Roll up vinyl doors anyone?

[danacat]

I need to add a door in a specific place in my barn. Cannot use sliding doors here and don’t want swinging doors. So I was thinking of getting a roll-up – garage door type.

I’ve seen some on-line that are vinyl with clear windows. They seem to be less expensive than the typical metal or fiberglass doors. But it can get very windy in my neck of the woods so I’m a bit worried about the stability/noise of vinyl vs conventional.

Anyone have a vinyl roll up - or seen one on a barn? If not, what has your experience been with the conventional roll up type?

The opening is 14 feet wide by almost 12 ft. high. Big door!

Thanks!

[js]

An old Morton barn near us has them. They are functional but I didn’t care too much for them. My biggest thing was if you didn’t want to open the whole door but needed to open it just to get in and out, either you roll it up part way and duck to get in or up all the way. I’m not a fan of swing out doors either, we had them on our older barn but I think I’d rather have them than a roll up just because you can open one side and leave the other closed.

I don’t know how much effort it took with the roll up doors, if electric that would be better. Is there any chance roll up doors would freeze in the winter and get stuck, especially with snow?

[clanter]

[QUOTE=danacat;8898164]

Anyone have a vinyl roll up - or seen one on a barn? If not, what has your experience been with the conventional roll up type?

The opening is 14 feet wide by almost 12 ft. high. Big door!

![/QUOTE]

I am not sure which you are asking about …a standard sectional door where there are several sections that make a door that set in a track system or barrel door that is much like a curtain.

I believe you are thinking of a sectional door? If so, suggest you use lanex clear panels rather than tempered glass (polycarbonate panels normal sold under trademarks Lexan®, Makrolon® & Palram®) … this is a clear and virtually unbreakable panel… am I on the correct path?

[danacat]

[QUOTE=clanter;8898572]
I am not sure which you are asking about …a standard sectional door where there are several sections that make a door that set in a track system or barrel door that is much like a curtain.

I believe you are thinking of a sectional door? If so, suggest you use lanex clear panels rather than tempered glass (polycarbonate panels normal sold under trademarks Lexan®, Makrolon® & Palram®) … this is a clear and virtually unbreakable panel… am I on the correct path?[/QUOTE]

Hard to answer you because even I’m not sure! LOL I’ve seen them both ways on websites that sell them (for commercial applications) and the barrel ones are usually mechanized and the track ones can be manual/chain hoist.

Of course I’m going for chain hoist - barrel type is super expensive.

But either way the vinyl is 30 - 40 mil – looks like what high end tents are made from - and does come in clear which is what the rear window in a convertible car top is made out of.

There’s a company - Dynacodoor.us - that makes these doors (if you want to see some cool vinyl doors) but they are way out of my $$$ league!

[macmtn]

Simple (says the canvas stitcher) Get a custom curtain made with zippers on both sides. An awning company will do this.
You want clear 30 ga window plastic, #10 Delrin double pull zippers on both sides (these attach to your door frame) a light pipe in the bottom pocket for weight, and it can be installed using the same rope and pulley system used on retractable window awnings. Unzip, pull the ropes to raise. Tie it off. Need to slip in-unzip one size.

[Bluey]

We have regular garage door type barn doors, that roll up with a chain.
The springs on top are wound just right, so it barely takes a little pull to raise or lower the door.

The doors have at eye height a row of windows, so you can see outside and there is light coming in thru them.

One door is 14’ high and 19’ wide, another 15’ high and 16’ wide.

They work wonderfully for us, but yes, you need another door by them, like a people’s door, if you want to keep them closed and just walk thru without lifting them.

In the winter and ice and snow, they are much better than the old sliding doors used to be.
Well, at any time they are better, sliding doors are not ergonomic, you have to twist yourself to slide them, even small stall doors.

I would never again go back to sliding doors and very large doors are generally not hung to swing open, so roll up doors tend to be the best mousetrap for those kinds of doors.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=danacat;8898990]

But either way the vinyl is 30 - 40 mil – looks like what high end tents are made from - and does come in clear which is what the rear window in a convertible car top is made out of.
![/QUOTE]

all the fabric doors I used to deal with are high end very expensive industrial high speed doors.

Have you talked with a commercial door company to have their impute as there are many options available… and anything can be automated if desired…also 14by12 isn’t really a big door as things go

how much clear room is above the door opening??

[dotneko]

Our indoor has an electric roll up on one side and a manual on the other.
The electric control was relatively inexpensive ($600).
They work fine to -30 degrees :).
They are loud, though . Some horses need to be far away when they are opened.

The barn has regular garage doors - everyone eventually gets used to them.

No more sliding doors for me ever!

[danacat]

My other barn doors are the sliding type - and I do hate them, especially in winter when snow and ice gets packed in the track - so garage doors seem like the way to go, as everyone agrees.

So far in my research I’ve seen that the industrial strength vinyl (fabric) doors only come in the high speed (drum) roll up style ($$$$) - so I’m now wondering if any company even manufactures a lessor priced, manual, chain hoist vinyl door.

I’ll be making some calls today to find out. Will report back with my findings.

I’m assuming ‘wind rating’ will be a key factor. I’m in the Hudson Valley wind corridor and perhaps a conventional panel garage door will be the best option.

[Bluey]

We live in a wind farm, that ought to tell you that we have winds, very severe ones at times and our sliding doors at times would blow off, the roll-up ones have never ever had not one problem, at all.

They are engineered for high winds, with stronger and more struts supporting it’s long parts and have “brush” framing, so snow doesn’t get blown around the ends.

The best company here is called, well, “Overhead Doors” and they know what they are doing.

Maybe you have some such there.
Asking several companies is a good idea, so you get to pick several brains and then decide which one you trust best.

If you have someone with those doors, could you ask them who put them in and if they are happy with them?