Frameless vs framed glass garage doors
A framed glass garage door sets the glass inside a visible aluminum grid. A frameless door fixes the glass to the frame from behind, so the outside is one flush plane of glass.
What you see from the street
On a framed door, often called a full-view door, aluminum rails and stiles frame every pane of glass. The frame colour, usually black, bronze or clear aluminum, is part of the look, and each section reads as a row of framed windows.
On a frameless door, the glass runs edge to edge. There is no visible frame, trim or fasteners, only fine joints between the sections and, on wider doors, between panes. The door reads as one flat plane of glass.
How each one is built
Both are sectional doors. They run on tracks, lift up and back to lie along the ceiling when open, and are balanced by springs and driven by an opener. The difference is where the frame sits. On a framed door, the aluminum frame is the face of the door and the glass sits inside it. On a frameless door, the frame is on the inside and the glass covers it.
A glass door is much heavier than a steel door of the same size, so the springs, track and opener have to be sized to it. See the hardware we use.
Cleaning and upkeep
A frameless face is one flat surface. It cleans like a window, with water, a mild glass cleaner and a soft cloth or squeegee, and there are no frame edges or corners on the outside for dirt to collect in. A framed door has an edge around every pane.
Which suits your home
A framed door suits loft, industrial and mid-century houses, where the grid is part of the design. A frameless door suits minimal and contemporary houses, where the garage door should read as part of the facade rather than as a separate object.
We make frameless doors only, in seven finishes, in standard sizes or made to your opening. Choosing the glass? Compare mirror, tinted and frosted by day and at night.