has to be in order for the door panel to actually open and close.
Many very modern new designs have recently come onto the market, one range in particular from Garador offering 'designer' steel doors with stainless steel elements to compliment and match front entrance doors from the Hormann or Garador range.
These garage doors definitely break away from the vertical lines and squares that are so often seen on many new houses built in the last 10 years.
See our complete range of up and over garage doors in our online catalogue >
