Did you know a two-car garage in an average-sized home comprises approximately 15% of the home’s overall square footage? Your garage door is often the first thing people notice when they look at your house, so it’s important to make a good first impression. One of the best ways to do this is with decorative garage door trim that compliments both your door and your unique style. This blog is intended to provide an overview of garage door trim so you can make an informed decision when refreshing or replacing your door.
What Are Carriage House-Style Garage Doors?
Any discussion of garage trim has to start with the history of carriage houses. What we now call carriage house (or barn-style) garage doors have their roots in the nineteenth century. At that time, wealthy people built carriage houses on their estates to store horses and buggies. These structures featured wide, swinging doors that provided access for both horse and carriage.
Today, carriage house-style garage doors come in a wide variety of materials, paint colors / stains, and opening styles. The vast majority also incorporate custom trim to create a rustic, country-style look that has become very popular. In fact, statistics show that carriage house doors make up nearly 20% of all garage door sales.
What is Garage Door Trim?
Simply put, garage door trim refers to decorative boards that can be added to your custom garage door design. Garage door trim boards enhance the look of your door and increase your home’s curb appeal. They also frame the doors, divide it into parts, and separate the windows from the rest of the door face.
In most cases, trim boards look best in pairs. However, this can vary based on the door style. For example, tri-fold doors with three panels often include a third trim board. Similarly, stile and rail doors will always have cross rails where the door sections break when it rolls up.
Garage Door Trim Materials
Garage door trim is available in as many different materials as there are garage doors. When you choose an Artisan door, our garage door materials include wood, vinyl, composite, and aluminum, just to name a few.
Garage Door Trim Board Styles
Garage trim comes in a wide range of styles. The garage trim style you choose has a direct impact on how the trim boards can be applied and any limitations you’ll be up against. Here’s a list of some of the most popular decorative garage door trim options:
- Cross bucks (X-bucks)
- V-bucks
- Z-bucks (A-bucks)
- Cross rails
- Sprung bucks (curved)
- Chamfered edges (45-degree angle)
- Square edges (90-degree angle)
- False center post
- Wide center bead
- Roman Ogee
You can accompany your specialty garage trim with a host of decorative hardware that emulates the hinges and handles used on traditional carriage house doors.
