Your garage door has plenty of moving parts and components that make it function and look aesthetically pleasing to a home. As time goes on, it’s natural parts of your garage door will need repair. When it comes to appearance, some of the most important components to keep in great repair are your garage door panels. If these are chipped, broken, or missing, it can make the garage door look dilapidated and falling apart. This can have a substantial hit on property values.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common issues and challenges when it comes to garage door panel repair.
Repair Garage Door Dents Quickly
If you have a dent or other damage to your garage door, it’s important to repair it quickly. Time is of the essence. Not only are dents unsightly, but they can lead to other garage door repair problems if ignored. Dents put undue stress on the tracks, making it easier for your garage door to come off track. Dents in steel doors can lead to rust. Ignoring garage door dents will lead to an unsightly garage door that may also develop functional issues.
Simple Garage Door Dent Repair
Simple dents can be repaired in your garage door by using the lighter and aluminum foil trick. Cover the dented area with aluminum foil. Run a lit lighter across the foil. Hit it with a can of compressed air, holding the can upright. Presto! The dent should pop out on its own. This is an easy DIY garage door repair trick that owes its wonders to the miracle of science.
Hammering Out the Dent
If the above doesn’t work, you can try hammering out the dent using a rubber mallet and piece of board. Place the wood over the area where the garage door is dented. Tap on the wood with the rubber mallet, which should hopefully pop the metal back into place.
When to Hire Professional Garage Door Repair
If you have difficulty removing a stubborn dent from your garage door, call the garage door company that installed the garage door in the first place. Perhaps your door is under warranty, in which case the cost of the garage door repair may be covered. They likely have professional experience repairing your model of door.
Replacing Your Garage Door Panel
If the tricks above don’t work, you might need to replace the entire garage door panel. Many garage doors are designed to make this a simple and effective repair. Most doors are made of several panels screwed together by hinges. You can easily remove each panel, one at a time, and slide a new one in.
Keep in mind this is only cost effective if you are replacing only a panel or 2. If you need to replace several panels, you might as well replace the entire garage door with a new installation.
How Old Is Your Garage Door?
When attempting to repair a garage door panel, take note of how old your garage door is. If you have an older garage door, it may be hard to find an exact match for the panel, especially if the garage door is no longer being manufactured. Most garage doors last for 20 to 25 years. If you have a garage door much older than that, you may be out of luck when it comes to finding a matching panel to make the repair.