Garage door panel replacement

When one panel is enough

Sectional garage doors are built from three to five horizontal sections hinged together. If a bumper caught the bottom section, or one panel cracked or caved in, the technician can often swap that one section. That works when:

• The door's maker and model are known, from a sticker on the inside edge or the paperwork.
• The manufacturer still makes that panel in your size, color and design.
• The other sections are straight and in good shape.

Panels on a wind-rated door

A wind-rated door earns its rating as a whole system: the sections, the struts across them, the tracks and the hardware. A replacement section should be the same maker's part for that model, struts and all, so the door still matches the design pressure on its label. Ask the technician to confirm that before the order is placed. Reading the wind-load label.

When a new door makes more sense

If the panel is discontinued, a new section can look different from the rest, especially on a door that has faded in the Florida sun for a decade. Once two or more sections need replacing, the cost gets close to a new door. I'd price both before deciding. An old door with no wind-load label at all is another reason to price a new one.

For reference, This Old House lists a new installed one-car door at $1,093 to $1,674 and a two-car door at $2,186 to $3,348 (March 2026). New door installation.

Storm damage

Damage from a hurricane or a hard thunderstorm often goes past the face of one panel: a section pushed in at the center, bent struts, a track pulled off the jamb. Photograph everything before anything is moved, then check whether your homeowner's policy covers it before paying for a single panel. After a storm.

What to have ready

• A photo of the whole door from outside and the damaged section up close.
• The manufacturer label and the wind-load label, usually on the inside of a section near the edge.
• The door's width and height.