Cedar garage doors are durable, energy-efficient, naturally insect-resistant, and highly customizable. They outperform most wood options in looks and insulation but require regular upkeep. Ideal for premium homes, they’re the top choice for homeowners who value quality over shortcuts.
Cedar garage doors outperform most wood species in long-term value, style flexibility, and curb appeal.
If you’re debating between materials, here’s what you need to know: cedar offers a rare balance of warmth, strength, and character.
While its upfront cost is higher than mass-produced steel, its lifespan, insulation performance, and return on investment make it one of the smartest upgrades a homeowner can make, especially if you’re building or renovating a premium home.
At Image Doors, we specialize in handcrafted, solid cedar garage doors using Clear Western Red, Incense, and Spanish Cedar, each selected for its environmental fit and design potential.
Our team builds every door one at a time. This is craftsmanship scaled down for precision and elevated for beauty.
If you’re still deciding whether cedar is right for you, keep reading. We’ll walk you through the benefits, clear up the myths, and show you what truly makes a cedar door worth it.
Cedar – What Makes It Special?
Featured Product: Custom Stained Wood Carriage House Garage Doors
Cedar is the benchmark. At Image Doors, we use Clear Western Red Cedar as our standard, not a premium upgrade.
Why? Because it brings the perfect blend of beauty, performance, and workability.
There’s also Incense Cedar, our go-to for lake homes and properties exposed to high moisture. Its natural tannins and oils repel insects, and it resists rot without the need for heavy chemical treatments.
Spanish Cedar, another species in our lineup, offers dimensional stability for hotter, dryer climates.
What makes cedar stand out:
- It’s lightweight, which eases the load on your automatic opener and reduces wear on hardware.
- It naturally resists warping, shrinkage, and expansion, key for humid climates like Georgia or the Carolinas.
- It smells like quality and looks like legacy. Cedar’s straight grain and subtle reddish hue offer a visual warmth that only gets better with age.
Benefits That Matter to Homeowners
When homeowners call us about cedar garage doors, they’re usually balancing beauty with performance. Here’s why cedar consistently wins both:
Custom Design Flexibility
- Can be cut and shaped into arches, trim accents, and detailed panels
- Works well with paint-grade, stain-grade, and even wire-brushed finishes
- Seamlessly adapts to both historic carriage house looks and sleek contemporary styles
Natural Insulation
- Cedar offers excellent thermal resistance (~R-1.41 per inch)
- Helps maintain a stable garage temperature, especially important if your garage shares walls with your living space
Sustainability You Can Stand Behind
- Cedar forests are replanted, three trees for every one harvested
- It’s biodegradable and naturally renewable, unlike composite or vinyl alternatives
Return on Investment
- New cedar doors consistently improve curb appeal
- In resale markets, they offer up to a 100% return, especially in neighborhoods where architectural detail adds value
Common Questions, Answered
- Is cedar worth the price? If you’re comparing it to hollow steel or pine, the answer is a resounding yes. Cedar doesn’t warp, holds paint and stain evenly, and maintains its structural integrity for decades. It’s a smart choice when quality matters more than initial savings.
- Which wood is best for garage doors? We work with several hardwoods, but cedar is the most requested for a reason. It balances workability, beauty, and weather resistance better than pine or oak. Sapele is another great option, but it’s denser, heavier, and more expensive.
- What’s the best material overall? For high-end homes, solid wood (especially cedar) or steel with a cedar overlay offers the best combination of form and function. If your priority is cost savings, insulated steel might work, but it won’t look or perform the same.
Common Myths, Debunked
- Cedar doesn’t last long. False. A properly built and finished cedar door, especially one made by hand, not on a factory line, can last 15 to 20 years or longer. We’ve seen it firsthand. That’s the result of precision joinery, superior sealants, and smart homeowner upkeep.
- Cedar looks too rustic for modern homes. Not even close. While cedar carries a timeless character, it’s incredibly adaptable. Our contemporary cedar doors feature flush panels, minimalist lines, and sleek windows that look right at home in ultra-modern builds.
- Steel is always better. Steel can be cheaper upfront, sure. But it dents, rusts, and feels cold. Cedar insulates better, weathers more naturally, and adds depth that you can’t fake with a painted-on woodgrain.
Maintenance, What You Really Need to Know
Featured Product: Custom Stained Wood Carriage House Garage Doors
Let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, cedar requires some maintenance, but not nearly as much as people assume.
How often should I refinish a cedar door? Every 3–5 years is typical, depending on sun exposure and local climate. Doors that are covered or shaded may go longer between treatments.
Pro Tips from Our Installers:
- Use an oil-based stain or penetrating sealer designed for exterior wood
- Don’t forget to treat the top and bottom edges, these areas get missed but matter most
- Light sanding before reapplication keeps the finish even and extends the wood’s life
What surprises most homeowners is how easy it is to update or refresh a cedar door. Unlike metal or composite materials, cedar can be re-sanded and re-stained for a completely new look without compromising the door’s integrity.
Worried about maintenance? If your idea of upkeep is “set it and forget it,” cedar may not be for you. But if you’re okay with occasional care that protects your investment for 15–20 years, there’s no better wood to work with.
When Cedar May Not Be the Right Fit
Featured Product: Custom Steel Carriage House Garage Doors
As much as we love cedar, it’s not the right fit for every homeowner, and we’ll be the first to tell you so. Cedar garage doors are not suitable for every homeowner.
- Maintenance: Cedar requires periodic refinishing; consider composite or factory-finished steel for zero maintenance.
- Durability: While cedar resists rot and moisture, homes in high-storm (hurricane/hail) regions may require reinforced steel to meet wind load or impact resistance codes. Many cedar doors are wind-rated with additional bracing.
- Timeline: Cedar doors are handmade with common lead times of 6–9 weeks. For a quicker option, consider pre-made doors.
- Delays: What you lose in speed with cedar, you gain in longevity and visual impact; quality takes time.
What Makes Image Doors’ Cedar Options Different
What sets Image Doors apart isn’t just that we use cedar, it’s how we treat it, and how we treat you.
- Every door is handmade by craftspeople who build no more than two per day. This isn’t automated. It’s deliberate.
- We source three types of cedar, each selected for different applications, Clear Western Red for all-around performance, Incense for moisture-heavy zones, and Spanish Cedar for tropical-style elegance.
- Exclusive to Atlanta, we’re the region’s only distributor of Carriage House Door Company products.
- Details matter. From custom millwork to hammered hardware and exact-match stains, your door becomes a true extension of your home’s architecture.
- Wind-rated builds are available for homeowners who need safety to match style.
This is what happens when experience, artistry, and quality control come together.
So, Are Cedar Garage Doors Good?
If you care about long-term value, architectural beauty, and a door that turns heads for the right reasons, yes, cedar garage doors are not just good, they’re outstanding.
They’re not for everyone. If you want the cheapest, fastest option, you’ll find it elsewhere.
If you’re building or renovating a home that deserves more, something with warmth, authenticity, and strength, cedar is the wood we stand behind.
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