garage door installation

Your Options for Kansas City Garage Door Tracks

Your garage door makes up a large portion of your home’s façade. If your existing door or Kansas City garage door tracks are old, damaged, or just an eyesore, you may be interested in purchasing a new one to improve your home’s curb appeal.

This is a smart investment and can actually increase your home’s value. However, before moving forward with the purchase, it is a good idea to consider more than just what you want your new garage door to look like.

One important consideration is the overhead door tracks. The company you buy your door from can help you find the right track option, but it is a good idea to learn more about the different styles that are available.

Standard Radius Garage Door Tracks

The most common option is the standard radius track. It features a 15” radius, requiring 15” of headroom, 12” radius, requiring 12” of headroom or 10” radius requiring 10” of headroom. The radius is an important deciding factor for the track’s curve and the equipment and components needed to ensure everything operates properly.

There are other standard options, too. These include a radius of 32” and 20”; however, the bigger the radius of the track, the more headroom needed to ensure the curve will fit.

Low Headroom Garage Door Tracks

If the headroom is limited, then allow clearance track may be required. This option is also called the Dual-Track and is easy to recognize because of the second horizontal track that is used.

This second track will be installed directly over the horizontal section attached to the curve from the vertical portion of the garage door track. By having this additional track, it requires far less headroom for the garage door to move through the track. This is a great solution for homes with minimal space above the garage door or to fit a garage door opener in a tight space.

Hi-Lift Track Garage Door Tracks

For homes that have ceilings that are higher than what is considered standard, hi-lift track is a great option for increased space. With this track, a standard radius curve is used; however, there is not as much horizontal track used and more vertical track in place. This helps to ensure the door can be moved effectively out of the opening in the home. This results in much less of the door resting in a horizontal position (parallel to the ceiling), and more of it remains vertical when the door is open. This is only possible with garages that have higher ceilings.

A variation of the hi-lift track mentioned above is the vertical lift track. This is typically reserved for use in industrial or commercial settings. With this option, only vertical track is needed. The door will move up following the wall, leaving space in the area above. With this track, you need eight to nine feet of headroom to accommodate an eight-foot-tall door.