Storm-Proof Your Garage Doors

Buying a New Garage Door

One way to make the garage hurricane-ready and code-compliant is to buy a new garage door. Products such as DAB’s Hurricane Master Garage Door System are complete garage door systems that, when installed properly, comply with Florida building codes. “Our garage door systems use our patented InterForce Structural Reinforcement System,” says Ernie Hunto, spokesperson for the company. This system addresses common weaknesses found in regular garages, including the end stiles that brace the edges of the door and the weak skin. “We use anti-distortion end stiles and a 24-gauge steel skin on our doors,” explains Hunto. In hurricane-strength winds, regular garage door end stiles endure enormous forces and often rotate, causing the garage door to “dump out” or give way. A reinforced end stile resists these forces and keeps the garage door holding firm. A stronger steel skin resists small- and large-missile impact from the debris that hurtles through the air during hurricanes.

A stronger door certainly helps, but the door itself won’t matter if the mounting area and track aren’t strengthened as well. To that end, products like Hurricane Master use a 14-gauge tracking system with heavy-grade track brackets. “You can reinforce an old door with a retrofit kit, but if the track system isn’t upgraded, it can twist and the door will dump out on you,” adds Hunto. Additional reinforcing U-bars can be purchased for a Hurricane Master system and installed before the storm hits to make the door more resistant to higher winds.

Prices for a new hurricane-resistant garage door can vary according to size and wind-load capability. According to Hunto, an 8-foot-by-7-foot single residential Hurricane Master Garage Door System might run anywhere from $700 to $900, while a double-bay door could cost as much as $1,200.