Lower Keys
Door Panel Replacement in Key West
Panel replacement is for skin that is gone, rusted through, or split on one section. The other sections need to be straight, with a hinge line that still makes sense. A closed dent is a different visit from an open split or a hole you can push through. Height, hinge pattern, and thickness have to match or every hinge above the new piece shifts. Color is matched at the opening, and faded paint will not blend invisibly with the older sections.
Skin gone rusted through or split
Rust you can push through, a split at a stile, or a missing skin is the reason for this order. The sections above and below should still be straight and still share the same hinge spacing. A dent that has not opened the metal can stay, because the section has not lost its strength. The bottom section meets water first, so it is often the one that fails while the upper ones hold.
Look and measure without forcing the skin
Count the sections carefully and note which one is open, soft, or missing its own metal. Sight along the hinge line, and write down the height of the bad section if you can read it. Never touch the springs or the cables while you are pressing quite gently on a rusted section. Leave a sharp edge alone, and do not bend the torn skin back just to hide the hole.
Match the piece then hang it
Height is taken from the existing door, because a wrong height moves every hinge above that joint. Hinge holes and thickness are matched so the new skin sits in plane with its neighboring sections. The section is hung, the hinges are set, and the door is run once to confirm the curve. A closed dent is left for another day, or simply left, when the hinge line is still true.
Color at the opening and faded paint
The new section is compared in full daylight at the opening, not against a small color chip in a catalog. Faded paint on the older sections will not blend invisibly with a fresh new piece. A close color is the realistic result, and the bright sun will keep changing both skins after that. If several sections are gone, the conversation turns toward a full door rather than just one panel.
Panels on cottages and open bays
Cottages on narrow lanes take bumper hits low, which splits a bottom section before the others. Salt air on steel hardware and on the lower skin opens rust while the paint still looks whole. Raised houses with cars at grade leave that bottom section in the rain instead of a dry room. Low headroom under a beam crowds the top section, and storms or power cuts are not what rusted the skin.
Request this visit.
Call (645) 256-1794 about this door.
We answer any hour Sunday through Friday.
Saturday stays closed.
Keys Door Co is family-owned, local, and insured.
We have worked this coast for over ten years.
Common questions
When is a single garage door panel replaced instead of the whole door?
When one section is split, rusted through, or missing skin and the others are straight. Height, hinges, and thickness are matched so the stack still hinges cleanly. Several ruined sections are a different conversation and may mean a new door.
Will a new panel match the faded color of the older door sections?
Color is chosen at the opening, right beside the sections that are staying. Faded paint and a new skin will not simply disappear into each other. A near match in daylight is the honest result to expect from this repair.
Is a closed dent the same visit as a rusted-through door panel?
A closed dent with a straight hinge line can stay on the door. Rust you can push through, or a split, is the section this order replaces. The springs and cables are left alone unless the door has also gone heavy.
Request service
Name the street and whether the door is up, down, or stuck.
- Repairs and replacement parts
- Openers and controls
- New garage doors