It is common for a garage door, at some point in its life, to become dented after the owner inadvertently hits it with their vehicle. Sometimes, the harsh weather can cause a tree branch to collide with the garage door, making a small dent. Repairing a small dent in a garage door can be done successfully by manipulating the tolerance in temperature of the door. Read on to find out how this is done.
Equipment Needed
For this repair job, you will need the following items and equipment:
- Compressed air in a can
- A standard lighter
- Some heavy duty foil made from aluminium
- Bucket of warm soapy water
- Sponge
Clean the Door
It is imperative that you work with a clean garage door. Use the sponge and water to thoroughly clean the dented area, and immediately around this area as well. Allow to dry naturally or wipe dry with rags.
Cover With Foil
When the dented area is dry, take the aluminium foil and measure it out so that you can cover the whole of the dent with one piece of foil. Rip or cut the foil from its holder.
Heat the Area
This part of the repair uses the lighter to heat up the metal of the door at the dented area, so take care when doing this part. With one hand, hold the foil in place over the dent. Take the lighter, ignite it, and begin to heat up the foil and the dent. Continually move the lighter around the dented area for around a minute. This DIY fix will only work properly if the whole of the dent is heated.
Spray the Air
Once the area has been heated, quickly remove the foil and spray the compressed air into the area. It is absolutely vital that you turn the can upside down as you are spraying the air; spraying it in this position allows the carbon dioxide to be released. This is the trigger for the dent to move.
Watch the Dent Pop Back
If you have sufficiently heated and cooled the metal and dent, the two extremes of temperature should cause the metal to pop back into place, thereby removing the dent. If you are having difficulty, repeat the heating and cooling part of the repair to try to correct it.
If you are still having trouble or the dent is too large, you should consider hiring a professional like Best Doors to do the repair for you.
