Thread: How to Repair a Garage Door

Among the common problems with hinged doors, gaps may appear between the frames and the surrounding wall. You can seal these using non-setting caulk. If the doors are difficult to open and close, oil or grease the hinge.

Look out, too, for rot in the doors or sagging due to loose joints or rot in the door frames, especially round the lower hinge position. You can carry out minor repairs to the doors and frames by cutting out the rot and using a two-part wood filler.

A more satisfactory method of repair would be to insert a new piece of timber or, better still, fit new doors or frames. Repairs are similar to those described for exterior doors.

Up-and-over doors are sometimes made of wood, which is of course prone to rot. Most types, however, are of non-rusting metal. The main problem with either type is usually in the mechanism itself. Moving parts should be oiled from time to time and the channels in which the door gear slides kept well greased. If a door comes off its channel, you may need to adjust the lifting cables. If a door is dented, you may be able to fill the dent; otherwise you may have to replace it with a new one.

You should not try and adjust or remove a garage door that features a standard torsion-spring mechanism as they are under extreme tension, which makes them unsafe. Call a professional shed door installer instead.

There are a few basic maintenance tasks that you should hire out or do yourself on an annual basis. Performing these simple checks will go a long way in preventing the need for future garage door repair.