Garage Door Panel Repair vs Replacement

­Your sectional roll-up garage door is composed of at least 3 hinged panels. Occasionally, one of these panels may be damages by a vehicle. (It’s okay! We’ve all been there and it’s a common mistake!) Weather, wind, and age may also take their toll. If one of the panels on you garage door gets damaged, is it better to repair the panel? Or to replace the entire garage door? Your decision is based a few key factors:

• Age of your Garage Door. This is the biggest factor to take into consideration when deciding if you should get the damaged panel fixed, or if you should replace the entire door. The typical garage door life expectancy is reported to be 20-25 years. If your door is closer to 10 years, you may want to consider simply repairing the panel. However, it is important to take into consideration that you may have a hard time finding a single panel for an older door. Another important factor to think about is garage door safety and energy-efficiency. Over the years, safety and efficiency have been updated, so if your door is older, you may be lacking in safety and energy-efficiency.
• Cause of the Damage. Normal wear and tear can produce minor cosmetic damage such as small scratches, dents, rust, cracks and warps. Contact Affordable Garage Doors to get an assessment of the damage to see whether the problem is confined to just one of the panels. If so, it may be possible to repair the damage with wood filler, paint, and/or a strut. If the door was struck by a car or another serious incident, the damage may affect much more than just one panel and could threaten the safety of anyone using the garage door. If this is the case, you may want to consider replacing your garage door altogether.

When weighing costs and benefits, remember that safety is the most important thing to keep in mind.  If there is any kind of damage, do not continue to open and close your garage door until you can repair or replace the door. If you are in need of garage door expertise, call Affordable Garage Doors at 410-867-1112 or use our online contact form to get an estimate or not and schedule a service appointment.