I was almost a teenager before I could budge the thing open. And when the door closed, it seemed as if no springs in the world could have kept it from crashing down and rattling mom's dishes in the kitchen above. To this day, I swear that my right arm is longer than my left from slowing the door's descent. Today's garage doors, on the other hand, are not only light, quiet and smooth-operating, but with the choices out there, they also can be surprisingly good looking. The lumber in my folks' old door was probably 2-in.
Most companies offer their wooden doors preprimed for a slight additional charge.
But even these doors have to be painted with a finish coat after they're installed and then repainted regularly. But being able to paint a traditional wooden door to match your house or trim can be a plus. Flush wooden doors can be ordered with a layer of insulation mounted inside the door sections. In addition to its thermal qualities, this insulation also helps with sound dampening, which is nice if your driveway happens to be a gathering place for noisy neighborhood kids. And all traditional wooden garage doors can be ordered with window sections.