How Wide Is a Garage Door?
For example, whether your garage door has become damaged due to high winds, a malfunction or a teenager learning how to drive, the width of your garage door is one of the first things you’ll need to know in order to have it
properly repaired or replaced.
You may also need to know the width of your garage door in order to fit it for a garage door seal. A properly fitted garage door threshold seal provides your garage with additional defense against the elements as well as infestations from rodents and other pests. Because a garage door seal needs to run all the way across the bottom of the door in order to be effective, it’s important that you know exactly how wide your garage door is before attempting to install a seal.
THE DIFFERENT WIDTHS OF GARAGE DOORS
Although they can vary a lot based on a garage’s construction, most garage doors come in a set of standard widths that are used in the majority of garages. Depending on whether your home has a single-car garage or a multi-car garage, your garage door’s width may vary accordingly. However, the generally standardized sizes of most commercially available garage doors means there isn’t too much variance to make it confusing for the do-it-yourselfer.
Single-car garages tend to have measurements of 8 feet by 7 feet, 9 feet by 7 feet, or 10 feet by 7 feet. These are more than adequate to accommodate the vast majority of cars, trucks and minivans found in the average garage. Although, many of today’s larger trucks and SUVs may find the 8-foot-by-7-foot garage door a tight fit.
For double garage doors, commonly found on multi-car garages, the typical sizes include 12 feet by 7 feet, 14 feet by 7 feet, and 16 feet by 7 feet. The extended width allows for larger vehicles as well as multiple standard-sized vehicles to fit within the garage. Doors for garages built specifically to store RVs generally are built 16 feet wide to 8 feet tall. Typical commercial garage doors are 32 feet by 2 inches wide.
MEASURING YOUR GARAGE DOOR
Because your garage door’s width is information you’re not likely to have on the tip of your tongue at all times, it’s important to know how to measure your garage door to confirm the width and other dimensions. This way, you know exactly what you’re up against when it comes time to improve or replace it. Knowing how wide your garage door also comes in handy when you’re fitting your garage door for a threshold seal that will protect your garage from water or other unwanted pests from entering through a gap between your garage door and the floor.
First, use a tape measure to measure the width of your garage door at its widest point. The best place to do this is at the bottom of the door, where it comes in contact with the floor. Next, measure the door’s height, from the highest point down to the point where it touches the floor. If you’re replacing the entire garage door, including the tracks, also measure the spaces between the opening for the door and the walls on either side to ensure you have enough room to install the new tracks. Additionally, measure the headroom between the ceiling and the top of the opening for your garage door.
The width of your garage door is something you may never have to think about, but when the situation arises, it’s essential information to have.