Rotting the door frame is a common problem. There are many reasons for its rotting, like bad weather, not maintaining it for a long time, choosing the wrong wood, etc. Repairing a rotten wood garage door is a challenging task. But you can do it easily by following some instructions.
We often neglect garage door maintenance and allow small rot to grow, eventually spreading and damaging the entire door.
There are two types of wood rot: wet rot and dry rot.
- Wet rot is the natural decay of wood caused by high moisture levels when the wood contains 35%–50% moisture.
- Dry rot is caused by fungus. Although there are many types of fungus, Coniophora putana, also known as cellar fungus, is the most common. This occurs in wood with less than 20% moisture.
Tools required to repair door frame
- Putty knife
- PaintBrush
- Sand Paper
- Chisel and hammer
- Polyester filler
- Wood hardener
- Hand glyphs
Step: 1 Inspect the Garage Door Frame
Inspect wood for rot and determine the cause of the rot so you can prevent decay in the future.
The decay of the Garage Door Frame mainly starts from the lower part because this part is in contact with water most of the time. It gradually disintegrates in the upper portion if not stopped at the right time.
The following are the main signs of rotting in any wood.
- Mycelium Growth: Mycelium growth is the first sign of wood decay. Its color is white or grey. Mycelium growth continues to increase day by day. The main reason for its origin is moisture.
- Paint crack: If you have a layer of paint on your door or door frame, the paint layer begins to flake off the surface of the wood during decay. Therefore, inspect that part thoroughly and take the necessary steps whenever the paint starts peeling off the door.
- Dry Rot Smell: The first sign of dry rot is its smell. The odor of decomposition in wood represents the initial stage of decay, even without physically observing the outbreak. This smell is caused by its fungus, which is not visible initially. An odor is not necessary to initiate decomposition, but there is likely a moisture problem.
Step: 2 Remove the Rotten Part of the Door
You should remove the rotting from the door frame as soon as possible with the help of a wood chisel and hammer. Remember that no part of the rot should be left in the door, or it will start rotting again.
A large nail is used when fixing the frame into the wall. Take care of these nails while removing the rot. Pry Bar can be used to remove these nails if needed. If a nail or screw is not easily removed from the frame, cut it out with a reciprocating saw.
Identify the cause of the rot; this will help you prevent the frame from rotting in the future.
Step: 3 Apply Wood Hardener
After cleaning the rotten part, put the first light coat of wood hardener on it. Let it dry thoroughly. After this, do another coat of wood hardener.
The double coating of the wood hardener creates a protective layer on the wood. Which protects the wood from fungi and moisture.
Step: 4 Fill Polyester Wood
Mix the polyester wood filler well and fill the empty space of the rotten area, with a putty knife.
The wood filler seals the empty space you dig out of the rotted area. Always choose a good quality wood filler that is long-lasting. In the market, you will find pure wooden color and white color wood fillers.
If you do not want to paint the entire door frame, then you should choose the wood filler of the color of your door frame.
While filling polyester wood, ensure that the correct area is being filled. When overfilled, it creates a bulge on the door frame, which can lead to difficulties in properly closing or opening the door.
Step: 5 Shape and Smooth
And lastly, shape and smooth the entire door frame properly. Fill and remove the filler wherever you feel it is necessary.
There are many different types of wood fillers available in the market. Some wood fillers take less time to dry, about 3 to 4 hours, and some hardeners take more than 8 hours to dry properly. A good quality wood filler starts drying in 15-20 minutes.
Caution
To Repair Rotted Wood Garage Door: You can hire an exporter to repair the door frame, or you can do it yourself; for this, you have to take some precautions.
Before starting work, you should wear glasses for your eyes and gloves for your hands. You will not want to make a wood filler mixer with open arms or clean the rotten wood. It can be harmful to us with open arms.
If you are a repairer of the door frame yourself, then before cutting the door frame, you have to make sure that you are cutting the right part of the door frame. You may have to change the entire door frame due to your small mistake.
So here we completed a blog on How to Repair Rotted Wood Garage Door Frame? If you have new ideas and concepts for repairing the wood door frame, share your ideas in the comment box.
Read our other articles: How To Save Rotting Decking?
