Google Verified

Do you do a search on Google for most of your home needs etc? Have you seen many companies that do not show an address on their Google Business page? Or it just says Columbus, Ohio? Ever wondered how they were verified?

Grove City Garage Door Inc. asks the same questions all the time about Google verified businesses! We had to go through great lengths to get verified and have telemarketers call us all the time to say we are not verified when we actually are verified! One way to tell if a business is verified, the business will have a green check mark on their Google Places page that says they are verified. How do you get verified? Well you set up your Google Places account, have Google send out a post card with a verification number, and once you enter that number into your Google Places account; you are then a verified merchant on Google Places.

We have seen instances of businesses that were claiming to be at one location, got verified somehow, and it is difficult to get them unverified. How is this fair to real businesses that use Google Places as an avenue to advertise their business? So consumers be careful while shopping on the internet, there are businesses that practice unscrupulously to get your business. Those businesses may or may not be a local company, and they could be scamming you. So do your homework and check out a business before hiring them to work on your home. We have seen some cases where a garage door company was hired to put up a new garage door opener and has come back at a later time to rob the customer.

Measuring your Opening

Not every garage door opening was created equal! This is why we have to measure every single opening for each and every job. The construction company has a specification to follow when constructing a home, does this mean that they could measure wrong? Of course! We have found that if we decide to not measure each opening that leads to problems. The door may not fit in height or width of the opening. An opening could be off three or more inches which makes a difference of what size door would fit in the opening and look correct as well as protect the entire opening. Weatherstripping does not make up for a wrongly measured opening. Ordering a door that is the wrong size will of course end up on our clearance garage door page. Clearance Garage Doors

Color Announcement for Mid-America

Mid-America is now offering a Black garage door! We are so excited about the new developments with the new colors! The black garage door offers a new look for a modern style or even a traditional style. There is no need to paint your garage door black any longer! Grove City Garage Door Inc. can get a black garage door from Mid-America! Mid-America Garage Door

Buying a Garage Door

Buying a garage door for your home can be a tough choice! There are many styles, steel thicknesses, wood variations, and insulation values to choose from.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. What do I want out of my garage door?
2. Is my garage heated and cooled?
3. What is my budget?
4. Do I want steel or wood?
5. What is the maintenance of steel and wood?
6. What color do I want on my home?
7. Do I need a lock?
8. Will I need to upgrade my opener?
9. How do I choose a company to perform the services?
10. Do I want windows in my garage door?

At Grove City Garage Door Inc., we understand that buying a new garage door can be a tough choice. We have many selections to choose from and can help. We will try our best to help over the phone or in person.

If you are just fishing around the internet here are some definitions to help you choose the right garage door for your home:

Insulation: Garage doors come in insulated and non-insulated varieties. There are foam backer inserts for insulation (not recommended), polystyrene, and polyurethane. Polystyrene is the most common of insulation in a garage door (recommended), and polyurethane is a heavier insulation (also recommended). Insulation is a great way to keep your garage at cooler temperatures and warmer temperatures especially if your garage is heated or cooled.

Wood: There are manufacturers of traditional wood door such as Clopay. We are a dealer for Clopay so we can get a wood door at your request. A wood door does require maintenance and may not be within a budget. Wood doors can be expensive and hard to take care of. If you are choosing a wood door, be prepared to stain the wood door every year. A wood door is also heavier and may require a commercial opener with heavy duty springs.

Composite: A composite door is a door that has a steel undercarriage and a wood overlay glued to the outside of the steel to make the door look like wood. A composite door requires less maintenance than a wood door, but still give the look of a wood door.

Steel: A classic steel garage door can come insulated or non-insulated. Steel garage doors also come from the factory painted with your choice of color. Steel garage doors are available in short and long panel, with windows or without and are low maintenance. A steel garage door only requires a once a year adjust and oil to make the garage door operate smoothly from year to year.

Aluminum: An aluminum door is recommended in high humidity and caustic environments, the material is rust proof and corrosion resistant. An aluminum door goes well on a coastal home that is exposed to the elements. You can put in a full view glass panels for a modern look on your home.

Windows: Windows in a garage door can add light to the garage, and a distinctive look to any garage! Windows are also insulated, can be frosted or not frosted, and have many different inserts available for a different look!

Color: Garage doors come in many different colors ranging from a traditional white to a wood look of oak! It is up to you on how you want your home to look: contemporary, modern, or traditional!

Check out all of our different garage doors, colors, windows, and openers:
Clopay Garage Door. Mid-America Garage Door, DoorLink Garage Door, Clopay Windows, Mid-America Garage Door Colors, Clopay Garage Door Colors, Garage Door Openers

Black Garage Door Color

Do you remember a time when garage door only came in one color? We do! Garage doors used to have to be painted to get a desired color. Now there are so many color options to choose from! There are regular colors and wood looking colors in steel garage doors. Now there is a new color on the market! Clopay has developed a Black color that is cool to the touch!

Normally a black color would absorb the sun's heat and make the entire door hot! Clopay's new color does not absorb the heat of the sun and actually reflects the heat making the door cooler to the touch. The black color is also going to be on a thicker gauge steel garage door, giving more protection to your garage!

We have had many people ask about a black garage door but never commit to buying one. Take your chances on a unique garage door color for your home! Black Garage Door PDF

Google Ranking

Figuring out Google ranking is a tough thing to do! One day the blog is on the first page, then then next it's on the second page, and so on. If we don't write anything for a couple of days, the blog falls to the third or fourth page! How does Google ranking really work? No one really knows the true answer to that question. We just keep plugging away at posting and updating to keep our ranking up! Our main page at www.grovecitygaragedoor.com stays on the top, we believe because our domain name has been on the internet since the internet was first established (14 years)! It doesn't seem like it's been that long since the internet has been around and man how it has developed into something entirely different than what it once was.

Now you pick up a smart phone, look up what you need, and get a map instantly! Have you tried to look up something important? Do you get frustrated that you cannot find what you are looking for? We have found that on the internet, the first two websites at the top of your search are pay to click ads by people who want you to consider them first. Are they relevant to your needs? Most likely not! We have found that the third or fourth website is usually what you are truly looking for past the pay to click advertising. The pay to click advertisers are using keywords to make their ad come up first on a page that may not even be closely related to what they sell or what you are buying. Do your homework on companies before committing to buying.

If you want to look up a company based in Ohio search here: Business Search

Look up their federal trademark: USTPO Trademark Search

Companies that have been in business for a long period of time are not hiding information. Companies register in the state they do business in and if they have been around for a long time they will usually register their trademarked name so that others cannot use it.

Raising awareness about IVDD

Have you ever heard of IVDD? IVDD is intervertebral disc disease in dogs. This is also referred to as a slipped disc. The disc gets herniated/slipped in the back of the dog and presses on the spinal cord causing problems with the back. I have a Beagle at home that is suffering from IVDD in his lower back, which has paralyzed him in the hind end, and he also has not control over his bladder or bowels. IVDD can happen in any breed of dog but seems to be more common in dogs with longer backs. We have opted for crate rest for the healing process, which is up to 8 weeks. There are other options such as surgery, but surgeries for dogs are very expensive. An MRI at OSU veterinary clinic starts at $2000.00 and the surgery starts at $3500.00, and both could be more depending on the situation and the dog.

We have never heard of IVDD until our dog, Linus, came in Sunday evening and could barely walk. So we rushed him to the ER to find out that he has a slipped disc in his back. By the time we got him home he was unable to walk on his own or control his bladder or bowels. Monday he was in a lot of pain even with the pain medication, Tuesday the pain has decreased some, and this morning his pain is becoming manageable. Linus is showing signs of movement in his legs, so we are hopeful that the 8 weeks of crate rest will result in a full recovery.

If you have never heard of this disease in dogs, please make yourself aware; IVDD Information

In order to care for a dog with IVDD, you have to be aware that you will have to do things that are not comfortable, smelly, and disgusting. Read up on what to do for an handicapped dog: Handicapped Pets; express bladder, Handicapped pets; express bowels

Mid-America Garage Doors

Not many people have heard about Mid-America Garage Doors. Why you ask? Well Mid-America is located in Ponca City, Oklahoma; so they are not a local company. So why does Grove City Garage Door Inc. sell their doors? We sell their doors because they have outstanding quality. Mid-America offers a different kind of garage door because the thickness of the metal is heavier gauged and will stand up to more accidental abuse. A Mid-America door is thicker metal so that also means that there is more noise reduction.

Mid-America also offers an inexpensive carriage style garage door. Since carriage style garage doors is a growing trend in the garage door market.  Mid-America Garage Doors

Mid-America offers the standard colors: white, almond, grey, sandtone, sahara, and cherry (wood) look on their doors. Check out our page above for more information regarding the varieties of garage doors.

Garage Door Locks

There are 3 types of garage door locks found on a garage door; inside lock, lock bar, and autolatch.

An inside lock is the most common kind of garage door lock. The inside lock is square and has a latch that pushes through the garage door track, and you can only lock it from the inside of the garge door. The inside lock is the most secure way to lock your garage door.

A lock bar is an outside lock that has bars on the inside of the garage door that goes through the track. This kind of lock uses a key on the outside of the garage door and was most commonly used in the 70's and 80's. This lock has an outside handle that locks with a key.

An autolatch is has two flippers on the inside and there is a piece of metal mounted on the track that it goes into on both sides of the track. The autolatch uses a key from the outside to lock and unlock, this is the safest outside lock device on a garage door.

Grove City Garage Door Inc. recommends that if you are going to use a locking device to use an inside lock. If you have a Chamberlain, LiftMaster, or Linear opener you do not need a locking device. If you have a inexpensive garage door opener you will need a locking device, because we have found that the inexpensive openers may or may not lock when the door is in the down position.

Weatherstripping

At Grove City Garage Door Inc. we carry all of the colors of weatherstripping for every color of door available with Clopay, Mid-America, and DoorLink. We can match any color of door with weatherstripping, so there is no need to paint weatherstripping.

If you are unfamiliar where the weatherstripping is located on your garage door, go outside and face your garage door. The weatherstripping is attached to the garage door frame around the garage door.

In the above picture the garage door is white and the weatherstripping is an almond color, the reason the weatherstripping is an almond color is the windows in this house are also almond colored. So we matched the weatherstripping with the rest of the exterior coloring of the home.

Weatherstripping provides protection around the garage door to help keep the elements out of the garage. Without weatherstripping, the wind would come around the sides of the garage door. We install each piece of weatherstripping around the garage door by securely nailing each piece six inches apart with penny nails.

There is also weatherstripping on the bottom of every garage door that can be damaged over the years by the weather. Bottom weatherstripping can become damaged from being stuck to the ground during the winter months when there is ice, and can also become damaged by mice. If you see light under your garage door from the inside while the door is closed, this could mean two things: either the garage door is out of adjustment or the weatherstripping needs replaced. We carry a large roll of bottom weatherstripping on our truck for repairs, so just ask if we are doing a repair to your door if you need your weatherstripping replaced. We will check it out for you while we are there! If you are seeing light under your garage door, have us come out for a service call to check the door adjustment or the weatherstripping!

Identification

When you are browsing the internet, do you question the identification of a company? Have you ever had a service man pull up to your home in a car or truck that does not clearly identify the company? Do their shirts have a name of the company on it? Does the service person clearly identify themselves and their company?

At Grove City Garage Door Inc., we clearly identify all of our vehicles and wear shirts that identify our organization. We do not have magnets that are stuck to the side of our trucks or vans. We make sure we clearly identify who we are on the phone, in person, and on the internet. Why you ask? Well for one, there are companies out there that will use our company name and scam you. We have had other companies try to confuse our customers on the internet and in person by using a variation of our name.

Mark Rothwell answers the phone, "Grove City Doors, this is Mark" every time he answers the phone. Our phone message tells exactly who we are, our hours, and what we do. Our trucks and vans display our name clearly, and we buy modern up to date equipment all the time. We don't drive broken down junk vehicles that are rusting out. In fact all of our small trucks are less than three years old, the oldest vehicle we own is the big stakebed truck simply because it's a Mitsubishi and will run for years.

Pictured is our vehicles, and our shirts:

Garage Door Colors

We have a wide variety of colors available from white, almond, sandtone, bronze, hunter green, chocolate, tan, grey, and ultra-grain colors. What are ultra-grain colors? Ultra-grain colors are a wood looking color in walnut, medium oak, dark oak and cherry. These colors are all available with the Clopay garage doors: Clopay Garage Door Colors

Pictured about is a medium oak long panel garage door with square grilles.

Our Mid-America colors are: white, sandtone, brown, tan, and a cherry wood. Mid-America Garage Door Colors. Pictured below is a Mid-America Cherry garage door

Factory Direct or Tailgater?

Do you know the difference between a factory direct dealer and a tailgater in the garage door business?

A factory direct dealer deals directly with the company/factory that makes the garage doors, springs, and hardware.

A tailgater is a garage door company that has to buy through a distributor of garage door, springs, and hardware.

A Distributor  iis the factory authorized/direct dealer with the factory.


So what is the difference you ask?

A factory direct dealer can offer a lower price than a tailgater because a factory direct dealer does not have a middle man trying to make money from the sale. The factory direct deal goes directly to the factory to buy the goods.

How does this effect you?

As a customer you want to buy from a factory direct dealer simply because you can get the lowest pricing available. You do not have to pay a mark-up twice since a factory direct dealer gets their material direct. A tailgater pays mark-up to the distributor and then passes on the mark-up to you in the sale of the product to you. So in turn you are paying twice the amount that an item should cost.
 

Not all garage door companies are created equal! So look for companies that are factory direct dealers, and if they don't advertise then ask them if they are. If the company sounds vague about what you are asking or avoiding the question then they are most likely a tailgating company that buys through a distributor and will charge you additional mark-up on all of the items sold to you.

Grove City Garage Door Inc. is a factory authorized direct dealer of Clopay garage doors, Mid-America garage doors, DoorLink garage doors, LiftMaster openers (LiftMaster also makes Chamberlain openers), and Linear Openers. We buy all of our hardware from various other local factories to reduce the amount of shipping costs on the goods. So we at Grove City Garage Door Inc. can pass on substantial savings to our customers! We have the lowest prices in town because we are a factory direct dealer!

What does it take to be a factory direct dealer?

It takes good corporation credit, longevity, and long standing good relationships to be a factory direct dealer. Not just any company can become a factory direct dealer. In fact, here's a story for you on how we became a factory direct dealer of LiftMaster products: I went to garage door shows for years in the beginning to meet and greet companies at these shows. There were many garage door companies, opener companies, and hardware companies at these shows presenting their products to all of the garage door dealers. You could find the latest and greatest products, get to know the sales people, and start building relationships. Once I went to three or four years of shows and people started recognizing that my company is here to stay, I started building relationships, and I was finally able to gain the trust of many companies which lead to Grove City Garage Door Inc. becoming a factory direct dealer with LiftMaster. And once you are trusted by one company, many others start following suit! So it takes time to build relationships to get a good standing with any corporation, and at the same time you have to build your reputation in the business. Grove City Garage Door Inc. has built an outstanding reputation in the business over the years due to our customer service skills and relationship building skills! Our customers are what make us the best in the business! We treat all of our customers with respect and try to meet most of our customer demands to the best of our ability! Without our GREAT customers, Grove City Garage Door Inc. would not exist! Thank you customers for coming back and passing on our name to others!

Garage Door Windows

Grove City Garage Door Inc. offers many different styles of windows for each manufacturer we carry. Windows come in different styles and Clopay offers the largest variety of styles with inserts, wrought iron, frosting, and insulation. GCGD Window Selections for Clopay

Short Panel Garage Door Windows:
Short Panel Garage Doors are 12" x 12" squares on the front of the garage door. A single door has 4 square panels across and a standard 16 foot door has 8 panels across.

Long Panel Garage Door Windows: 
Long Panel Garage Doors are 24-36" x 12" squares on the front of the garage door. A single door has 2 square panels across and a standard 16 foot door has 4 panels across.

Pictured below is a short panel garage door with short panel windows.

Special Note: You can choose a Long Panel Window to go on a Short Panel garage door.  Or you can choose a Short Panel Window to go on a Long Panel garage door. The lines on the garage door may not match up exactly but it can be done.

Upcoming Holiday

Grove City Garage Door Inc. will be closing early on July 3rd for the holiday weekend. We will remain closed on July 4th and will reopen on Monday July 7th! Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

What will we be doing for the holiday celebrations? We will be on Kelley's Island for the weekend watching the surrounding island fireworks. So if you are in need of a new garage door on Kelley's Island this weekend, this is the best opportunity to get a new garage door! We are there most weekends during the summer also and can perform any repairs or new installs while we are there with no extra ferry charges!