How to repair a wooden garage door?- is a common question for a garage owner. Although there are many modern choices for a garage door, the wooden door has a special place on this list. Wooden doors add unparalleled beauty to the garage entrance and provide a decent level of security, as well.
But if these doors aren’t maintained properly, you got to be prepared for rotting, damaging, and bowing on the wooden construction. Subject to weather changes, these doors can experience wear and tear on a regular basis.
However, taking care of the wooden door or repairing the damage isn’t a hard nut to crack. In this article, we will show you the complete wood garage door panel repair process. It will take way less time than you thought, and it’s pretty easy to conduct.
Why Wooden Door And Window For A Garage?
Well, wooden doors are pretty aesthetic, to be honest. Apart from the unique appeal, it adds to your garage access, a wooden door is kind of a synonym for security, too. What may be the reason your house doors are made of wood? Guess that answers most of the query!
Another reason for having wooden garage doors and windows is the way these are constructed. The wood craftsmen build every single part of the door and window separately. When done, each part is attached together to form the actual entry.
Moreover, you can have your customized door when you choose wood to be the main part of it. You can bring your own imagination to reality if you’re dealing with an expert craftsman.
Contrary to metal-made ones, the wooden doors and windows are much not subject to dent, which is tough to recover from. Considering all these facts, people with a good choice of art choose wooden doors over metal ones.
Wooden Garage Doors – Pros and Cons
There are both advantages and disadvantages of using wooden doors for your garage. Here is a quick comparison.
Pros
- Artistic and eye-catching
- Combination of different pieces of different types of wood, adding to the quality
- Custom-built door
- Dent-proof construction
Cons
- High maintenance cost
- Can’t withstand humid environment or water
- Cost a lot to manufacture compared to metal doors
- Insulation issue can hamper the default look and measurement
Is There Only One Type Of Garage Door?
No way! Although we do love wooden garage doors, there are plenty of other types of doors for your garage that is absolutely fabulous. Here’re some examples!
Roll-Up Door
These types of doors are made from the places where the ceiling has limited space. It is built with 2-3 steel slat sections that roll into one sheet when the door is opening.
Side To Side Door
This type of garage door is exactly what it sounds like. The separated doors bend to the side of the garage and stick parallel to the garage wall when it opens.
Side-Hinge Door
This is the age-old design of the garage door. It works pretty much like the old house doors. The doors are divided into two parts, and these parts swing open when you need to move the car in and out.
Tilt-Up Canopy Doors
In this case, the door is one single piece of sheet. It works with a pivoting hinge mechanism, and it opens in a tilted way to make way for the vehicle.
Although there are many more garage door options, these are some of the most popular ones. You can check online for more!
How Do Wooden Doors Get Damaged?
There are two main reasons behind any wooden garage door can get damaged.
Water Accident: If you have a plumbing accident in your house, chances are there that the water will reach the garage door, and the wooden construction will absorb it. The result is a rotten door!
Fungi Attack: The other reason is fungi and mold. If your garage environment is damp, it is very likely that the wooden door will get infected today or tomorrow.
How to Repair a Wooden Garage Door
Now, what happens if the wooden garage door is not in its best condition? It starts to get rotten and damaged. Usually, you can see that the bottom panel of the wooden door starts to show the symptoms of damage.
But worry not if you find out your garage door is infected with such damage. Here’s what you can do to repair it.
You Need Tools
Yes, you need some weapons before you battle the insects! Here’s a list of tools you need to repair the damage.
- A Hammer
- A utility knife (Must be sharp)
- Cutting took
- Jigsaw or a Replicating saw
- Finish nail
- Chisel
- Caulking
- Pocket hole jig
- Screwdriver
- Primer
- Wood hardener
The Repairing Process
Now that you have all the weapons in your arsenal, the war against damage begins! Follow these simple steps to own back your garage door!
Step 1:
Take the sharp knife or an oscillating tool to score the damaged area on a recurring basis. Don’t stop until the quarter round on the inside of the door is cut down.
Step 2:
Check if the quarter round is completely removed from the interior side’s border within the panel. If yes, then take the hammer and knock the panel out with a few hard bangs. Remember, the hammering should be from the exterior to the interior.
Step 3:
Now that the round is detached, you can smooth the removed area with a chisel. Rub it against the area from where you just removed the quarter round to smoothen it.
Step 4:
In this step, you take a coat of wood hardener and apply it to the area where you have just smoothened with the chisel. Do it before you install the new panel. What this will do is prevent the water from entering the area and save the door from future damage.
Step 5:
Now, you may need to cut the new panel, which should be made of lauan plywood. Cut it to the size that suits the area. You can use a jigsaw or replicate the saw you have with you to cut it into the desired shape. Remember you should have the best reciprocating saw blades for wood cutting and shaping.
Step 6:
If you can’t follow step 5, you can also have the piece cut while you purchase it from the store. Make sure the readymade one is trimmed well with the best reciprocating saw so that your money doesn’t get wasted.
Step 7:
Now, use good quality wood paint to color the wooden area and prime the newly installed piece of panel.
Step 8:
In this step, you need to fit the new panel piece into the hole. You can use finish nails and the caulk to put the quarter round to the interior of the panel. If you need to tighten multiple wood pieces together, you can also use pocket hole jigs. Try the best kreg pocket hole jig for this purpose to get the best result.
Step 9:
Finally, give some final touch by scraping or painting. Look for any more nailing and tightening. Use top-quality wooden varnish to give it a royal look!
Step 10:
Check the door if it is functioning well or not. If yes, then you’re done!
You should know how to open a garage door after spring break. This article will give you more information about repairing a broken Garage Door.
Final Words
If you thought that wood garage door panel repair is a riddle to crack, we hope this piece has made it clear to you that it’s not. Having the right tool in hand and acting before it’s too late – are two key factors to make sure that the repair process is only a matter of time.
Follow our step-by-step guide to help you to repair a wooden garage door and share your experience! We will be excited to hear from you!