The hottest garage doors for 2023 feature a mix of classic and fresh designs plus bolder aesthetics. And many of them are smart, too.
Because a home’s garage door accounts for up to 35% of what is seen from the road, looks count.
But so does performance.
Top 2023 Garage Door Trends
Here are the hottest garage door ideas for 2023. They’re arranged in four categories: Garage Door Styles, Colors & Appearance, Materials and Performance.
Garage Door Styles for 2023
If you are building a home or planning garage door replacement, here are the trending options this year – and beyond. These styles have proven staying power too.
Full-view or Full Glass Garage Doors
You’ve probably noticed a few of these in your neighborhood or as you’re out and about.
Full view or glass garage doors have steel or aluminum frames that support large glass panels. The glass is either clear (full-view) or frosted to allow privacy while letting in plenty of natural light. Sometimes clear and frosted panels are alternated in rows to create something with visual interest.
Advantages include enjoying the view and light plus the excellent return on investment these modern-looking doors provide.
Potential drawbacks include giving anyone a peek to what’s inside the space and possible security risks. To alleviate concerns, full view glass garage doors are often outfitted with security, impact-resistant glass. And a glass door has a modern vibe that might clash with traditional or rustic house design.
Here’s the Clopay Classic Full View garage door with frosted glass and a distinctive contemporary feel.
Tip: Are you considering converting the garage into living space? Putting on a full-view garage door allows you to get the benefit of windows while maintaining a garage door in case you want to use it again for parking at some point in the future.
Carriage House Garage Doors
If a full-view door is style-forward, a Carriage House garage door captures the relaxed, slower-paced aura of yesteryear. Their curb appeal is outstanding!
You have two options: Genuine Carriage House garage doors that part in the middle and open to the sides or simulated doors that have the look but are actually overhead garage doors.
Carriage House style garage doors are ideal for traditional, classic, Old World and rustic designs. All major garage door manufacturers make this style. Here’s a gorgeous example of a 6600 Series Wayne Dalton Carriage House.
The pros of a Carriage House door include the choice of materials you have from genuine wood to synthetic wood-look overlay to affordable steel. While real doors of this style are more expensive, there’s no interior track, so you ‘ve got a few more square feet of garage space.
Cons include the higher cost of genuine Carriage House doors, which are usually real wood and heavier too, especially if they are manually opened. Plus, while the style has been popular, and has classic appeal, trends change. In time, this traditional design might look dated.
Tip: Is a Carriage House door close to your idea of ideal, but not quite it? Maybe you have a Farmhouse garage door in mind, another popular option for 2023 but with slightly different design. Here’s a perfect example from Clopay Garage Doors – similar in design but with spacious windows for enjoying the landscape.
Popular Garage Door Appearance
Whether you opt for one of the trending styles or stick with something more traditional, the next step is the choose the look of the door – colors and textures plus how they fit into your home’s exterior scheme.
These hot garage door tips will help you customize your look.
Visualize your Garage Door
Most garage door manufacturers have software on their sites that allow you to explore your options before you make your selection. And you can even visualize the door on your home. Upload a picture, choose from the company’s garage door designs, add accessories like windows, choose a color, and apply your choices. See your garage door before it is manufactured!
These are some of the most useful tools for seeing your garage design possibilities.
- Wayne Dalton Garage Door Design Center
- Clopay Door Imagination System
- Hormann Door Visualizer
- Amarr – Design your Garage Door
- Overhead Door Garage Door Designer
Black & Bold Colors
Black window frames were introduced a few years ago to the residential window market, and the trend caught fire. The obvious extension was to apply the look to garage doors. And a black garage door really makes a statement.
However, black is a strong a color, keep a few tips in mind. Stylistically, black garage doors complement modern and contemporary designs. In terms of blending vs clashing, very dark garage door color is a better option when the siding of your home is medium to dark.
Tip: If your garage door comprises a large percentage of your home’s exterior as seen from the road, deep, dark colors might overwhelm the visual and reduce curb appeal.
If black doesn’t make sense for your project, consider a bold or bright blue, red, green or yellow that does. Just be sure the hue you choose works well with the other colors used in the exterior including the roof. Some homeowners have the garage door, front door and shutters painted the same color or complementary colors, which creates an aesthetically cohesive package.
Synthetic Woodgrain
If you love the look of wood but prefer a lower price and less maintenance, consider a steel door with a synthetic woodgrain overlay. Most top brands like Hormann, Overhead Door and CHI garage doors offer them.
The one concern is that if most garage doors in your neighborhood are genuine wood, saving money on a steel door with vinyl or composite texturing might look out of place – or it could hurt your home’s resale value.
In most neighborhoods, however, a steel door with a wood-textured synthetic overlay is well received.
C.H.I. makes the Planks Series and Skyline Flush Series, steel doors you could easily mistake for wood from the sidewalk or street.
Robust Wood Trim
On larger homes, installing beefy wood or composite trim around the garage door enhances its structure, producing a more substantive look and feel.
This, of course, is something you’ll have to have a contractor install – it isn’t part of the garage door accessory options.
Tip: Using a contrasting paint color sets off the trim. When the trim tone matches the siding, it gets “lost.” For example, white trim really pops against dark siding.
Materials
If you’re like most folks, you want to get 15-20 years out of your garage door without it looking dinged, dented and bent out of shape.
And if high-wind storms are common where you live, a tough garage door can be the difference between a storm having little impact and demolishing your home.
Sturdy Steel Garage Doors
To ensure better durability, most garage door manufacturers offer thicker steel framing and panels. Sure, the cost is a little higher than standard-strength doors, but if you have a large and active household or live where storms are common, you’ll be happy with a tougher door.
When you get garage door estimates, ask about high-strength garage door materials including heavier-gauge steel panels. When shopping online and viewing garage door specifications, keep in mind that lower-number gauges are thicker. For example, 24-gauge steel is thicker and tougher than standard 28-guage steel.
High-impact, wind-load and hurricane-proof garage doors are required by code in many Coastal areas. They feature more and stronger reinforcements.
If your garage door is old, it might pre-date the upgraded codes. Rather than wait for the next storm to find out if your garage door has what it takes to withstand 100+ MPH winds, consider replacing it preemptively. It could literally save your house!
Manufacturers of hurricane garage doors include Haas, Raynor, Clopay, Wayne Dalton and Amarr garage doors plus several regional brands that specialize in heavy-duty doors.
Smart Garage Doors
OK, we’re talking about garage door openers in this section, but they’re an integral part of the whole package.
A WiFi opener allows you to open the garage door from anywhere to let in a contractor or delivery person. And if you forgot – or wonder if you forgot – to shut the door, just check its status on your app and take appropriate action.
A camera in the opener gives you the opportunity to view the interior of your garage from anywhere using an app. Liftmaster is one of several brands selling openers with cameras and additional features like 2-way audio for security and convenience.
Smart garage door openers are available from all top brands including Chamberlain, Craftsman and Genie.
Garage Doors: What is Not Hot in 2023?
These trends have had their heyday, but it’s over now. Consider avoiding these features when planning your garage door project:
Boring Colors – White garage doors were once the standard. But now they’re considered dull and drab. Skip off-white, beige and light brown too in favor of something with more zest.
Vinyl – Vinyl garage doors are affordable, and they look fantastic for a few years. But most soon appear cheap. Their color often fades. The surface might split or crack, especially in climates where temperatures ebb and flow from freezing to very hot.
Overpaying for a Garage Door – The stimulus checks aren’t flying like they were a few years ago, and the pent-up demand for home remodeling has largely been met. Contractors are having to be more competitive in their bids again, and savvy homeowners are shopping around.
It makes sense to get at least three garage door estimates from local companies that know they are competing for the work. Getting multiple bids also allows you to ask questions of several contractors, compare costs on different door options and decide which you believe will do the best job installing your garage door.
Final Thought: ROI is on the Rise
And there’s more to your garage door buying decision than appearance – the ROI on a new garage door can exceed 100%! If your garage door replacement cost is $5,000, it will immediately boost your home’s value by up to $5,135. 2023 is a great time to buy a new garage door!
