The priorities for wooden garage door repairs differ from steel garage doors. Although the visual exterior and beauty of a wooden garage door, wood can rot and deteriorate in ways that laminate or metal garage doors do not.

Painting and sealing your wooden garage door is necessary to protect it against the elements. First be sure to apply a good and sturdy exterior primer. Thereafter, apply your exterior paint in a few different coats. If your door is well coated; it will be protected from rain, hail, wind and all other elements.

If your garage door is bubbling, peeling or flaking, it needs to be re-painted. If it looks old or warn, take the trouble to repaint!

Scrape or sand off the old or peeling paint and try to get as much flakiness off before repainting. A rigid metal putty knife works well to scrape off paint. You can also try a high-pressure hose to spray off the paint.

Make sure to seal your Garage Door! If you selected a wooden garage door that has the original wood grain on the door, you will most likely find that the wood is stained; and has some kind of moisture resistant topcoat.

This sealant coat should be reapplied periodically once or twice a year to maintain maximum moisture resistance. This is usually a fairly hassle free job since many weather sealants can be sprayed on using a can, electrical or mechanical pump sprayer.

Wood Rot is common with wooden garage doors, but repairing this damage can be somewhat more challenging. Rotten wood and sections where holes or breakages have formed deteriorate even faster when exposed to weather over time. Good painting and sealing maintenance will help prevent this.

The best option for rotten or broken wood on the garage door is to replace it. It is relatively easy to cut out a regular section of the door and replace it with wood of the same type and thickness. After cutting out a regular section of the door with a jigsaw or circular, measure a piece of new wood to fit this and simply glue or screw it in place. If the replacement piece is being added on the side or on the bottom of the door; drill pilot holes in the new piece and attach it to the old door with longer screws; after which you should also strengthen the repair with wood glue.

If the replacement is being made somewhere within the door, you would need to toe nail screws in at an angle. As long as they are well countersunk you can cover the holes with wood putty so that it has a smooth finish.

Often wooden garage doors are insulated internally, which may make it difficult to replace wood. This insulation consists of a thin wood panelling or ribbing. It is more challenging to screw the replacement piece of wood; but using shorter screws usually works reasonably well.

It is always best to try and find the actual wooden panels from your door manufacturer. You can replace the whole panel, simply removing the old one and bolting the new one in place. If you can afford it, have these repairs done by your garage door specialist.

Because the base of a garage door makes contact with the concrete on the inside and outside of the door, it is exposed to more moisture and may rot more quickly. As this deteriorates, the door will no longer seal properly and allow for wind or other elements to get into the garage.

Replacement of the actual wood can be tricky here because usually the whole base or several portions of it will be rotten to some degree. A possible solution is to screw a rubber belt or tubing to the base of the door so that it forms a seal. It will not repair the damage, but will help prevent further deterioration. Of course, this is only a temporary solution and you would have to consider door replacement in the long run.

To care for and repair a wooden door requires that you take into account the way wood behaves and act accordingly.  Sometimes repairs are a hassle and in most cases, if you are doing it yourself; will require some improvisation. If you are handy and enjoy working with wood, then wooden garage repair projects can be fun!