Garage door damaged by hail?

Hail hits garage doors flat on, and doors take more of it than most things at the house. Steel panels dent. Thin, non-insulated steel dents more easily than thick insulated steel. Wood and composite can crack, and vinyl and glass can break. Our note on hail and sun damage explains how the damage shows up.

Dents alone do not always mean the door has stopped working. If the door travels smoothly, the dents are cosmetic. Cracks across a panel, a bent edge on a section, a broken window or a bent track are functional problems, and they can turn into safety problems. A panel bent at the joint can stop the door from folding properly and put stress on the hinges.

If you are filing an insurance claim, take your own photos in good light and note the date of the storm. We can document what we see on the door and describe what repair or replacement would involve. We cannot tell you what your insurer will decide, and we do not handle the claim for you.

Repair works when the damage is limited to one or two sections or a window. See replacing a single section for that. Matching color and design can be hard on an older door.

If many panels are dented, creased or cracked, a whole new door is often cleaner. Insulated doors tend to resist dents better than thin single-layer steel, though no door is hail-proof.