Looking to take things in a new direction? You’re probably very familiar with a sliding track overhead door in your home garage that you can open with the press of a button. But there are many advantages to installing swinging garage doors instead. A swinging garage door with the proper garage door hardware to match can open a whole new world of opportunities.
1) When choosing your garage door, the right garage door hardware is essential – it’s paramount to safely install the doors. Our heavy-duty and decorative strap hinges are forged with a thick steel gauge to handle heavy doors and hold strong for decades. They’ll handle doors between 400 and 5,000 pounds, and are very versatile: our strap hinges may be mounted to the frame or to the wall on steel, hollow block, brick, concrete, or wood jamb frames.
2) Simply put, swinging garage doors help you stand out. Door designs may vary, but a decorative garage door, wooden or otherwise, is a conversation piece. Whether you’re looking for an antique door for a wedding venue, or a functional stable or garage door, the choice of a swinging garage door speaks to heritage and taste (wood garage doors also make an excellent home improvement project).
3) With a swinging garage door, you get great versatility in both form and function. Architects can create generally larger, hangar-style portals. Not only does this allow for a rustic look: it can also accommodate large vehicles within your space (swinging garage doors don’t just have to go on a garage). And thanks to our heavy-duty hardware to take on the task, your garage barn doors can be incredibly decorative, can be any size, and any material, from metal to wood. We know from our client Salisbury House that a carriage door for a carriage garage is an unforgettable wedding backdrop.
4) We think that the aesthetic follows the function, and vice versa. While some would prefer sliding garage door hardware, the beauty of swinging garage door hardware is that it is also simple to use and choose. One simply has to think of door opening and Swing Door size (width, height, thickness, and weight), Frame / jamb construction, Pintle type and location, and frequency of swinging door use. Then just seize the “moment”: how we measure the turning force on an object. To calculate the moment on the hinge, multiply the weight of the swing door by the width of the door: Weight & Width = Moment. After moment is determined, obtain the manufacturer’s recommendation, using the moment.
FOR EXAMPLE: 1,500 LBS WEIGHT X 4′ WIDTH = 6,000 FT/LBS OF MOMENT
With the right simple calculations, your swinging garage doors will glide for easy operation. An RW Hardware consultant can guide you to the right fit for you.
5) Many of our efforts in historical restoration involve swinging garage doors. For instance, Wood Island Life Saving Station stands on a small New Hampshire island on the ocean, with a lone lighthouse, a few rowboats and a few brave men held strong to save mariners. Their 26 foot long, 8,000 lbs. rowboats originally rocketed onto the waves from a ramp (now made from reconstructed rail found on a siding from 1893). Before the ramp was a massive mahogany door – its swinging hardware needed to endure the elements and protect the protectors. RW came in to save the day.
We replicated the hinges and door hardware to honor the look and function of the original fittings, but also coated them with a hurricane and weather-proof powder finish to ensure they’ll last for another century.
Ready to make your own history with new garage doors? Contact RW to get in the swing of things today.
