New garage door cost by material: steel, wood-look, real wood and glass in the Arizona sun
The material decides most of the price and all of the upkeep. In a climate that bakes a west-facing door at 115°F for a hundred days a year, the trade-offs are different from the brochure's, and some of the prettiest doors are the worst buys.
Steel
The default for good reason. A three-layer insulated steel door, two skins over polyurethane foam, is stiff, quiet, dent-resistant and holds a baked polyester finish for fifteen years or more in mid-tone colors. Two-car, installed: $1,700 to $3,100. One-car: $1,000 to $1,750. Single-skin steel is cheaper by $400 to $800 and buys a hotter garage and a door that dents. The only real weaknesses of steel here are dark colors, which fade and chalk faster on the sun side, and rust at the bottom edge where irrigation water sits; keep the sprinklers off the door.
Wood-look steel
A steel door with an embossed grain and a multi-tone finish that reads as cedar or walnut from the curb, in carriage-house and plank styles. It carries the insulation and durability of steel and none of wood's upkeep. Two-car, installed: $2,700 to $4,900. This is the door for Verrado, Litchfield Park and the newer Marley Park streets where the HOA wants the look and the owner does not want to refinish anything. Decorative hinges, handles and windows push it toward the top of the range.
Real wood
Beautiful for about two summers. Cedar, redwood and hemlock doors dry, check and warp in desert sun, the finish breaks down under UV in a year or two, and the door is heavy, which means bigger springs and a stronger opener. Two-car, installed: $3,500 to $8,000, before the refinishing every couple of years. Choose it only for a shaded opening on a custom home where the look is the point and the maintenance is accepted.
Aluminum and glass
Full-view doors with an aluminum frame and panels of tempered, frosted or tinted glass, for modern homes and for garages used as living space. Light, so the springs are modest; rust-proof; and striking at night. Two-car, installed: $3,200 to $6,800. The glass is a heat problem on a sun-facing opening unless it is insulated and tinted, and the aluminum frames dent more easily than steel.
Side by side
| Material | Two-car installed | Heat | Upkeep | Dents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insulated steel | $1,700 – $3,100 | Best | Rinse yearly | Resists |
| Wood-look steel | $2,700 – $4,900 | Best | Rinse yearly | Resists |
| Real wood | $3,500 – $8,000 | Fair | Refinish every 2 years | Resists; splits |
| Aluminum and glass | $3,200 – $6,800 | Poor unless tinted | Glass cleaning | Dents easily |
Every figure includes removal of the old door, new springs sized to the door, track, hardware, seals, installation and the reverse test. Windows, a new opener and a changed-opening permit are separate lines; the installation breakdown shows them.
Questions on this topic
Which material lasts longest here?
Insulated steel in a mid-tone color, kept dry at the bottom edge. Twenty years is normal; the springs and opener will be replaced before the door is.
Is wood-look steel convincing?
From the street, yes; the embossed grain and multi-tone finishes are good now. Up close you can tell, and nobody looks at a garage door up close.
Does glass make the garage hot?
A clear full-view door on a sun-facing opening does. Insulated, tinted or frosted glass and a north or east exposure make it workable.
Why avoid dark steel on the west side?
Heat absorption. A charcoal door on a west-facing opening runs far hotter than a sand one, chalks sooner, and carries a shorter finish warranty for that reason.
Is R-18 worth it over R-13?
Marginally, in an attached garage. The bigger step is from a single-skin door to any insulated door; the difference between insulated grades is small.
Can I get a golf-cart door in wood-look to match?
Yes. It is ordered in the same model and finish, and matching pairs are common in Sun City Grand and Sun City West.
See also: New door installation · Replacement cost estimator · Installation cost breakdown · Replacement doors