# Wooden Garage Doors



## aclement

Hey guys, new to site and looks pretty cool.

Im looking to build my own fancy country wooden garage doors, mostly because I am not going to pay someone else to do it. Not sure what I will need though.

I think it is built as a solid sheet (8x7) and then cut and braced accordingly. Maybe joined by bisqits and thin plywood backing, all glued and screwed of coarse. Or does anyone have any website or know of any plans for DIY???

This is what I am trying for...
http://www.carriagedoor.com/design.php

Anybody have any ideas?


----------



## BudK

Garage sliders
I layered 2 4x8x1/4 horizontal , 2 sheets 1/2"x 4x8' vertical , glued , braced (3/4") and scrood . Used Az*k for everything but the 1/4" backing . I'm tired of kicking over and stepping in paint cans .:icon_smile:
Welcome to the board !


----------



## jemmy

aclement said:


> Hey guys, new to site and looks pretty cool.
> 
> Im looking to build my own fancy country wooden garage doors, mostly because I am not going to pay someone else to do it. Not sure what I will need though.
> 
> I think it is built as a solid sheet (8x7) and then cut and braced accordingly. Maybe joined by bisqits and thin plywood backing, all glued and screwed of coarse. Or does anyone have any website or know of any plans for DIY???
> 
> Anybody have any ideas?


T&G ?


----------



## westsiberia

I have done plenty of wood garage doors. the most bomb-proof is to buy the blanks for a roll up sectional door, lay them all out together, and overlay them with whatever material and design you want, glass, no glass, whatever. Just make sure that wherever your sectional doors part to roll up, you also cut your material there. It very important to have all your cuts be smooth and square, or else when your door is installed, it will not close completely, or the wood will bind and eventually come off or :thumbdown:.
if you are going to build a one piece, tilt up door, be aware that to avoid having it sag over a long period of time, you will need to put a lot of wood into it (read heavy). New springs and ideally, a professional garage door installer. Garage door springs will make a MESS out of anything they get ahold of, especially your face!! Don't trust your life to these things.


----------



## firehawkmph

*garage doors*

Along with west siberia said, let me add some. I install steel garage doors. Overlaying a steel door will probably give you the best results in the long run. I see a lot of expensive, commercially made door sag after just a couple of years. I would keep the wood thin to keep the weight down, and like he said, make sure the joints between section don't bind each other or you'll have the wood crack and make a mess of itself. When you are all done, if you bought the whole steel door assy, which would include the torsion springs, the springs aren't going to be matched to the door weight anymore since you added to it with the wood. The proper way to do it would to be to either weigh the steel door sections initially, or ask the manufacturer, and then to weigh them after adding the wood. You can weigh them yourself with two bathroom scales and a level piece of ground. Take the difference in weight and have the garage door supplier look it up on their spring charts and they should be able to fit you up with the proper set of springs. Then have a garage door installer install the door when you are done, unless it is something you have been trained to do. Springs can kill or maim, don't under estimate them.
One other thought, the garage door manufacturers make a lot of carriage style doors in steel if you don't have to have wood. Virtually no maintenance once they are installed.
Good luck,
Mike Hawkins:smile:


----------



## mmwood_1

aclement said:


> Hey guys, new to site and looks pretty cool.
> 
> 
> I think it is built as a solid sheet (8x7) and then cut and braced accordingly. Maybe joined by bisqits and thin plywood backing, all glued and screwed of coarse. Or does anyone have any website or know of any plans for DIY???
> 
> This is what I am trying for...
> http://www.carriagedoor.com/design.php
> 
> Anybody have any ideas?


First off, the link goes to their homepage and shows many doors, not the ONE you want to replicate. Secondly, these folks make real cairraige doors for several thousand dollars. That's because they are not just cut from a sheet with fake bracing on top. They are made with real wood and use rails and stiles, etc. It's a lot of work to do it right and is a huge project to take on. I've made them.







So I guess you could do it the way you described. How well they will hold up is something I could not say. You are likely to experience significant warpage, due to the size of the doors. In this application, ply sheeting of that size will warp a good bit.


----------



## mmwood_1

Whoops! Got tricked again! Forgot to check the date of the original post. Too old, too late. Sorry for the bump.


----------



## YouNGwOOd

*This looks like some garage doors I did*

Just saw this door... I happend to build three pairs that looked just like this one that open barn door style. I made them with African Mohoagany stain grade..... Just had to say something, because they look exactly like this one. 3" thick laminated 8/4 material.
Except that looks like a pair of doors...lol, mine looked like those two put together, with 3 matching sets.


----------



## Saxmanrios

mmwood,

Do you have any photos during construction of your doors? How about any plans to share? I'm brand new to this site and I'm about to start converting my garage into a woodshop. I was looking for some tips on building some carriage house style, swing out garage doors. I'm only a beginner so I only have experience with a few basic tools (table saw, miter saw, drill press, nail guns, etc.). I'd love to build my doors out of western red cedar with mortise and tenon joinery, doweled, and stain it to give it a rich, vibrant look. But I believe that is beyond my skill level at the moment. So I'm considering taking some advice from another post on this site and using half lap joints. I'm not sure yet what to use for the skin (considering those sheets of "bead board"). The construction would look something like this:











Any tips and / or advice you (or anyone for that matter) would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## sidhu35

Today’s garage door manufacturers add enough insulation to their most expensive doors to make them as energy efficient as your home’s walls.Every time you open a garage door, you’re letting so much of the inside air out and the outside air in, that you’re essentially starting from zero all over again,


----------



## Floyd69

I've been watching tinny house nation and we don't fully use vertical surfaces very well. I was planning on converting my doors with built in tables to fold out for extra work space, when open or shut.


----------



## GeorgeC

Floyd69 said:


> I've been watching tinny house nation and we don't fully use vertical surfaces very well. I was planning on converting my doors with built in tables to fold out for extra work space, when open or shut.


????????

Would you please interpret what you just wrote. I do not understand.

George


----------



## Floyd69

GeorgeC said:


> ????????
> 
> Would you please interpret what you just wrote. I do not understand.
> 
> George


Think of a Murphy bed. The bed folds down from the wall.
Even shelves can be designed to rotate down and the back being another table. The biggest problem I have found in my shop is not enough table space and then if you add tables not enough floor space. On the show tiny house nation they build housed of less than 400 square feet. They have to be able to use their space wisely. Now since it was my doors as they fold out and the tables fold down and serve to hold the doors open as well as tables to work off of.


----------

