Garador Up and Over Doors

Why buyers and homeowners choose Garador

Garador began life as part of Westland Engineers in Yeovil, Somerset in 1948, and the doors are still made in Yeovil today. The company is now wholly owned by Hormann, so the range benefits from German engineering and major factory investment while remaining a UK manufactured product with UK sizes, UK stock and UK aftercare.

What that means in practice:

• A wide choice of styles. Simple ribbed panels through to Georgian and decorative Designer range doors, plus realistic timber effect and genuine cedarwood timber options.
• Pre-Assembled with all operating gear, locking and optional steel sub frames fitted from the factory as standard (single size doors only)
• Fully Finished. Colour options for the steel, GRP and timber doors offered with factory finished high quality timber treatments
• Three materials in one range. Durable steel, natural cedarwood timber and virtually maintenance free GRP, all built on the same proven steel chassis.
• Standard and purpose made sizes. A long list of standard imperial sizes covering most UK garages, with purpose made sizing where the opening is awkward or non standard.
• Choice of lifting gear. Canopy, retractable or Retractable Plus, so the door can be matched to your headroom, your drive through width and whether you plan to automate.
• Genuine security options. Including the Guardian range, the Secured by Design accredited up and over door for garages where the contents really matter.
• 4 point locking on any of the doors will increase security considerably.
• Straightforward automation. The GaraMatic operator range is designed around these doors, so there is no guesswork about compatibility.
• Real warranty backing. Ten year limited warranty on the door mechanism and steel frame, with panel cover varying by material.

Up and Over Doors by Material

The steel chassis build and operating mechanisms are the same across the entire range, so choosing your material is really a decision about preference, appearance, budget and how much upkeep you are happy to take on. 

Canopy, retractable or Retractable Plus
 

This is the decision that catches most buyers out, so it is worth a minute. The lifting gear determines how the door behaves when it opens, how much room it needs inside the garage, how much drive through width you keep, and whether the door can be automated.

How Garador sizes work

Garador up and over doors are quoted as a nominal door size, which is the door size between the steel or timber sub frame, not the size of your brickwork. There is no fitting clearance built in. If the door is being fitted between the brickwork, add at least 10mm across the width and 5mm on the height to the overall frame size when choosing.

Made to measure sizing is best using both the opening sizes AND the overall sizes with the steel sub frame fitted and always use millimetres.

Two fitting positions

The door can sit between the brickwork or behind the reveals (Internal face-fit)

Behind the reveals gives you the full structural opening width for access, but needs sufficient internal faces to fix back to. 

In-Between the brickwork is neater from outside but costs you on actual final drive through dimensions when the door is open.

Which one is right depends on your garage build, and it changes the size you order, so decide this before you order rather than after. Never forget the sub frame in your decisions, you always require one with ANY up and over garage door and they can vary slightly in sizes.

Electric Operators: the GaraMatic range

An electric operator turns an up and over door from a chore into something you stop thinking about. You open it from the car in the rain, it closes behind you, and because closing takes no effort you actually close the door every time, which is a security gain in its own right.

Garador's current operators are the Series 4 GaraMatic range, and all three are designed around Garador up and over and sectional doors, so they arrive prepared for a straightforward installation. Every model is supplied as a complete set with the operator head, boom and two four button hand transmitters.

Before you choose: an electric operator needs retractable or Retractable Plus gear. A canopy door can only be automated using the canopy bow arm accessory and within its stated size limits, so if automation is on your list, try to specify retractable gear from the start unless your drive through width is super critical.

All three Series 4 Garamatic models share these features:

• Automatic safety reversal when any obstacle is met.
• Soft start and soft stop operation.
• 868MHz two way radio technology, which gives a more reliable signal at longer range and means your code cannot be copied.
• Integral anti burglar device as standard.
• Energy efficient LED lighting and a standby draw of under 1 watt.
• HCP interface for connecting accessories and smart home systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
• Maintenance free operation, quiet running and compliance with current European safety standards.

Smartphone control with BlueSecur. The BlueSecur app for Android and iOS lets you open and close the door, operate the partial opening position and switch the operator light from your phone. You can issue permanent or time limited user keys to family, a cleaner or a tradesperson, and get a notification when a receiver comes into range. One user key is included, with more available in the app. The Bluetooth receiver can be switched off if you would rather not use it.

Operator accessories

The operator is only half the story. The right controls make the difference between a door that is convenient and a door that fits how your household actually works.

Hand transmitters

The everyday control. Available as one, two, four and five button versions in high gloss black, matt black and white, a robust three button version for site or workshop use, a micro four button unit, and plug in transmitters for a car cigarette lighter socket in one and two channel versions. The five button transmitter adds a status query so you can check from the house whether the door is actually closed. A four button transmitter can be programmed to control up to four doors, useful if you have a second garage or a gate as well. Copying the code from one transmitter to another takes seconds. Hand transmitter stations in black or white and a sun visor or wall holder keep the spare somewhere sensible.

Push buttons and wall consoles

Best where you want fixed control from inside the garage without carrying a transmitter. The IT1 internal push button and IT1 B illuminated push button are simple open and close controls. The IT3 B wired wall console adds separate buttons for the operator light and for locking the operator out, and comes with a 7 metre lead. The FIT 2 BS wireless wall console does the same job by radio, which is the answer where running a cable is awkward, and controls up to two doors.

Key Switch

The ESA 40 face fixed key switch and ESU 40 recessed key switch let you open the door with a key from outside. A sensible addition where the garage is a secondary entrance, or as a backup if a transmitter goes missing.

Code switches and finger scanner

The FCT 3 BS radio code switch gives keypad entry on three functions, and the FCT 10 BS wireless code switch with hinged lid handles up to ten codes with illuminated buttons, so you can hand out a code rather than a key and change it whenever you like. The FFL 12 BiSecur wireless finger scanner opens the door on a fingerprint, with no code or transmitter to lose at all.

​Light Beam Devices

The EL 101 internal and EL 301N external light beam devices add a photocell across the opening that stops and reverses the door if the beam is broken. Strongly recommended for family garages, and required if you want to use the self closing timer function.
 

Extras worth knowing about

An emergency accumulator battery pack keeps the door working in a power cut. The options relay lets the operator control a garage light or warning light. The universal adapter print adds control of limit switch reporting, partial opening and ventilation position. An external Bluetooth antenna extends app range where the operator sits deep inside a masonry garage. Emergency release and delatching kits, extended towing arms and the canopy bow arm cover the mechanical side of an installation.

If you are not sure which accessories your operator needs, tell us the door, the gear type and who is going to be using it and we will put a package together.

Warranty at a glance

Full technical and warranty support is available on every door, and we can supply genuine Garador spares for older doors as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can any Garador up and over door be automated? Any door on retractable or Retractable Plus gear can be automated with a GaraMatic operator. Canopy doors always will need the canopy bow arm accessory and are subject to some size limits. Speak to us to confirm the best combination if in doubt. Guardian range security doors CANNOT be automated.

Which gear do I need if my garage has limited headroom? Canopy gear usually needs less internal headroom because there is no horizontal tracking. Send us your headroom measurements and we will confirm. Headroom isn"t maybe so important as internal clear space with any up and over door.

Will a canopy door hit my car on the drive? Around a third of the door projects outside when open, so you do need clear space in front when operating. A retractable operating door will swing out even further when opening or closing, but will sit almost completely inside the garage when open where as a canopy door will sit with a third of the door protruding when opened fully.

Are any Garador Up and Over doors insulated? Up and over doors are single skin and are not an insulated product. If warmth and noise matter, because the garage is a gym, office or workshop, look at an insulated sectional doors instead.

Do I need a steel sub frame? It is optional with Garador, but we recommend it wherever the opening allows. It gives a more accurate installation, a better finish and smoother running, and it is factory fitted for the easiest installation. Final tolerances between the door panel and frame are also tighter with a steel sub frame.

What if my opening is not a standard size? Made to measure door sizing covers it. Send us the brick to brick opening sizes and your preferred fitting position and we will confirm the correct and best ordering sizes.

How much maintenance does one of these doors need? Steel and GRP need little more than an occasional wash with a mild soap solution to stop dirt and corrosive deposits building up. Timber panels need periodic treatment depending on a full sun or not facing aspect. Mechanisms benefit from an annual check and light lubrication.

Can I get spares for an older Garador door? Yes. We supply genuine Garador spares including latches, cables, springs, drums, handles and lock barrels for most older doors as well as all the current models.