Repair service
Garage Door Panel & Curtain Replacement
A dented door does not automatically mean a new door. On sectional doors, individual panels can very often be replaced.
Quick answer
Garage Door Panel & Curtain Replacement: what you need to know
On a sectional or panel lift garage door, individual damaged panels can frequently be replaced without replacing the entire door, typically at a fraction of the cost. Feasibility depends on three things: whether the manufacturer still produces that panel profile, whether the colour is still available or can be acceptably matched, and whether the impact also damaged hinges, rollers or tracks, which must be repaired at the same time for the door to run correctly. Bottom panels are the most commonly replaced because they absorb most reversing impacts. On roller doors, a creased curtain cannot be straightened because the crease will catch on every pass into the drum, so the curtain is replaced instead, which is still substantially cheaper than a complete new door where the drum, spring and guides remain sound. Doormec assesses and replaces garage door panels and roller curtains across the Illawarra, Wollongong and South Coast. Phone 0490 774 111.
Signs
How you know this is the problem
- A creased, dented or punctured panel after a reversing incident
- A bowed panel that no longer sits flush with the panels above and below
- A roller door curtain with a crease that catches as it enters the drum
- Rust perforation through the lower corrugations or panel skin
- Storm or impact damage to a single section of an otherwise sound door
Causes
Why it happens
Vehicle impact, overwhelmingly the most common cause on bottom panels
Storm debris and wind-driven objects
Corrosion from the inside where moisture sits on the bottom rail
Attempted forced entry
Our process
How Doormec repairs it
- 01
Identify the profile and colour
We identify the manufacturer, profile and Colorbond colour so we can confirm availability before quoting rather than after.
- 02
Check the hardware behind the damage
Impact that creases a panel usually bends hinges and flat-spots rollers too. Replacing the panel alone onto damaged hardware does not give you a working door.
- 03
Fit and align the replacement
The new panel is fitted, the door re-squared and the seals between panels checked so the door closes flush and weather-tight.
- 04
Rebalance and recommission
Panel weight changes can affect balance slightly, so the door is rebalanced and the opener limits reset.
Answers
Garage Door Panel & Curtain Replacement questions
How much cheaper is a panel replacement than a new garage door?
Substantially, in most cases, because you keep the tracks, springs, opener and the remaining panels. The variables are how many panels are damaged and whether the profile and colour are still current. Where a profile has been discontinued the calculus changes, and at that point we will lay out both options with real numbers.
Will a replacement panel match my existing door colour?
If the colour is still in the current Colorbond range, yes, though a new panel will look slightly fresher than twenty-year-old neighbours until it weathers in. Where an exact match is unavailable, fitting the replacement as a lower panel where it is less visible, or repainting the full door, are both options we will price for you.
Can a dented roller door curtain be repaired?
A shallow dent that has not creased across a corrugation can sometimes be left, as it is cosmetic. A crease cannot be repaired, because the curtain has to roll flat onto the drum and a crease will catch on every cycle and progressively worsen. Curtain replacement keeps the drum, spring, guides and motor, so it is far cheaper than a whole new door.
Related
Other repairs you might need
Garage Door Damaged by a Vehicle
It happens constantly and it is almost never just the panel. The impact travels into the tracks, the rollers and sometimes the opener.
Read moreAutomatic Panel Lift Garage Door Repair
Panel lift doors have more moving parts than any other door type, which means more things to diagnose and more things worth fixing before they cascade.
Read moreRoller Door Repairs
Roller doors have fewer parts than sectional doors, which makes them simple to own and more consequential when the one part that matters fails.
Read moreNeed panel replacement sorted?
Ring Doormec for a straight answer on what is wrong, what it costs and how soon we can be there. Standard service call is $170 plus parts, and emergency callout runs 24 hours.