Our full list of Questions and Answers is shown below, click on the more link to see the detailed answers to some of the questions.
To measure for an up and over garage door, you need to know whether the door and its sub-frame will fit between the brickwork, behind the brickwork, or onto an existing timber frame. Always measure the width and height in three places and work from the smallest measurement.
1. Fitting In Between the Opening (Brick to Brick)
Best when you have limited headroom or no internal return piers.
- Measure the clear brickwork opening width and height.
- Your Overall Frame Size (ordering size plus the sub-frame dimensions) must be 10–15mm smaller than your structural opening to allow room to square and shim the frame.
- Check that internal side tracks (retractable gear) or the canopy mechanism will not foul ceiling joists or pipes.
2. Fitting Behind the Opening (Face-Fixed Internally)
Best for maximising drive-through width and clearance.
- Measure the daylight brickwork opening from the outside.
- The door’s internal ordering size can match or sit slightly smaller than the brick opening so the frame hides neatly behind the reveal.
- Ensure you have at least 60–75mm of flat return face on each side pier and 60–75mm of flat headroom above the lintel for secure bracket fixing.
3. Reusing an Existing Timber Sub-Frame
Applicable only when replacing the panel and gear on a sound timber frame (old steel frames cannot be reused).
- Measure the internal frame opening: inside face to inside face between the posts, and from the underside of the head to the finished floor.
- The frame must be at least 70mm × 70mm timber to take the operating gear brackets.
- This internal measurement matches the nominal door ordering size (e.g. 2134mm × 2134mm = 7'0" × 7'0").
Sectional garage doors are available in a far wider range of sizes, including purpose made sizes up to 8000mm, so measuring and ordering is relatively easy once you understand the additional dimensions over and above the door ordering sizes.
Important:
ALL sectional garage doors are ordered by the internal dimensions of the steel fixing frame opening and all sectional doors have a steel framework for installation, this must always be taken into account.
Do not order a 14' x 7' (4267 x 2134) sectional door and expect it to fit INBETWEEN your 14' x 7' garage opening, there is always a fixing sub frame to accomodate, as with almost all other garage doors!
Ideally, a sectional garage door is installed BEHIND the structural opening and therefore ideally the ordering size is the smallest measurements taken for the width and the height, however more and more sectional doors are being fitted INBETWEEN the opening and we can accomodate all our sectional doors to fit this way as well.
i.e. Measure your opening at 2286mm wide and 2125mm high and this is the ordering size for the sectional door. You must measure the inside faces of the structural opening including the internal headroom above the lintel/RSJ and also measure into the garage as a sectional door will some a lot further into the garage than an up and over door. You can download our sectional door ordering form to assist in this process. (see bottom of page)
The tracks that the door panels slide up in will curve a full 90 degrees entering the garage horizontally, so you require headroom for this and internal depth for the tracks.
The headroom required will also vary from different manufacturers and door size.
Most sectional garage doors are installed behind (inside face fit) the garage opening to maximise drive through dimensions. However, because a sectional garage door does not go through the opening it is possible to install door sizes larger and smaller than your actual opening on the width and height. Very rarely will a standard size sectional door be the exact size when replacing an old door.
A lot of sectional doors have to be installed IN-BETWEEN the structural opening for various reasons and most leading manufacturers now offer an additional fitting kit to make this possible with the added option of trimming sections to help match the door frame and finish.
Generally, most sectional domestic garage doors require 90mm each side for installation and between 100 and 210mm of headroom above the top panel of the door for the headroom. (Check each manufacturer carefully before committing). A sectional door will also come into your garage a lot further on the horizontal rails, so it is essential you have clear room at least the height of the door plus a further 350 - 600mm (on average) into the garage.
Please always refer to the 'measuring tab' shown in our online shop for each sectional door model when specifying and placing your order. If you have any doubts please contact us for verification.
Our online ordering system will also provide you with a confirmation order and drawing to check before we actually order your sectional door.
* A timber sub frame can also be used to create a reveal structure if you do not have piers to install behind.
Hormann, Garador, GDO, Seceuroglide and Carteck all offer an inbetween fitting kit for this purpose as well with additional cover profiles to close up any gaps and trim up the sides and head section.
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