Can You Just Replace the Panels on a Garage Door?

Garage door panels are material objects, which means that they can break or become damaged. It can be dangerous for you and your family, as broken garage door panels allow thieves and pests to enter your garage, and consequently, your house. Would you like a stranger or an insect wandering around your home?

Probably not.

Can You Just Replace the Panels on a Garage Door 2
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However, many people don’t really know much about garage door panels replacement. If you ask them when they need to do it, if they can do it by themselves, etc., their answer would probably be ‘I don’t know.’ And that’s why we are here. We gathered some of the most frequently asked questions regarding garage door panel replacement and answered them.

So, without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.

How Do You Know If Your Garage Door Needs to Be Replaced?

As experts from Garage Door Nation notice, “According to statistics, most homeowners tend to open and close their garage doors at least 1500 times a year. However, inspecting the garage doors and analyzing if it requires any repairs is the last thing most homeowners do. […] Through regular inspections and repairs, you could dodge any potential problems that cause extreme consequences, such as severe home injuries. Around 10,580 home injuries occur every year because of garage doors, so it’s better to look for any potential issues before things escalate quickly.”

As they notice, five signs might indicate that it’s time to replace your garage door. Those are:

  • slow response time,
  • making more noise than usual,
  • not closing or opening properly,
  • sagging,
  • coming off the tracks.

However, sometimes all it takes is repairing or replacing a specific part of the door, such as the spring or panels.

Can You Just Replace the Panels on a Garage Door?

First things first – can you even replace the panels on garage doors? The answer is yes. What’s more – if they are broken, this is not even a question – you just have to do it.

Another thing that people often wonder about is whether you can replace only one of the panels. The answer is yes here as well, and replacing one panel is usually much cheaper than replacing the whole door. However, keep in mind that if your garage door is outdated, you might have to replace all of them for newer ones. Also, you need to bear in mind that the replacement panels will most probably differ in the shade from the rest of the garage door due to their age and damaging effect of weather conditions.

Furthermore, if it wasn’t the first time the panels broke, and the panels keep on breaking, then you should seriously consider changing the entire door, as it will be more cost-effective than continually purchasing garage door replacement panels.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace the Panels on a Garage Door?

When it comes to how much it costs to replace the panels on a garage door, the matter is very individual. Everything depends on what kind of replacement panels you decide to purchase, whether you will install them by yourself or have a professional do it, etc. However, generally speaking, the replacement panels and everything you need with them will cost you somewhere between $150 and $1000. It doesn’t include labor, for which you will have to pay somewhere between $200 and $500.

If you decide to replace a garage door as a whole, you can expect to pay somewhere between $600 and $2,500 with everything, including a new door, labor, lock, etc. You might pay less if you decide to use parts of your old garage door.

How Do You Replace a Broken Garage Door Panel?

The first thing you should do is contact the door’s manufacturer, as they might be selling individual panels that match the model you have. You can also contact an installation company, as not only are they trained to mount the panels correctly, but they also might have in stock parts for it. You might also want to see if a warranty can cover the damage on your door panel – this will help you avoid out-of-pocket costs.

The truth is that the installation of garage door replacement panels should be done by you only if you have experience in it, as it can be a quite complicated process for which skills and precision are required.

After all, the opening system needs to be disengaged, and all the tension needs to be released. You also need to remove the damaged part without causing any harm to the adjacent sections. Once the panels are installed, they need to be refinished, so that they can be protected against moisture. All of this is much more difficult to do than it might seem.

The Bottom Line

The garage door needs to be regularly inspected, as doing it can save you from having to spend hundreds of dollars on repairs that could be avoided. If you notice something is off, don’t assume that the whole door needs to be replaced, as in most cases, the problem turns out to be much smaller than it initially seemed – it can just be the spring or the panel that needs to be replaced.

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