I have an old garage door that has segmented panels. The panels look like some kind of mdf or hard board, but they have begun to rot. The wood holding the panels in place is fine, but 2 of the panels have rotted & need to be replaced. I haven't disassembled the bottom of the door yet to determine the thickness of the rotted panel material. Does anyone know exactly what that material is, how thick it is, & where I can get replacement material & how best to treat it to prevent future rot?
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The material depends on the age and brand of the door. If the panels are wood and is like a smooth hard board it may be Masonite. With exposure to water it swells and falls apart. The panels usually fail at the bottom edge when water gets in the grove. Painting and calking around the groves especially on the outside can keep this from happening.– Ed BealCommented Feb 21, 2016 at 22:11
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The doors are ~50 years old. It looks kind of like smooth hard board. From viewing Masonite via Google images, it appears Masonite has a light texture. Do you know where I can obtain a durable replacement material? And what thickness I would need? I don't want to buy something too thin & end up with a gap at the bottom--which would only lead to more of the same failure.– DIYserCommented Feb 21, 2016 at 22:56
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Some Masonite is smooth, It is very hard and what I have replaced was a true 1/8 thick if memory serves right. The framework was in great shape. In 2002 or so was the last one I did and I had to use some aluminum panels to get the thickness and strength. I used zinc chromate paint. Then a wrinkle paint to try and match the texture. After calking the groves and repainting you could not tell the difference. But only my bottom 4 panels were bad. I also painted the inside of the lower 3 sections with a sealing paint. I don't know if that was the best thing to do but did it.– Ed BealCommented Feb 22, 2016 at 1:37
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