The trim around your garage door can have a significant impact on the look of your home. If you are looking for ways to revamp your exterior, consider upgrading your garage door trim.
From thickness to color, you have many things to consider as you look for the best option. We’ve collected a few ideas and suggestions for choosing a trim that complements your home and boosts your home’s curb appeal. Check out these exterior garage door trim ideas and get to know this feature of your home a little better.
What Is Garage Door Trim?
You might think of the trim around a garage door like the molding on a doorway or window. Trim isn’t a requirement for your garage door to work, but it can be an extra stylistic element for the exterior of your home.
What Does Garage Door Trim Do?
While garage door trimming is primarily decorative, it also has an important role in your home. It covers the rough frame around your door’s opening, closing small gaps around the perimeter of your garage door. By creating a better seal around the opening, the trim helps:
- Protect against moisture.
- Keep pests out.
- Enhance insulation.
It also makes your home look more polished and can add a unique touch, depending on the type of trim you choose. Whether you’re in the process of fully renovating your home or just want to replace your current garage door trim, there are many ways to make this small feature pop.
9 Garage Door Trim Ideas
You can find trim in a wide variety of styles and designs. An easy trick is to match your garage door trim with the rest of your home to create a cohesive look that ties your garage and entry door together.
Here are some suggestions for elevating your house’s exterior and creating a look you love. Check out these garage trim ideas, organized according to the trim style or feature you may want to add to your home:
1. Standard Trim
If you need to replace your garage door trim, consider standard options that will look sleek and complement any style of home. A typical trim will be a simple square shape with a flat front.
This versatile type of trim looks great with any door or house because it’s not overly stylistic. If you like a simple, minimalist style, standard trim is the perfect choice for you. It won’t be too bold and pairs well with just about any type of architecture.
2. Arched Trim
An arched trim will have a rounded peak at the top of your door. This peak might be shallow or high and will sometimes have a keystone at the highest point. This style complements both classic and carriage doors because they’re reminiscent of barn doors.
Adding arched trim can help elevate your home’s curb appeal and add visual interest. Houses are often very angular and the curved detail can be a nice contrast to the rest of the architecture. Arched trim is an excellent option for homeowners who love Spanish-style houses and similar colonial architecture, which often incorporate rounded details.
If you really want to elevate the look of your home, consider adding arched trim above your entry door too. The bowed detail can make your house’s design less harsh and creates a more inviting look.
3. Thin Trim
Modern garage doors often have slim trims that are barely visible from the street. These frames coordinate with modern homes for their clean lines and simplicity. Thin trim is a great option for houses with bright or unusual colors. You may not want to distract passersby with bold or contrasting trim around your garage door.
Having thin, subtle trim can also suit smaller-sized houses well. Thick trim can be overpowering on houses with small frames, but slimmer garage door frame trim can help create the illusion of more surface area and a slightly larger home.
4. Half Trim
If you’re looking for a unique and interesting idea, consider installing half trim around your garage door.
When a door has half trim, the vertical pieces stop halfway down the door. These trims usually appear on garages with a decorative element on the bottom, like stone or contrasting siding. A small ledge or brick detail can further enhance the overall appearance of your garage doors and add visual interest.
5. Fillet Trim
A very popular option for decorative garage door trim molding, a fillet is an added layer or piece that brings dimension to a standard frame. These more intricate trims coordinate well with many different styles, including carriage and traditional doors. Adding this extra piece above your garage door can add depth and more detail to your home.
Some fillet trim is layered and juts out far enough to create a small ledge that can help keep rainwater away from the top of your garage door’s opening. It will add style and a little bit of function as well.
6. Brick Trim
When you have a brick garage, a stone or brick trim adds beautiful detail to the perimeter of your garage door.
If you’re planning on replacing your current frame with this option, finding a perfect match for your home’s existing brick can be a significant challenge. Instead of hunting for the exact match, consider choosing a contrasting stone. The variation can create an interesting effect and add new textures to the outside of your home.
7. High-Contrast Trim
One way you can make your garage door trim pop is by choosing high-contrast colors and tones. For example, if you have a white house, you may consider installing black trim that emphasizes your home’s features and is visible from the street. Adding white trim is a great way to make your garage look more prominent if you have a darker house.
Some people prefer a striking look and go with high-contrast colors and thicker trim. This pairing can create a really bold, eye-catching look.
8. Keystones
You can also add some pizzazz to your garage door exterior trim by installing a decorative keystone. This feature, also called a capstone, is typically a wedge-shaped detail.
Decorative keystones are usually the same color and material as the rest of the surrounding trim. They can be small and subtle or larger and pronounced. Adding a capstone can enhance the charm of your garage doors and complement your house’s architecture, especially if you also have one over the entry door.
9. Lighting
If you already love the trim around your garage door, you may want to add some lighting elements to bring more attention to the area. Incorporating some lights can enhance the color and make the trim more visible from the street. Adding lighting fixtures on either side of the garage door will illuminate the trim a little. Alternatively, you can install overhead lights that keep the entire garage door lit up.
Using lights around your garage door trim may also help keep your house safer, as good outdoor lighting is an essential part of home security.
Contact Quality Overhead Doors to Learn More
At Quality Overhead Door, our team is here to help you boost your home’s curb appeal with durable, beautiful residential garage doors. We have been serving homeowners throughout the Ohio and Michigan areas since 1982, helping them achieve their dream homes.
We can help you find the right option to complement your house’s architecture and transform the look and feel of your exterior. Whether you like a traditional look or something more modern, we have a wide selection of options to choose from.
Are you interested in learning more about residential garage doors from Quality Overhead Door? Contact us today and request an estimate!
Additional Resources on Garage Doors Design:
- How to Choose a Garage Door Color
- Guide to Garage Door Styles
- Decorative Hardware Options for Garage Doors
- How to Create Better Curb Appeal
- How Your Front Door and Garage Door Can Increase Your Home’s Value