5 Things to Know When Buying a Garage Door

A good garage door is an important long-term investment in your property. The right choice of garage doors enhances the appearance of your home, adds security and protection to your property, and improves energy efficiency.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top five things you need to know before buying a garage door. Let’s get started!

In-Person Quote Works the Best

Although we live in an era dominated by online purchases, don’t be tempted to order your garage door online. Remember, each garage is different, so the best way to handle this is to get a knowledgeable salesperson to check the details of your garage and advise on the best design decision. An in-person quote may be the best director for this.

Know Which Material Best Suits Your Needs

Garage doors are made of different materials, and you have the privilege of choosing one that perfectly suits your needs and complements your property.

• Aluminum doors work well for humid areas because of their rust and corrosion resistance.
• Wood is a popular option that looks fantastic in most homes but requires regular maintenance to keep it looking its best for years.
• Steel doors are another popular option and come in various colors, designs, and price ranges.
• Composite wood doors provide the attractiveness of real wood but with enhanced insulation and moisture resistance.

Garage Door Installation Isn’t a DIY Project

Regardless of how handy you are around your home, don’t be tempted to install your garage door on your own. Although handling the installation as a DIY project can help you save a few hundred dollars, it’s best if you let professionals handle it.

Professional installers are trained on the right installation procedure and have years of experience in the field, making them perfect for this job.

Garage Door Warranties

Some garage doors come with warranties so that if any repairs or replacements are needed, you won’t struggle with financing. Most warranties have limitations, so it’s important to know what the warranty covers before getting your garage door.

Garage Door Insulation

You should also know about garage door insulation and its benefits. Insulated garage doors are slightly more expensive than hollow doors but are worth the extra bucks.

Insulated garage doors improve energy efficiency, increase the value of your home, are durable, regulate temperatures in the garage, and act as a noise barrier.

Get Your Garage Door Today

For quality and affordable garage doors, contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. and start exploring the many designs available!

Benefits of Routine Maintenance for Businesses

Business owners have a lot of tasks on their to-do lists, but one item that’s essential to add to your schedule is preventative maintenance for your facilities.

Preventative maintenance will keep your doors, shutters, security grilles, and garage doors functioning correctly so that they don’t interfere with your operations or pose a safety hazard to your employees and customers. Here are a few benefits associated with routine maintenance for your business.

Minimizes Downtime Related to Unexpected Repairs

By scheduling preventative maintenance, you can schedule downtime when it’s ideal for your business. While some downtime is necessary to keep your business functioning properly, emergency repairs nearly always have more downtime than scheduled maintenance.

You won’t have to worry about losing hours of productivity because your security grille breaks or your garage doors won’t open when you have shipments to get out or inventory to process.

Instead, you can schedule garage door maintenance and other tasks when it’s convenient for you.

Regular Maintenance Keeps Your Employees Safe

Heavy doors, gates, and security shutters that don’t work properly are a safety risk for your employees.

An employee who’s depending on your security grille or door to remain open can suffer severe injuries if the door shuts on them.

Or, if you neglect to call a garage door company and a garage door malfunctions, this can potentially cause an accident that hurts your employees and damages your vehicles and equipment.

You Can Lower Your Overall Expenses

By budgeting for regular maintenance, you can reduce your need for costly emergency service calls. This helps you keep your expenses associated with maintaining your facilities at a reasonable level.

Regular maintenance also prolongs the lifespan of your doors, security grilles, and shutters, ensuring that they achieve their maximum lifespans and that you don’t have to prematurely pay for their replacements.

Get Started on Your Maintenance-Related Tasks

Want to make sure that all of your business’s maintenance is up-to-date? Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. today at 727-443-1437 to schedule your service call.

How to Choose a Security Grille for Your Business

You’ve invested a lot of time, money, and resources into your business; you don’t want your company to suffer because thieves decide to target your facilities.

A security grille is an excellent addition for protecting your business’s inventory, supplies, and equipment, as well as keeping your employees safe. Follow these tips when choosing a security grille or gate.

Decide How You Want to Open and Close Your Security Grille

One detail to consider is how you prefer to operate your security grille.

Rolling grilles open and close vertically; you often see this type of security grille at stores in your local mall. It’s available as a manual grille and as a motorized grille.

A manual grille requires someone to open and close it, while a motorized grille will open with the push of a button. Rolling grilles are ideal for securing a business with a conventional shape.

Sliding grilles have a side-folding design that only permits manual operation. The design of sliding grilles is customizable, making them ideal for complex spaces that don’t have a conventional design (like a store with a semi-circle-shaped store entrance).

A sliding grille or gate is affordable and capable of accommodating wide spaces and curves.

Select the Appropriate Material and Design for Your Security Grille

Multiple materials and designs are available for your security grille.

A tempered glass security grille makes the interior of your business completely inaccessible while still allowing people to see inside of your business. If you want a security grille that won’t distract from your company’s aesthetics, a tempered glass alternative is a terrific option.

Open-style security grilles have space between the grille’s bars that allows air to enter your business’s space. It also allows people to see inside your facilities.

Security grills are also available in a solid design that uses aluminum. This design secures your space and prevents anyone from seeing inside of your business.

How to Add a Security Grille to Your Business

Ready to select your business’s new security grille? Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. online or call 724-443-1437. 

Reasons to Upgrade Your Garage Door Opener This Summer

You’re arriving home after a long day and there’s a chilly torrential downpour. You use your electric garage door opener to attempt to park your vehicle and escape from the elements, but you quickly discover that it doesn’t work.

Until it stops working, most individuals give their garage door openers little thought. However, it’s more convenient to upgrade your garage door opener before it starts giving you significant trouble.

Here are a few reasons to upgrade your garage door opener this summer.

Your Current Garage Door Opener is Noisy

When you’re leaving for your early morning shift or arriving home after a late-night, you want to minimize any disturbance to your household or neighbors.

However, old electric garage door openers are prone to making a lot of noise; some even make a particularly annoying screeching sound.

Replacing your garage door opener with a more modern option will minimize any noise associated with opening and closing your garage door.

You’ll Have Better Control Over Your Garage Door

Updated garage door openers have innovative technology that makes it as easy as possible to open your garage door. New garage door openers have a better range and additional features that are a smart addition to your home.

Over time, garage door openers experience wear and tear. This makes them more likely to catch and refuse to open, causing you to have to manually open and close your garage door.

Or, the garage door may jam entirely and require an inconvenient emergency repair.

Newer Garage Door Accessories are More Efficient

New garage door openers use less energy than older models. Upgrading it helps you make your home more energy-efficient so that you can lower your utility bills and reduce your home’s environmental impact.

How to Upgrade Your Garage Door Accessories

Ready to learn more about garage door accessories that can enhance the functionality of your garage door? Contact Thomas V Giel. Garage Doors, Inc. at 724-443-1437 or contact us online.  

5 Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close

You leave your home and use your remote to close your garage door, only to see that your garage door refuses to close. While it’s frustrating when a broken garage door doesn’t work correctly, there are a few things that can impact its functionality. When you’re dealing with a major issue, it’s important to hire a garage door professional to fix the problem so that your garage door doesn’t incur additional damage.

Check out these five common reasons that your garage door won’t close:

1. You Have an Issue with Your Garage Door’s Sensors

Your garage door’s sensors prevent your door from closing on a vehicle or other obstruction. If your garage door refuses to close all the way, you might have an issue with the sensors.

Try wiping the sensors with a soft cloth to remove dirt and dust that can keep them from functioning correctly. If you observe that a sensor is blinking, it might need to be realigned. This is done by loosening the sensor and adjusting it until the light no longer blinks.

2. Your Tracks or Rollers Are Damaged

Damaged tracks and rollers are another frequent reason that a garage door won’t go past a certain point. If you spot components that are bent, a garage door repair professional can bend them back into place or replace them.

3. Your Trolley Isn’t Activating

The component that attaches from your garage door to the opening mechanism is the trolley. If your garage door isn’t moving at all when you try to close it, the trolley may need to be reactivated.

4. Your Door’s Limit Screw Needs To Be Adjusted

Your garage door’s limit screws are located on your garage door opener and tell it how far to open or close. If they’re too high up, adjust them downward with a screwdriver so that your garage door can fully close.

5. Your Garage Door Remote Has a Problem

Sometimes, the issue is with your garage door remote, not your garage door. Replace the batteries in your remote and confirm that it’s connected to your garage door. If it still isn’t opening, you may need to call a local garage door company for repairs.

Request a Service Call for Your Garage Door

Contact Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. online or by calling 724-443-1437 to schedule a service call for your garage door

How To Choose the Right Garage Door for Your Home

A garage door is an important functional item for your home’s exterior, providing you access to your garage while significantly impacting your home’s overall appearance. Here are a few things that will help you choose the right garage door.

The Material of the New Garage Door

The material for your new garage door affects its appearance, functionality, and durability. Some materials also require more upkeep to keep them looking their best.

A natural wood garage door is lovely, but it needs frequent refinishing. Composite is a more durable alternative that combines the appearance of wood with durability and longevity. Steel is a popular garage door material for many homeowners, thanks to its sleek look, multiple design options, and strong durability. Know that if you live on the coast, you’ll have to regularly wax your steel garage door to keep it from rusting.

The Garage Door’s Design and Style

Your garage’s door design and style should complement the architectural style and exterior details of your home.

For example, if your home has modern or Spanish-style architecture, a garage door with a barn door design will look out of place. However, if your home has a farmhouse or traditional architecture, a barn door-style garage door will complement its exterior appearance. Not sure which garage door will suit your home? Try out this tool to design and build your garage door.

The Specifications for Your Garage Door

You’ll want a garage door with specifications that can withstand your climate and weather conditions. If high winds are a frequent concern, you’ll need a garage door with a minimum level of wind resistance. Want to keep your garage at a more comfortable temperature and make your entire home more energy efficient? An insulated garage door will assist you with these goals.

Your Budget for Your New Garage Door

A gorgeous garage door with all the bells and whistles is of little use if it’s too expensive for your budget. Before you start shopping with a garage door company, decide how much you are wanting to spend and what features are most important to you.

Buy Your New Garage Door

Ready to explore potential garage door designs? Visit the Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. website to get started!

The Importance of Proper Loading Dock Signage and Accessories

Loading docks are essential for keeping the nation’s freight networks running, but they also act as a potential source of illness and injury. Estimates indicate that thousands of accidents occur at loading docks each year; for every accident, there are many more “near misses” that could have easily led to an accident. Fortunately, adding proper loading dock signage and accessories is one of the most effective ways to make the dock a safer place to work.

How Loading Dock Signage and Accessories Make Loading Docks Safer

One reason that loading docks are so dangerous is that there are a lot of vehicles entering and exiting the space, making it likely that collisions or backovers occur. Signage that marks the flow of traffic can mitigate these risks. There should also be signage that specifies the speed limit and signs that define where loading and unloading areas begin and end. Traffic lights should be added to communicate to drivers when it’s safe to go or when a bay is open. They can also inform drivers when a bay is full or when the driver should stop. 

Dock levelers and lifts should be available to assist with safely lowering freight. Loading dock doors should have dock seals and bumpers that prevent unwanted access to certain areas and keep precipitation outside so that it doesn’t create a slippery surface. Truck restraints are an invaluable accessory that keep trucks and other vehicles from leaving the dock during the loading or unloading process.

Tips for Ensuring the Effectiveness of Your Signage and Accessories

To ensure that your signage and accessories maximize your loading dock safety, it’s important to have any electrical or technical components installed by a qualified professional. A professional will utilize the proper installation procedures to make sure that the components work and function properly. You should also confirm that your accessories have sufficient weight limits for the trucks and equipment at your loading dock.

Improve Your Loading Dock Operations

Visit Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. today to purchase the signage and accessories you need to encourage loading dock safety. 

7 Benefits of Retractable Screens

A screened porch can be a very comfortable and attractive living space. There are no rules dictating that porches have to be bare spaces with aluminum furniture. The addition of lights, outdoor carpeting, hot tubs, gas fireplaces, and even a TV set can turn your ordinary deck or patio into an oasis that your entire family will want to enjoy. The retractable screens that can create and define these spaces are cost-effective and attractive.

Retractable screens become an integral part of outdoor living by:

1. Creating an outdoor living space – Retractable screens can essentially add another room onto your house and give you more space for relaxation and social gatherings.
2. Protecting you from insects – Nothing can ruin your enjoyment of being outdoors more than having to shoo away mosquitoes, flies, and other uninvited pests.
3. Adding value and curb appeal to your home – Everything you do to improve the amount of living space and the attractiveness of your home increases the value and makes it more appealing to potential buyers.
4. Offering customizable options – Retractable screens are available in many different frame styles and colors and fabric or mesh options to perfectly match the style of your home.
5. Being easy to use and maintain – There is no need to set up or take down your screen every time you want to use it. Simply extend it or retract it with the touch of a button. Your retractable screen will only need minimal if any cleaning.
6. Shading and sheltering you from the elements – Retractable screens, shades, and awnings not only give you a place out of the sun, but they can noticeably reduce the need and costs for air conditioning during warmer months. 
7. Letting in light and fresh air – Retractable screen doors and retractable window screens can give you the ability to let the outdoors in and freshen your home without bugs and debris making their way inside your house.

Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc. is your source for many different styles and options of retractable screen doors and window screens. Contact us today to schedule a service call or to receive a free estimate.

6 Garage Door Accessories You Need

Just when we thought our garage door systems couldn’t get any safer, any more automated, or any more sophisticated, leave it to the technology companies to prove us wrong. As every industry advances, the same is true of garage door accessories. Wireless technology is improving our safety and control of our garage door systems in unbelievable ways.

Depending on the model of garage door opener your home has, these are some of the must-have accessories that will streamline your life as never before.

1. Exterior wireless keypad – If you can’t find your controller, you can enter the four-digit code into the keypad to open the garage door from the outside instead of going inside the house.
2. Garage door monitor – If you’ve ever gone to bed and wondered if you forgot to close the garage door, your worries are over. This monitor can tell you the door’s status and allow you to close it from any location inside your house.
3. Laser parking system – This system provides a guide so that you park your car in the perfect spot every time.
4. Internet gateway – Using a Wi-Fi connection, you will be able to open and close your door from any location in the world. This comes in handy if you aren’t home and you need to let a delivery person or a repair technician have access to your garage or home. You can also use it to be certain that the door is closed when it should be.
5. Battery backup system – This will allow you to use your garage door opener even if there is a power outage.
6. Mini remote control – This garage door opener is small enough to carry in a pocket or a purse so you can always keep it with you when you are away from home.

Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc., is your premiere garage door company for all the latest garage door opener accessories. We employ only licensed, experienced, and highly trained garage door technicians to install the accessories you need to make your life easier. Visit our website or contact us today to learn more or to schedule an appointment.

5 Reasons You Should Have a Louvered Pergola Installed This Spring

Dating all the way back to ancient Egypt and perhaps even earlier, pergolas have survived the test of time. They have been used to create shade for terraces and walkways, as the framework to grow vegetation, and as upscale hanging gardens for the affluent social classes. While they have evolved in form and function, pergolas are as beneficial for us today as they were centuries ago.

The use of a pergola is a way to improve a patio or other outdoor living space that is less than an enclosure but more than an open bare space. Pergolas usually consist of columns that support roofing style rafters or beams. They can be attached to a house or other structure or built as a freestanding structure. The amount of shade a louvered pergola provides can be controlled. The rafters can allow bits of sunshine to peek through or the shelter can be closed and shaded completely. The design styles are limitless and can be adapted to accommodate any style of home and climate. The definition of a pergola also extends to retractable shades or awnings that are popularly used to create backyard retreats and spaces for entertaining.

Spring is a great time to reimagine your outdoor living space and redesign it to meet your needs and goals. Here are just a few of the ways in which a pergola can improve your lifestyle.

1. They increase your home’s value – A pergola raises the property value of your home by adding attractive living space.
2. They are cost effective – The many design options and styles mean that it doesn’t have to break the bank to install a pergola.
3. Pergolas create privacy – Even though the design of a pergola is inherently open, you can use your imagination to add dramatic curtains or screens to provide greater privacy in your backyard.
4. They can offer the desired amount of shade – Whether you want some sunshine to nourish plants or complete shade for a cooler space to hang out, there is a design option that is just right for any purpose.
5. Pergolas require little to no maintenance – The pillars, beams, and stationary or retractable shades are easy to rinse off and can provide many seasons of enjoyment.

Thomas V. Giel Garage Doors, Inc., has the expertise to help you choose the right pergola system for your home. Our insured and licensed technicians can perform the expert installation to create your perfect space. Contact us or visit our website today to learn more or to schedule a consultation.