Can you replace one damaged garage door panel instead of the whole door?

A single bent, cracked or rotted section does not automatically mean a new door. Sectional doors are built from separate panels, so when the rest of the door is in good shape and the manufacturer still makes that section, the damaged one can be swapped and matched to the design. Minor dents can sometimes be straightened and reinforced instead.

What decides it

• Availability: whether the section style and size are still made for that door model.
• How many sections are damaged: one panel is usually a repair, while several damaged panels push the comparison toward a new door.
• The rest of the door: the framing, the hinge and roller attachment points and the other sections all need to be sound.
• Material: on wood doors, rot can extend beyond what you can see, so the framing and hardware attachments get checked along with the obvious damage.

What to expect from the visit

We inspect the damaged section and the door around it, then tell you which option applies. If a matching section is available, the written price covers replacing it. If it is not, or several panels are damaged, we price a new door so you can compare the two. New doors come with a free on-site estimate and a written quote. The repair visit carries a $45 diagnostic trip fee.

A note on appearance

A new section can look slightly different from panels that have weathered in the sun for years, so it is worth asking how close the match will be when you review the price. For more on how sections are matched, see replacement garage door panels.

Read more

• Garage door repair
• Replacement garage door panels
• New garage door installation

Related questions

• Is an old garage door worth repairing?
• Should I repair or replace my garage door?
• Can you repair a custom or old wood garage door?
• How do you fix a swollen wood garage door that sticks?
• Do you repair one-piece tilt-up garage doors?

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