WOODEN GARAGE DOORS

The type of wood used for garage doors is largely dependent on the following factors:

– The hardness of the wood, or rather the ease with which the wood can be worked and manufactured.

– Characteristics of the timber, such as how well it dries out, the rate at which it absorbs the moisture in the air and its general reaction when exposed to the elements; these are the kind of characteristics that influence buckling and bending of the wood.

– Whether the wood is prone to insect or fungal infestation.

– Sustainability of the raw material.

Meranti certainly is the first choice for wooden items that will be exposed to the elements and ticks most of the boxes, however, sustainability of the raw material is lacking.

Being a rain forest timber, Meranti grows slowly and due to its popularity the international stock is reaching depletion. The remainder of the choice Meranti stock is bought up by the wealthy before even being harvested and the Meranti that does reach South African shores has a very low quality grade.

This results in most advertised Meranti Style doors actually being made out of Okoume or Marine Plywood.

Of course, in theory, almost any wood can be used to build a garage door; but that is not to say that the resulting door will carry a promising lifespan. A very good second to Meranti is a species of Siligna, called Red Grandis.

At Brano Garage Doors, we have been stocking Red Grandis Wooden Garage Doors for over 2 years.

No, no, no..! Any wood that is exposed to the elements should NOT be varnished.

Wood is a living material which expands, contracts, absorbs and dries out, depending on the conditions it is exposed to. Wooden Garage Doors are unavoidably exposed directly to dry, wet, hot and cold conditions for extended periods of time. The South African climate delivers these conditions in varying extremes, it is thus of high importance to understand the maintenance that your Wooden Garage Door will require in order for you to get the most out of its lifespan and product warranty.

DO NOT VARNISH: Brano Industries strongly advises against varnishing any Wooden Sectional Garage Doors. Varnish is a surface treatment which hardens once dried and does not allow for the expanding and contracting characteristics of wood.