If a warped or damaged garage door panel blocks your door’s ability to move up or down on its own, get a solution right away! Especially if it compromises your garage’s—and your home’s—security. Deciding when to replace a garage door panel means assessing the safety, age, and overall damage to your door. 

Assessing The Safety And Integrity Of Your Garage Door

When your garage door is damaged, the location matters. We always like to know whether the damage is superficial or widespread. For example, does the door have a ding or dent in it that is only affecting the door’s aesthetic? Alternatively, is there damage at or near a hinge (the joints where the panels fold to move up and down)? If the damage is impacting how other parts of the door operate, you’ve likely got widespread damage. 

Sometimes it’s best to play it safe and call a professional to have a look. An experienced garage door service technician can help assess the extent of your panel’s damage. And while you’re at it, you can consider these factors too!

The Age of Your Door Matters

Garage door technology has advanced significantly over the last few decades. And older garage doors tend not to be as air or water tight as newer models, making it harder to maintain a consistent temperature in the home. Did you know that increasing the weatherproofing on your garage door can have significant energy impacts on your home’s energy efficiency? This is especially for garages attached to the home. 

You can customize the weather-proofing materials, insulation of your garage door (measured by something called R-Value) and exterior design of a new door. So depending on your door’s damage, material, and age, you can think about the longevity of fixing your existing door instead of replacing it. For example, a fiberglass or metal door may withstand the weather longer than a wood garage door, and need fewer repairs. 

However, we will do as little or as much work as you need! If you want panels replaced, a tune-up on the cables or rollers, or if you decide to upgrade, we’re here for you.

Should You Replace a Garage Door Panel Or The Whole Door? 

Garage doors are a complex system of rollers, safety sensors, panels, springs, cables, and tracks. Ideally, damage to a panel is isolated. However, if it’s more widespread or your door has come off its tracks, this signifies more extensive or costly damage. Here are other factors that indicate when it might be time to upgrade your door vs. replace a single panel:

  • If the door has purely cosmetic damage (a dent or small crack) consider repairing.
  • If the door has structural damage (warped, rusted, or or panel is bent in several places) and needs work outside the damaged panel, consider upgrading 
  • If the door will not open or close due to the severity of the damage or the springs/tracks/rollers are also affected by damage, consider upgrading the door

We recommend making the decision to repair vs. replace on a case-by-case basis. Our trained service and repair garage door technicians can have a look at the door to help you decide. 

But one easy way to understand it is this: if it costs more or close to as much to replace panels than getting a brand new door, you might consider doing the full upgrade. 

Superficial Ding or Big Problem? We’re On Your Side.

Time to replace a garage door panel or the whole door? We have plenty of options. We work with industry-leading manufacturers like Amarr, Wayne Dalton, and CHI to install whatever you need. So before the repair costs start stacking up, contact our qualified professionals for an estimate

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