Can you repair a custom or old wood garage door?

Wood doors, whether custom-built or decades old, use the same basic mechanism as a steel sectional door: springs, cables, tracks, rollers and hinges. The differences are weight, which affects spring sizing, and the material itself, which can rot, swell or split in ways steel does not.

What repair can involve

• Repairing damaged wood sections and sealing them against moisture.
• Sizing springs for the door's actual weight, since wood doors are often heavier than steel and custom doors vary widely.
• Sourcing manufacturer-specific parts for custom doors.
• Matching or ordering decorative hardware such as handles and strap hinges.
• Replacing worn rollers, hinges and cables as on any other door.

When a wood door is worth fixing

If the panels are mostly solid, repairing the bad sections and sealing the door usually makes sense. Look closely at the bottom section and around the hardware: wood that is soft, spongy or crumbling in several places is a sign the door is failing. When that is the case, we say so and price a replacement so you can compare.

Helping us plan the visit

A photo of the door taken safely from the floor, plus the brand or builder if you know it, helps us understand what we are working with before we arrive. Repair visits carry a $45 diagnostic trip fee and a written price before work. If the problem is a door that sticks after wet weather, see swollen wood doors, and for decorative pieces see matching door hardware.

Read more

• Wooden garage doors
• Garage door repair

Related questions

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

Have a different question? Call (916) 838-8182 or browse all garage door questions.