We work with a lot of great companies and vendors for our garage doors, openers, and other replacement parts, but we have a special place in our hearts for Martin Garage Doors here at A Plus Garage Doors.
Like A Plus Garage Doors, Martin Garage Doors is a local Utah company. Their headquarters have been based in Salt Lake City, Utah since 1942, but the company was first started in Santa Ana, California in 1936 by Leno Martin. And now more than ever, we believe it is crucial to the health of our local economy to seek out and support Utah businesses.
Here are some of the reasons why we love Martin garage doors.
Martin Garage Doors: A Local Experience
Companies that have been around for a long time and grown from a small team often turn into something completely different over time. But the folks at Martin Door take the same approach we do, which is to provide personalized customer service for every interaction, including having a live person answering the phone to answer questions instead of an automated system.
If you visit their headquarters in Salt Lake City during regular business hours, Martin Doors will gladly provide a tour of their manufacturing facility as well as a showroom with an array of garage door models and colors, with some unique historical pieces on display.
The Martin Door Showroom
Just to the right of the front-door entrance you’ll find the showroom with many doors on display, from the standard models to more unique samples that you don’t see everyday (including a copper garage door!).
One of my favorites of the bunch, the door pictured below is a replica of the style used when the company first started. Because steel was reserved for national defense purposes during World War II, these hinges were made from old army bunks that were cut and welded together.
In those days, the materials to build the door were transported on site, then the door was framed and constructed in place. Unlike modern panel doors, these swung out as a single unit. They were sometimes referred to as “shin busters” or “chin busters” due to the injuries that could occur within the door’s broad swing radius.
The Production Floor
Before you go for the full tour, be advised that you should have some comfortable shoes on, as there’s a lot to explore in the 250,000 sq ft production floor. But there is also plenty to see and learn about the process to produce Martin’s garage doors.
Premium Safety Hardware
Martin garage doors have developed several proprietary safety features that go above and beyond what some manufacturers provide in the garage door industry. Some estimates indicate that around 30,000 garage door injuries occur annually, so safe installation and operation is always a concern of ours.
FingerShield
One of the prominent innovations to come out of Martin garage doors is its unique safety joint system called FingerShield, which prevents injuries to fingers and other accidents by minimizing the space between panels while a door is moving up and down. The image below shows how this works when the door is in motion.
Low-Profile Hinges
Standard door hinges tend to be bulky, which has two side effects: (1) they stick out from the door and pose a risk of accidental collision to hands, the head, etc., and (2) they increase the possibility of pinching during operation.
Martin’s premium hinges, on the other hand, are made to minimize these risks by being smaller and more than strong enough to tackle the same job.
Specialized Tracks
Martin includes track systems with its doors that prevent accidental injury and property damage by reducing the holes on the sides of a track.
While the odds of this happening may seem small, you definitely don’t want to risk having your fingers or a rake handle in the track when the door is moving. We’ve had several emergency calls where a door comes off track due to unexpected obstructions and can vouch for the importance of small but important details like these.
Side-Mounted Springs
Most garage door systems use springs mounted in the center of the torsion tube, the bar that the springs are attached to. While this works fine for many installations, if the hardware is mounted improperly or the structure that the center bracket attaches to is compromised, the mechanism can fail or cause serious injury. Here’s a video of what that can look like (WARNING: contains graphic images):
Side-mounted springs instead apply the force of the springs to the hardware on each side of the hardware above the garage door, which is mounted all along the height of the track system and can prevent system failure and injury.
Style Options
A big reason we love Martin garage doors is that our customers love them. Specifically, the looks and structural benefits they provide.
Reverse Angle Shield
Most garage doors rest directly on the jamb of the framed structure when closed. This can pose some problems when installed in a climate that varies between seasons, as temperature extremes and exposure to moisture can cause wood and other materials to contract and expand, sometimes leading to issues where the door is closer or farther away from the wall compared to when it was installed. In extreme cases, this can lead to the door being obstructed from closing properly.
Steel-Framed Windows
While many manufacturers install windows exclusively by cutting part of the panel away to allow the window and frame to be inserted into the panel (called “window inserts”), Martin garage doors offer the option of windows that are manufactured as part of the door. While there is nothing inherently wrong with window inserts, steel-framed windows allow for a slimmer, full-strength install. The frames around the windows take up less space, which means more light can come in through the windows while not compromising the panel structure. Windows are available in both glass and acrylic, with many tint and privacy options.
Finishes
The other major style benefit Martin garage doors provides is the array of finishes. They carry finishes for steel, powder coat, and anodized aluminum, but we consider their wood grain look for metal panels to be the among the best in the industry. See the color options here.
Here are some examples of Martin garage doors we have installed for our customers:
Get a Free Estimate on a Martin Garage Door
As an authorized dealer of Martin garage doors, we can attest to the quality of their products and customer service. We enjoy working with the company and are happy to provide a free estimate for a new garage door or repairs.
