Busted Garage Door Panel Repair
Single Panel Repair or Replace Entire Door?
A good garage door should last about 15 – 30 years. But even with a quality garage door, you may find yourself with problems. Damage or a dent may have you needing a garage panel repair well before you think you need to replace the garage door.
But can you get a single panel fixed or will you still have to get the entire garage door replaced?
This is a common question we get at Cheney Door Company. Having installed and repaired garage doors in the greater Wichita area for half a century, we’ve run across every type of garage door issue you can imagine.
What Can Damage a Single Panel
A garage door panel can suffer a small dent or be damaged in ways that still leave the door to function properly. A door section can be damaged when it’s accidentally backed into with a car.
And since we are in Kansas, there are a lot of ways mother nature can wreak havoc on our garage doors. Strong winds, hail, and debris hitting up against a garage door can leave behind a lot of dents and scratches. While the damage may be minor, it still probably doesn’t look good.
4 Situations When It’s Better to Replace the Whole Garage Door
- EXTENSIVE DAMAGE
While it may seem obvious that the panel of a garage is damaged, you may have more issues that you can’t see. Sometimes, whatever caused the panel damage also damaged other parts of your garage door system. And that damage may not be noticeable by the naked eye. - FADED OR DISCOLORED GARAGE DOOR
Another issue to be aware of is getting a perfect match. Over time, your garage door may have weathered. Depending on the material, it may have noticeably changed from how it looks when it was first installed.
Getting a panel to match a door that has been fading, rusting, or peeling may be difficult or not impossible. One way to counter this issue for some garage doors is to have them repainted to ensure the newly repaired garage door has one consistent look. - OLDER GARAGE DOOR
How old is your garage door? One consideration about whether you should replace it completely or repair only a panel is its age. If your overhead door is at least 15 years old, it may be on its last legs.
A garage door typically lasts between 15 and 30 years, so replacing only a panel may end up costing you more in the long run. If you may have to replace your entire garage door in a few years, you should consider doing that now instead of only a single panel. - MULTIPLE PANELS NEED TO BE REPLACED
Is more than one panel damaged? While you can have a couple panels repaired or replaced, it may not be cost effective. Contact Cheney Door Company for a free quote on the work you need on your garage door, and we can help you understand the expected costs and benefits for your repair and replacement options.
Can I Do the Garage Door Panel Repair Myself?
Replacing a single garage door panel is not typically something a homeowner should do themselves. The work is more than just removing the old one and putting in a new panel. These panels are connected to the entire garage door system. Panels are under tension from the garage door spring, which can cause serious injury if you don’t know what you are doing.
Kansas’ Garage Door Repair Experts
If you have an older garage door, you will be better off replacing it with a new garage door. Even after fixing it, an older system may require more repairs over time. Our experienced technicians can determine whether your garage door still has many more good years of operation.
If you need any help repairing your garage door, contact Cheney Door Company. We can provide maintenance and repairs on any garage door, even if we were not the ones who installed it. Call Cheney at (316) 262-2098.
Common Garage Door Problems
Garage doors can sometimes face problems that keep it from working as well as it should. With 50 years of experience repairing and installing garage doors in south-central Kansas, Cheney Door Company has the team of experts on whatever overhead door problem you are having.
Get help with some of our troubleshooting guides on our Garage Door FAQ page: