Door type
Panel Lift & Sectional Garage Doors
If you want the garage door to actually look like part of the house rather than a hole in the front of it, this is the door type that gives you the options.
Quick answer
Panel Lift & Sectional Garage Doors: the essentials
A panel lift garage door, also called a sectional door, is made of horizontal panels hinged together that travel up vertical tracks and then back along horizontal tracks under the ceiling. Standard installations require approximately 300mm of headroom above the opening and 90 to 120mm of side room each side; low-headroom track kits reduce the headroom requirement to around 175mm. Panel lift doors offer the widest range of profiles, finishes and colours, including timber-look and custom-clad options, and seal better against weather than roller doors because the panels compress against seals on all four sides. Insulated panels significantly reduce heat transfer and operating noise, which matters where the garage sits below or beside living space. Because the door stacks along the ceiling, headroom storage is reduced. A well maintained panel lift door will typically outlast two automatic openers. Doormec supplies and installs panel lift and sectional garage doors across the Illawarra, Wollongong and South Coast. Phone 0490 774 111.
Suits
Best for
- Modern homes where the door is a major part of the street frontage
- Double garages where a wide door needs to look considered
- Garages under or beside living areas, where insulation and quiet matter
- Homes wanting timber-look or custom-clad finishes
Trade-offs
Worth knowing
- Uses ceiling space, so overhead storage above the door path is not available
- Needs more headroom and side room than a roller door
- More moving parts than a roller door, so annual servicing matters more
- Individual damaged panels can usually be replaced, which is a real long-term advantage
Answers
Panel Lift & Sectional Garage Doors questions
What is the difference between a panel lift door and a sectional door?
Nothing. They are two names for the same door type. Panel lift is the common Australian term and sectional is the international one. Both describe hinged horizontal panels running up vertical tracks and back along the ceiling.
Can a panel lift door be fitted in a garage with low headroom?
Often yes, using a low-headroom track kit. A standard kit needs about 300mm above the opening; a low-headroom configuration brings that down to roughly 175mm by repositioning the drum shaft and using a different track geometry. Below that, a roller door is usually the better answer, and we will tell you which side of the line your garage sits on when we measure.
Is an insulated panel lift door worth the extra cost?
If the garage is attached to living space, sits under a bedroom, or faces west, yes. Insulated panels cut heat transfer noticeably and reduce operating noise, which is the benefit people appreciate most. On a detached garage used only for parking, the payback is much weaker.
Compare
Other door types
Roller Garage Doors
The roller door is the workhorse of the Illawarra: fewer parts, less space needed, and a shape that fits garages built long before anyone designed for a sectional track.
Read moreAutomatic Garage Doors & Openers
An opener is only as good as the door underneath it, which is why we test the door before we ever talk about the motor.
Read moreCommercial Garage Doors & Roller Shutters
Commercial doors get specified on cycles and load, not on catalogue size. Getting that wrong is why some businesses replace a motor every two years.
Read moreThinking about panel lift doors?
Ring Doormec for a straight answer on what is wrong, what it costs and how soon we can be there. Standard service call is $170 plus parts, and emergency callout runs 24 hours.