Wood overlaid garage doors

[Bob Cooper]

I'm building a new garage and would like to overlay standard smooth garage door panels with a thin (3/8?) layer of Doug Fir. Have any one you done this and do you have any suggestions?

I talked to one guy that's done it and what he did was glue with flooring adhesive and screw in (through ore drilled holes) from the back.

[Peter Quinn]

Check the archives here at the creek, some time in the past year or two a guy posted a real nice pictorial on how to add wood faces to insulated steel garage doors using z clips from tractor trailer frames (bought in lengths, cut to short pieces to hold the planks from the back). I can't remember the name, but shouldn't be too hard to find in a google search, or maybe somebody will see this and remember it. Lots of pics iir

[David Wong]

This was done to my garage door. The installers used the same 5/8" primed T&G cedar siding that was on the house. It looks like they had to face nail the siding in a few places to get it to be completely flat. I noticed a few narrow staples on the edges for example. One issue was the resulting weight of the door. The standard torsion bar had to be replaced with something that could handle the 600 lb weight (if I remember the weight properly). I have a 3/4 hp Liftmaster installed. 3 years now, and the siding is still flat. I live in California, so no extreme weather, just rain and a hot southern exposure. I do have some staining in a couple of places on the inside of the door from rain infiltration. I do not think they used any house wrap under the siding.

[Peter Quinn]

Try this link, it's tthe one I was thinking of.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?188002-Carriage-House-Style-garage-door-construction-technique

[Bob Cooper]

Peter..thanks for finding that for me. I did a quick search before posting and didn't find anything. Boy, he did an awesome job and what a nice (large) workshop. If I take this on I have 3 of these to do...how long can the wife wait :). I do like his approach

[Chris Barnett]

Will be installing garage doors soon also, and had previously wanted, and still do, wood doors. Also have the T/G cedar on house, but thinking about it, wonder if the weight will be higher than typical door opening motor could handle. Perhaps when the project is done, you can post as-built photos? Good luck...will look great.

[Peter Quinn]

Will be installing garage doors soon also, and had previously wanted, and still do, wood doors. Also have the T/G cedar on house, but thinking about it, wonder if the weight will be higher than typical door opening motor could handle. Perhaps when the project is done, you can post as-built photos? Good luck...will look great.

I think the original article indicates he calculated the additional weight of the panels and ordered the door with springs designed to handle the total weight through clopay. Not sure the opener has to be different if the springs are correct because the force it will have to over come remains typical. The springs are designed to balance the weight of the door what ever it should be. We have huge garage doors at work that can easily be opened manually when the springs are functioning, when one breaks you can barely budge them. Worth a call to the door manufacturer, they often can be of great technical assistance.

[Alan Schaffter]

Or you can use paint and tape, and take the quick and easy way:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P6070012.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/IMG_3744.JPG