A steel garage door is the most common choice in New York, installed from about $1,056 for a standard single door and up to roughly $3,200 for an insulated double with a decorative finish. Steel is strong, low maintenance and inexpensive, and its weakness is denting and, near the water, corrosion at any scratch.
Steel is the default garage door material in this region and for good reason. It is the cheapest way to get a door that is strong, dimensionally stable through New York temperature swings, and effectively maintenance free for years at a time.
The number that matters when comparing steel doors is the gauge, and lower means thicker. A 24 gauge door is noticeably more dent resistant than a 27 or 28 gauge one, and on a door that gets used by a family with bikes and bins in the garage that difference is worth paying for.
The thing to understand about steel near salt water is that the factory finish is the protection. Once it is scratched through, corrosion starts at that point and spreads under the coating. On the south shore and the coastal parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island that is the failure mode we see most.
What it is good at
- Lowest installed cost of any material for the same size
- Strong and dimensionally stable through the full New York temperature range
- Available insulated, which matters when the garage is under living space
- No refinishing, unlike wood
What it is bad at
- Dents, and a dented steel section usually has to be replaced rather than repaired
- Corrodes at any scratch through the finish, which is a real issue near the water
- Single-skin uninsulated steel transmits both cold and noise
Steel questions
What gauge steel garage door should I get?
For a family home, 24 or 25 gauge. Builder-grade doors are often 27 or 28 gauge, which is thinner and dents from an ordinary knock. The price difference at the point of purchase is far smaller than the cost of replacing a dented section later.
Can a dented steel door be repaired?
Small dents can sometimes be pushed out, but the finish is usually damaged and the result is visible. On a sectional door the practical fix is replacing the affected section, which starts at $250 if the profile is still available.
Is a steel door a bad idea near the ocean?
Not bad, but it needs care. Keep the factory finish intact, touch up scratches quickly, and specify galvanised or stainless hardware, because the fixings corrode long before the panel does.