Several times each year we have customers ask if we can repair a hole in a garage door panel. The general answer is no we can not repair a hole in a garage door panel. Most modern garage doors are made of thin steel, 24 and 25 gauge most commonly. We get asked can’t you just weld up the hole. Trying to weld this thin steel would be like trying to weld a soda can, it is much too thin to weld. Depending on the location of the hole, decorative handles and hinges might take care of the problem of the hole, while adding a nice architectural look to your garage door. Generally our answer to fixing the hole in your garage door is to replace the panel or section if it is still available.
If you search the internet, you will find DIY ideas on how to repair the hole. These DIY steps use different types of fillers for the hole:
- Put a lag bolt with a round or flat head through the hole and a washer and nut on the inside. You can then paint the head of the lag bolt to match the door and basically cover the hole.
- Use automotive body filler to fill the hole then sand smooth and paint to match.
- Spray foam to the inside, then sand the outside and paint to match. (this does not sound like a good idea as spray foam is not easy to work with and would likely come out when sanding or just flat fall out because of expansion issues.)
- Other posts recommend a pop rivet through the hole.
***These ideas are listed just because you can read about them on the internet, but I do not recommend any of these ideas.***
At the end of the day it is your garage door and your decision, but the best way to fix a hole in a garage door panel is to replace the panel.
The size of the hole and the location on the garage door are also factors to consider. Remember if the garage door has a hole in it, then the safety and integrity of the garage door may have been compromised. A hole in a garage door could cause the door, or affected area of the door to fail, which is why we recommend replacement of the panel. As a company we will not try to patch a hole in a garage door panel. In some instances we may apply decorative hardware to a door to cover a hole but we will not patch holes.
Require assistance? contact Garage door repair Carrollton TX
