Choosing a Garage Door
Holmes Gold Series Residential Garage Doors
What options are available in the Holmes product line?
Holmes has several handcrafted wood Carriage House designs with six different window options to match the architecture of your home. Each Holmes door series — Gold, Silver and Bronze — offers several panel, window and color options. The doors come in a classic raised panel or a ranch panel. Gold series doors also offer a flush panel. Most doors are available in white, almond, sandtone or brown or can be painted to match any exterior. Window options include "Designer Classics Window Lites" and "Designer Inserts." The Designer Classics Window Lites line features the look of beveled glass highlighted by brass or charcoal-colored caming, while the Designer Inserts are inserts that can be retro-fitted to dress up plain, existing garage door windows. Click here for more information.
Holmes Silver Series delivers strength and insulation
I live in a hurricane prone area. Does Holmes manufacture a door that will withstand these high winds?
Yes. Clopay Building Products Company is the leader in the area of windload compliance and the Holmes brand offers a specially engineered line of doors designed to withstand high winds up to hurricane force. If you live in a region where local building codes require specially reinforced garage doors, your Holmes retailer carries a line of our WindCode® doors.
I hear a lot about R-value. What is it and is it important?

R-value is a measurement of the thermal efficiency of a door, or how well it insulates. Insulation is an important factor to consider when purchasing a garage door. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your garage — perhaps you have a workshop in your garage — or you have a room directly above or adjacent to your garage you will want to purchase a garage door that offers a high R-value. If your garage is not attached to your house or you are not concerned with insulation, you can purchase a garage door with a lower R-value or with no insulation at all.

The Holmes product line offers a three-tiered series — Gold, Silver and Bronze — with varying degrees of insulation.

When referring to the gauge of the steel skin, does a lower number mean thicker steel?

Yes. The lower the gauge, the thicker (and stronger) the steel. For example, 24-gauge steel is thicker than 27-gauge steel. However, a "sandwich" constructed door with two 27-gauge steel skins and a bonded, insulated core is stronger than a "steel frame" door with a single 24-gauge steel skin.
Are nylon or steel rollers better?

Nylon rollers are generally better than steel rollers. Steel rollers tend to be noisier and don't hold up as long as nylon rollers. Steel rollers also have to be lubricated for optimum usage. Holmes doors come standard with nylon rollers.
Nylon Rollers
Stop molding seals out the elements
What size door do I need? What sizes does Holmes offer?

When purchasing a new garage door, you need to choose a door that is the same size as the opening. The door fits against the opening from the inside. The opening should be finished with an exterior perimeter seal or stop molding to seal out rain, insects, etc. Holmes WeatherStop™ brand stop molding is available at most Holmes retailers.

Holmes residential garage doors are available in sizes ranging in width from 4'2" up to 20' in 2" increments. Door heights are available beginning at 6' up to 8' in 3" increments (excluding 7'3".) Not all models are available in all sizes.

Click here to link to our convenient worksheet to help you determine the size door you need.

How much headroom do I need to install my door?

Doors with extension springs require 10" of headroom while doors with the patented EZ-SET® Torsion Spring System require 12" of headroom. If installing a garage door opener, you will need an additional 2 – 3 1/2" of headroom depending upon the brand of opener. Low headroom hardware is available at your Holmes retailer to reduce the headroom requirement to as little as 4 1/2". Again, this web site can help you determine these exact measurements. Click here to link to our convenient worksheet.
Low headroom kit
Interior Slide bolt lock
Is a lock included with my door? Will lock holes be drilled in the exterior skin of my door?

Yes, with all Holmes doors an interior slide bolt lock is included. Most other manufacturers pre-drill a lock hole on the exterior skin of garage doors. Because the majority of homes today have automatic garage door openers, the need for exterior manual key locks is virtually obsolete. Holmes, taking this into account, has not pre-drilled a lock hole in the exterior skin, but still includes a lock on the interior of the door.

It is important to remember when using a garage door opener that this interior lock must remain in the open position or damage will occur to the door sections. If desired, an easy to install, heavy-duty exterior manual key lock is available from your Holmes retailer.

Snap latch lock
What horsepower garage door opener do I need with my door?

Generally a 1/4 horsepower opener is sufficient for any single car door and a 1/3 or 1/2 horsepower opener for heavier double car door. Every Holmes door includes an additional reinforcement bracket that must be added to the top section to distribute the stress applied to the section by the automatic garage door opener.

Can I use my existing hardware with my new door?

No. We do not recommend this because the track gauge and the spring size are in direct correlation to the weight of the door, and the track, hinges and rollers can fatigue over time. Also, the track brackets differ depending upon the thickness of the door. Failure to install the hardware supplied with the door will void all warranties in relation to damage incurred as a result of malfunction of the hardware and may result in unsafe installation.

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HolmesHelps® and Holmes Garage Door Company® are brands of Clopay Building Products Company, Inc. ©2004 Clopay Building Products Company, Inc. A Griffon Company. All rights reserved.