If you are looking for an insider’s take on whether Douglas fir garage doors might be right for you, then you are in the right place. At Doorvana, we design, build, and install garage doors from all materials, but Douglas fir and Western Red Cedar are the most common. Read on to learn whether Douglas fir is the right choice for your garage door.
We never want garage door shoppers to experience stress or frustration while choosing, buying, and installing a new garage door. The process usually starts with a design idea followed by material selection. If you are here, it’s because you might be evaluating garage door materials.
The sole purpose of this information is to help you answer the question, “Is a Douglas fir garage door right for me?”
The Benefits of Douglas Fir Garage Doors
These opinions have been formed by designing, fabricating, assembling, and installing garage doors since 2020. Some staff members have over 20 years of carpentry knowledge, and they have made valuable contributions to this article.
Douglas fir garage doors are highly customizeable
Relatively easy to cut, plane, and join, allowing for precise fabrication. Whether you are looking for a chevron or herringbone garage door design or a colonial-style garage door with glass and grids, Douglas fir is a natural fit.
Advantages:
- Cuts cleanly with minimal splintering
- Takes nails and screws well
- Machines smoothly with standard woodworking tools
- Accepts glue and finishes effectively
- Relatively soft compared to hardwoods
Douglas fir garage doors are highly durable
The vertical grain orientation provides superior strength and stability, with minimal warping or twisting compared to flat-sawn lumber. Dense and tight-grained, it resists moisture and decay better than many other softwoods, making it ideal for framing, decking, and exterior applications.
When properly treated and maintained, Douglas fir garage doors can offer remarkable longevity, delivering economic value and aesthetic excellence. The wood’s natural resistance to decay and modern protective treatments enable these doors to provide reliable performance and enhanced curb appeal for residential and commercial properties.
Michigan’s largest deer processing facility used Douglas fir porch beams for their remodel.
Douglas fir garage doors can be painted or stained
For exterior Douglas fir, both painting and staining are effective, with specific advantages:
Painting:
- Maximum protection against moisture
- Completely seals the wood surface
- Allows widest color options
- Provides longest-lasting barrier
Staining:
- Preserves natural wood grain
- Penetrates wood fibers
- Allows wood’s texture to remain visible
- It is easier to reapply than paint
- Better for showcasing wood’s natural beauty
Recommendation: Use high-quality exterior-grade paint or semi-transparent stain designed for exterior wood. Apply multiple coats and maintain them regularly to ensure longevity and protection.
Douglas fir garage doors are attractive
The wood displays a clean, uniform appearance with straight, tight grain lines, making it attractive for structural and finish woodworking. Whether you plan to stain it or apply a coat of paint, a finished Douglas fir garage door is a beautiful home addition.
Douglas Fir Garage Door Cons
Some potential challenges arise with the use of Douglas fir for garage doors.
Affordability
Select tight knot cedar garage doors are significantly less expensive and still deliver a natural wood product. However, Douglas fir displays a clean, uniform appearance with straight, tight grain lines. There is a stark contrast to finished cedar and Douglas Fir garage doors.
Douglas fir is in high demand for framing, construction, and structural applications. This high level of continual demand leads to elevated prices for specialty applications.
Maintenance
Maintenance requirements for Douglas fir demand consistent attention to preserve its longevity and aesthetic quality. Regular sealing, painting, or staining every 2-3 years is essential to protect against moisture penetration, UV damage, and potential decay. While these maintenance costs add to the overall expense, they remain relatively modest compared to more demanding exotic or hardwood alternatives, ensuring Douglas Fir remains an economically sensible choice for exterior applications.
Have questions about Douglas Fir garage doors? Call us at 817-500-5988 or click the link to contact us.
At Doorvana, we manufacture world-class Douglas Fir garage doors for builders and homeowners across North America. Feel free also to take a look at our garage door styles to see what we have to offer.
