How to Repair a Dented Garage Door Panel?

The garage door is what people see first when visiting your home. What if it is dented? It gives a bad impression and adds negative value to your house.

Once you have invested and installed a garage door, it needs constant look after and commitment. It is suggested to inspect the garage door now and then to avoid any major trouble so for that you need to look after it by yourself or you can call an expert to help Fix a Garage Door Panel.

Why Garage Door Panel Is Prone To Dents?

Metal garage doors are prone to dents especially when there are kids around. Most dents are identifiable and easy to fix by an intermediate DIYer on his own. It is better to repair dented door panel right after the damage is done instead of keeping it and allowing further damage including rusting, paint peeling, and major function loss.

How To Fix A Dented Garage Door Panel?

Well, there is good news for home DIYer that they can easily fix a dented garage door panel on their own following some easy methods.

Frequent inspection can help the homeowner to identify the small issues on early-stage and fix the dent to save it from further damage.

Let us look into the two easiest methods that can help a DIYer repair the dented garage door panel.

METHOD 1

TOOLS NEEDED

• A Wooden Block
• Rubber Mallet
• Patching Material
• Paint
• Putty Knife
• Fine Sandpaper (80 coarse and 120 coarse)
• Primer
• Brush

PROCEDURE

STEP 1: Before you pick up the tools and start working, first analyze the degree of the dent and how much area has been affected. Look for small dents and damage, and roughly estimate the number of supplies you need to fix the dented garage door panel.

STEP 2: Once you identified the problematic area, begin cleaning it with a soft sponge and a mild detergent such as dishwashing liquid. Lukewarm water will help clean the area thoroughly. Let the area air dry by itself.

STEP 3: When the area is completely dried, take out the wooden block and rubber mallet for this step. Put the wooden block over the dent and lightly tap the rubber mallet to flatten the dent.

STEP 4: For this, you will be needing 120 pieces of Coarse Sandpaper to sand the dented area to make it look smooth and nearly match the whole panel. Now use a putty knife to add the patch and then sand it down using the 80 Coarse Sandpaper.

STEP 5: The last and final step is to paint the dented garage door panel, for that you need to put some primer on the smoothen surface. Let it dry, and then apply almost two coats of regular paint that match the rest of the panel. Spray paint can be used to save time.

METHOD 2

TOOLS NEEDED

• Compressed air
• Heat source
• Aluminum foil

PROCEDURE

This method is not much used by DIYers as it requires compressed air and heat source which is not easily available in every household, but you should know the alternate method to repair the dented garage door panel.

STEP 1: The first step is the same as Method 1, wash the dented part with a mild detergent and allow it to air dry completely

STEP 2: Take out aluminum foil the same size as the dented area and place it over the dent. Carefully holding the foil against the dent, use the heat source to apply heat against the foil for about a couple of minutes. Evenly spread the heat source over the foil to ensure a smooth surface.

STEP 3: Now you will be quickly needing the compressed air canister, while you remove the aluminum foil start spraying the air over the dent for half a minute. This step involves some technicality that the air canister should release some carbon monoxide all over the dented area otherwise this method is a fail.

STEP 4: Wait!!!

STEP 5: After two or three minutes the dent will poop back on its own. If it doesn’t, try the procedure once again. Once it poops back clean the area with water and a soft sponge. A little spray paint would do the job and there you go again with a shiny fixed garage door panel.

Bottom Line

It is better to keep a close eye on the garage door panel to keep it safe from dirt, dents, and damages. A frequent inspection and maintenance may help the house owner to put himself into any heavy investment. Also, it is better to call an expert to fix the dented or damaged panel if it seems out of your capacity. The expert can guide you regarding the damage and its cost more accurately than anyone else.