Hörmann Open for Infill Garage Doors

Create your own bespoke timber garage door on a certified, factory engineered steel chassis.

If you want a truly unique garage door, matching bespoke cladding on a house facade, or needing a specific timber species not offered in standard factory brochures, an open-for-infill door provides the ideal foundation. You supply the timber or composite boards, while Hörmann provides the fully welded, galvanised box section steel framework, springs, tracks, and locking.

Because the mechanism and running gear are tested and certified to UK safety standards, you avoid the balance and safety problems associated with building a timber door completely from scratch on site.

Solid Engineering Foundation

• Sturdy frame construction: Heavy gauge hollow steel box section leaf with fully welded internal cross-struts.
• Dual-layer corrosion protection: Fully galvanised steel leaf pre-finished in a protective polyester primer (Terra Brown RAL 8028 or Traffic White RAL 9016 or special colour on request).
• Pre-drilled fixings: Frame sections and horizontal struts are pre-drilled at 30mm centres for quick, consistent screw fixing.
• Operating gear choices: Available with either canopy gear (single doors) or smooth retractable gear (single and double doors, ideal for automation).
• Flexible styling: Timber boards can be fitted vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or as custom panel arrangements.
• Step by step guidance: Supplied with illustrated installation guidelines and recommended infill layouts.

*Fitting note: If you are fitting boards horizontally, you will need to add intermediate vertical timber battens, as the standard steel chassis struts run horizontally.

Chassis leaf with pre-punched mounting holes and protective bottom skirt.

Selecting the Right Chassis: Series 2000 vs N500 vs ET500

The right chassis model depends on your garage opening width, whether you plan to use heavy hardwoods, and how frequently the door will cycle each day:

Need Technical Help Sizing Your Chassis & Springs?

Open-for-infill garage doors are precision-balanced mechanisms. Because every timber species and board thickness has a different density, the factory counterbalance springs or counter-weights must be calculated to match your exact infill weight. Getting this right is essential for safe, light manual handling and reliable electric motor operation.

Before ordering, we recommend discussing your planned infill with our technical team. Please have the following ready:

• Brickwork opening dimensions: Structural daylight opening width and height and return/reveal sizes available too
• Infill material & species: e.g. Western Red Cedar, European Oak, Accoya, Iroko, or marine ply.
• Board thickness & orientation: Finished board thickness in millimetres and whether boards run vertically or horizontally.
• Operation method: Manual handle locking or remote control electric automation.

*Our technical team can calculate your infill kg/m² weight for you and advise whether the standard Series 2000, N500, or heavy-duty ET500 chassis is required.

On Site Treatment & Alternative Infill Materials

Protecting Timber: Natural timber will react to sun exposure and rainfall. Before or immediately after mounting your boarding, you must seal every face, tongue, and cut end with a microporous, pigmented wood preservative (such as Sikkens or Sadolin). Avoid clear varnishes that can peel, as well as heavy non-breathable paints that trap moisture inside the grain.

GRP Panels: While timber is the most popular choice, our open-for-infill chassis frames can also accept moulded GRP (glass reinforced polyester) door panels. GRP gives the grain texture of real timber with zero wood maintenance, making it particularly useful for seaside properties exposed to salt air.

Explore the Hörmann Up & Over Range

The Original Up & Over Classic Steel Designs Natural Timber Range Durable GRP Doors Windows & Handles Electric Operators Safety Features Fitting & Installation Technical Details