Garage door repair suggestions

[bigdog]

Need suggestions to repair garage door.

I have a double garage, with two garage doors. They were installed when I had the house built 17 yrs ago, typical contractor grade.

Doors are hollow double sided hollow door, material not sure some type of fiber board ? Well as you might think, over the 17 yrs the door is starting to decompose a bit at the bottom, as a result of water damage. Only about 1-2" of the bottom is deteriorating, all across the width. This is happening only on one of the doors, other door is like new.

You might say' at that age, replace both doors with new.....That would be the easy fix !
However, I don't wish to replace doors as the property will be up for sale this Spring.

That said, I'm looking for some material I can use to patch, sand and paint.

Suggestions?

[Slickcraft]

Bondo

http://www.lowes.com/pd_8460-98-20052_0__?productId=3044443&Ntt=

[Just Sold]

You can order a new panel from HD, Lowes and other sources. I did this on a garage door a few years back. The door (over 10 years old) had a fiberboard sheathing which rotted. It is not a one person job though so I would hire someone to do it.

[VitaBene]

You should be able to have that panel replaced. Check with the Leighton's at Overhead Door Options in Meredith (I believe). They will give you good advice at a minimum.

[upthesaukee]

You can order a new panel from HD, Lowes and other sources. I did this on a garage door a few years back. The door (over 10 years old) had a fiberboard sheathing which rotted. It is not a one person job though so I would hire someone to do it.

Disclaimer: I am not a carpenter or tradesman. :) That being said, when we lived out in upstate NH, I had one garage door panel that had water damage from a faulty downspout. Downspout was an easy fix.

We talked to several garage door companies, and they wanted to replace the whole door. Ended up at a home improvement store, and talked to them about just a panel. I actually had a picture of the doors, and we took a good look at the picture with the salesman. He said it looked like a standard door. I had all the measurements on the door panel, and he had an exact match. Here's what he told me to do.

Pull the emergency release on the door so it can be raised and lowered manually. We had already primed and painted the new panel, and attached the rubber seal. We unbolted or unscrewed the hardware from the damaged panel. Raised the door all the way. Measured for the rollers on the sides, and the connector for the cable(I think this was the panel it was attached to). Put the door on shims on the floor and in the tracks. Lowered the door. Installed the hinge to the lower panel. Raised the door enough to get the shims out (shims kept door level.). Connected the cable. Once again made sure door went up and down manually. Then connected the door to the opener, crossed my fingers, held my breath, and pushed the button. Got a high five from the wife. Woo hoo, I was a hero, but that probably only lasted for less than a day. :laugh:

This was 20 something years ago, so my memory may have failed, but the info is as correct as my aged memory allows. Hope it helps.
Ps: I was actually surprised at how easy it was. Due to my inexperience, I was reading my notes / instructions two and three times, then drilling / bolting / connecting once. I think it only took about an hour / hour and a half, once the installation process started.

Hope this helps in your decision.

[dpg]

Replace the bottom rotted section I for one wouldn't want to buy the home with a patched fix the way you suggest.....Would you?? :confused:

[chipj29]

Replace the bottom rotted section I for one wouldn't want to buy the home with a patched fix the way you suggest.....Would you?? :confused:

If it is done right, sanded and painted, you may never even know. Bondo is very commonly used for this type of repair.

[BroadHopper]

Just replace my wood fiber garage doors (37 yrs old) with insulated steel doors.
Shopped around at all of the above places and end up with Laurent OH doors. All the contractors including the home improvements chains are within $100 of each other. I went with Laurent as Garaga brand doors appears to give the best value.
At first I request a replacement panel, the bottom of 4 panels delaminated. I can no longer find matching wood fiber panel, and the best match was a steel panel costing $300. For $500 more I can replace all 4 panels and the hardware!
I notice this winter the garage is a lot warmer with the insulated unit.
I almost went with Meredith Overhead Doors. Laurent quick reply on the phone and prompt estimate and install was the deal breaker.

[dpg]

If it is done right, sanded and painted, you may never even know. Bondo is very commonly used for this type of repair.

Same as body work on a car, I'd still like to know though.

[TheProfessor]

That said, I'm looking for some material I can use to patch, sand and paint.

Suggestions?

I had the same doors. Two. I ended up replacing both doors with new ones. Steel. Insulated. With windows in one panel.

With mine, the bottom became water logged. When dry they still worked fine. But with rain they became extremely heavy. The doors were sucking up the water/moisture. Yes, you can probably find any garage door person to purchase a new panel for bottom.

And note. Garage doors come in many colors and textures. You don't have to settle for white - obviously if you have white then keep white.

Note. For many/most - one company only manufactures the panels while other companies manufacture the hardware.

[Flyfisha]

Try Central Garage Door out of Pittsfield. Great husband and wife combo that repair and install. They did installations for me in Sunapee as well as repairs for my aunt in Webster. They service what they sell and don't sell. Nothing but great service and quality work!

[meredith weekender]

If you're going to sell the place, replacing the lower panels and repainting the entire doors may be a better option. First impressions are huge and nothing is more of a turn off than walking up to a place and noticing that things have been patched together. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.