How To Fix Damaged Garage Door Fronts

Wooden garage doors offer a traditional style and functionality that is hard to beat. The front of your garage door can fade due to constant exposure of the sun. This fading can even expose the wood beneath, leading to deterioration of the wood door. This, in turn, can lead to the swelling and warping, compromising the normal operation of the door. This article will explain how to patch and repair your garage doors. Making small repairs is important because you can fix problem areas before they become more serious.

Identifying Problem Areas

First, you need to identify the problem areas. Look for spots on the door where the paint has faded. Also, look for areas where the surface looks smoother or rougher than the rest of the door. This could be a sign of termite infestation. Tap on the problem area with your knuckle to see if there is a hollow sound. If the surface feels hollow, you will need to break open the cavity and clean out the rotted wood. In most cases, these cavities will be small and easy to repair. If your garage door has large holes that are bigger than your hand, you will need to make more serious repairs.

Patching the Door

Patching the wood surface is easy if you have the right product. It is also important that you prepare the area that you are going to patch. You can lightly smooth out small holes with a sponge sander. The putty will bond better with the wood if the surface is flat. Use a small sponge sander with grit less than 200.

Use a dense hardwood putty when patching wood on the exterior side of your door. Apply the putty with a putty knife. For smaller holes you can simply apply the putty with your fingers. The key is to get the putty firmly into the hole, without leaving behind any air pockets or cavities. When the putty dries, it will not be perfectly smooth. Using the same sandpaper, you can smooth and flatten out the patched area.

At this point the door will basically be ready for paint. For the best results, you should paint the entire door. If you paint just the patched areas, there is a good chance that it will not match perfectly. Over time the paint on the door will fade a bit, so you might as well paint the whole door to make it look new!

To learn more, contact a garage door company like Caspersen Garage Doors.