A dent in a garage door is usually cosmetic, but not always. Whether you can fix a dent in a garage door depends on what the door is made of, how deep the dent goes and where it sits on the section.
Before you reach for a mallet or a heat gun, it helps to know which dents can be worked out and which ones mean the section has to be replaced.
Fixing small dents in a steel garage door
Shallow, rounded dents in a steel section can sometimes be eased out from the back of the panel with gentle, even pressure. Whatever remains can be filled and painted so it is hard to see from the street.
The thinner the steel, the more likely the metal has stretched. Stretched metal rarely sits perfectly flat again, so expect an improvement rather than a perfect finish.
Dents that need a new section
Some damage can't be worked out. A section usually needs replacing when you see:
- Sharp creases or folds in the steel.
- Dents along the edge of a section or across a hinge line.
- Cracks in aluminium, fibreglass or wood.
- Damage across more than one section.
Replace the damaged section
A single section can often be replaced without changing the whole door, as long as a matching section is available.
Panel replacementWhen a dent affects how the door runs
A hard knock, such as a car bumper, can bend a section enough to pull the rollers off line or strain the hinges. If the door shudders, binds or sits crooked after an impact, stop using it. Running a bent door can push the damage into the track and the rollers.
If rollers have already left the track, see off-track garage door repair.
Matching a replacement section
Sections are made for a particular door model, size and design. Matching an older door can be the hardest part of the repair, because the colour, the panel pattern and the thickness all have to line up with the sections that stay.
Knowing the door's make and model before you call makes the conversation quicker. It is often printed on a label on the inside of a section or on the end stile.