Maintaining Your Wooden Garage Door Panels

Wooden garage doors provide a home an aesthetic that many agree metal and other materials can’t match. With wood comes the trade-off of added maintenance, and the panel-related garage door repairs Bakersfield homeowners request often could’ve been avoided with just a cursory examination from time to time and a few simple maintenance steps in the leadup to summer and winter.

Wash Your Wooden Panels

A common mistake many homeowners make is not washing their wooden panels. You may not see the grime buildup, but it’s there and setting the foundation for substances that can eat away at the surface. The occasional rinse is usually enough. Pressure washing isn’t required, and if you’re dealing with particularly stubborn grime, some dish soap should do the trick.

Treat Panels for Mold and Mildew

Any obvious signs of mold or mildew should be treated promptly. You can treat prior to washing because solutions will often work best when they sit for a while. Try to treat outside of direct sunlight. Often, diluted bleach is enough. For more serious cases, a commercial mildewcide can be used instead. Note that stubborn areas of black grime can often be some form of mildew rather than just dirt.

Apply Caulk Once the Old Sealant Degrades

Panels should be caulked where the molding meets the flat surface. This serves as a kind of weather stripping and keeps moisture out. Remove the old caulk and apply a new bead. The bottom edge is where the caulk is most important, and if the panel is round, caulk the entire circumference. You can paint over the caulk or purchase caulk that has been colored.

Use Painter’s Putty to Close Holes and Other Gaps

If your panels develop pinholes or larger imperfections, you can use painter’s putty to fill these crevices and avoid moisture. You should putty and caulk in advance of painting the panels. However, putty can be used in between paint jobs as a temporary measure. Just note that unsealed putty will wear quicker and will need to be replaced more often than when it’s covered by primer and/or paint.