Published on 24 June 2016
Wooden garage doors are a great way of improving the aesthetic appeal of your garage without sacrificing strength or security and are perfect if you want to create a natural look for your home. However, to make sure your wooden garage door is able to stand the test of time, you will need to keep it in good shape.
The team here at Diamond Garage Doors have put together this guide to some of the things that might affect your wooden garage door and how to treat them if they occur.
If you want wood to maintain its look while being able to stand up against the elements, you need to be prepared to put some work in to keep it how you want. Wood might be the most attractive material for your garage door but it needs attention. There are a number of ways that wood can, if not maintained at all, degrade and lose its appeal over time. The thing to keep in mind is that yes, wood does need care and attention, but it isn’t difficult to keep it maintained so it stays healthy. It’s not a 24/7 job, you just need to make sure you’re not neglecting it. That’s when you let problems build up on top of each other which will dramatically shorten your wooden garage door’s lifespan and appeal.
Wood rot is likely the most common problem that will affect your wooden garage door and it’s also one of the most damaging. Often this is caused by water infiltration, soaking its way into unprotected wood. If you see signs of rot you must act immediately or else you will end up having to completely replace large sections of the door or the entire door itself.
To prevent against rot it is vital to make sure that your wooden garage door has been properly treated. Water resistance is key when fighting against rot, so make sure you use proper sealant to prevent water from soaking into the wood. You will need to re-apply treatment to the wood regularly to make sure the door is constantly protected.
If rot has already set in then you need to act fast. You should sand the affected areas to remove as much deadwood as possible then treat the wood with preservative. More extensive rot damage may involve having to chip the damaged wood away then re-filling the area with an epoxy putty.
This is caused by prolonged, constant exposure to sunlight and can, if extensive, make your garage door substantially weaker. Again, prevention is quite easy as it only requires the application of either a preservative with UV protection included or specific UV protection oil. Like other treatments this will need to be re-applied after a while to make sure your wooden garage door is fully protected at all times.
If cracking or fading has already taken place then make sure to apply a sealer to the wood so that contraction of the wood itself is limited in the future. Again, if it’s already more extensive then you may need to sand it down before applying anything. If the wood has been bleached by the sun and has lost much of its appealing colour, tinted sealer can be used to rejuvenate the aesthetic of the wood.
While it’s great to know how to fix damage that has been done there’s nothing more effective than prevention. It’s already been said, but the best way to prevent degradation and elemental damage to your wooden garage door is to keep an eye on the strength and overall look of the wood and make sure to keep it properly treated. If a hot summer is coming up you should think about applying extra UV protection – especially if it’s been some time since you last did so. As long as you don’t neglect the wood, your wooden garage door should enjoy a long, prosperous life.
Diamond Garage Doors offer professional bespoke wooden garage doors with a wide variety of wood stains to suit your tastes. Our skilled engineers promise quality installation and our three year guarantee means you can share our confidence in whatever wooden garage door you choose. For more information on our selection of wooden garage doors don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today.
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