How to Replace a Garage Door Panel

Has the time finally come where you need a new garage door panel?

As a homeowner, you may have been putting it off due to fear of expense or a difficult job. After all, you have enough to worry about maintaining a home.

You might have issues with your garage door or maybe you’ve noticed scuffs and scrapes that warrant a new panel. Regardless, doing the job yourself is possible and will save you money!

If you need to replace your garage door panel, keep reading to learn everything you need to know to do the job right.

Get the Right Garage Door Panel Parts

When you notice your garage door is slightly worse for wear, the good news is that, in many cases, you don’t have to hire a professional to fix it.

It is more straightforward than you may think and it can be done by anyone with some basic handy skills.

Before you can get started, you’ll need to buy the right garage door parts and tools.

You’ll have to consider what type of repair you’re doing and if it’s a whole garage door panel replacement, you need to consider what you want the end result to look like.

By doing this yourself, you get to choose the quality of all of the materials and make sure that they match the rest of your garage door structure overall. You also get more say over other features, like weather durability or color, because you’re buying the parts yourself.

Parts That You Will Need

The main things that you’ll need to get this job done include:

• New garage door panel
• Vise clamps
• Measuring tape
• Ladder
• Hammer
• Power drill
• Hoists or scrap boards
• Ratcheting nut driver

To do this job safely and effectively, you need to buy the parts that are the right size and durability for your specific garage door.

You also will want to consider whether replacing one broken panel or all panels at the same time is worth it. They won’t all be worn at the same rate if they are not all the same age.

How to Replace a Bottom Garage Door Panel

You will first want to raise the garage door and turn off the power attached to the door opener. Disconnect the center arm as well.

Next, you’ll need to work on the tension springs and undo them from the turnbuckles. Be careful with this step as these springs hold a lot of tension.

Lower the door and use your hoists or extra wood to prop it a few inches off the ground.

Use your vise clamps on the garage door tracks under the bearings of the second garage door panel. This holds up the rest of the garage door while you take out the hoist.

With your ratcheting nut driver, you need to loosen the bolts on the bracket. Do the outside brackets first, but wait on the center bracket for now.

Use another hoist beneath the door to brace the bottom panel as you lower it down. Remove the hoist or extra wood propping up the center of the door and you’ll see the vise clamps will hold that upper part in the same place.

Loosen the bolts that hold the bottom panel to the center bracket at this point. Remove the panel and replace it with your new garage door panel. Line up the corners and pay attention to the hinges and brackets when drilling your holes.

After your brackets are attached again, you can mount the new handle. Raise up your garage door and reconnect the tension springs just as they were before. You can also reconnect the garage door opener at this point and turn the power back on.

If your door is painted, you’ll want to prime and paint to match the other panels as well.

Safety Concerns for a Garage Door Panel Replacement

Since you’re able to see the garage door panels outside, you want to make sure that they look good when you’re done. You also want to be sure that you replace this properly to make sure it is safe to use.

Garage doors are really heavy, and they are not something that you want to mess around with when it comes to taking the right precautions.

If your panel has dents, scuffs, scratches, or slight damage, you likely only need to replace one panel. If you want to replace the others in this case, you’re welcome to do so, but for safety reasons, it won’t be necessary.

On the other hand, if you replace just one panel for almost any other concern you’re having, you may be compromising how strong your garage door is overall.

Be sure to check that the parts connecting to the damaged panel are not also damaged, including the struts or track.

Where to Get Garage Door Parts

You can always go to a local hardware store for garage door parts, but you’ll be spending more money than necessary.

By purchasing your parts from a company like ours, you are going to be getting the best price for the best quality. We care about selling the best parts available to you and want you to be happy with your purchase.

We are here to help! Garage door maintenance and repair don’t need to be as difficult as it seems.

If you need help finding parts, we will help you figure out what you need. We also have plenty of DIY videos available to you so that you don’t have to pay for services you can do yourself.

Whenever you’re in need of garage door parts, keep DIY Garage Door in mind and you’ll get the best service available.

Are You Planning to Replace Your Own Garage Door Panel?

When it’s time to replace your garage door panel, doing it yourself is an easy job that only takes a little bit of elbow grease to complete.

Once you’ve done it, you’ll realize that you never need to hire a professional for the job again!

If you’ve got a question about a specific part, need to consult about a repair job, or just want some general help, contact us today.