Updated: October 31, 2023
Posted: October 25, 2014
Winter is coming: insulate your garage door
As more and more homeowners are choosing to convert their garages into extra living space, they may find themselves becoming unbearably hot while working in this room during the summer or tip-toeing across a freezing cold floor in the winter. Adding
insulation not only helps to regulate the temperature, but it will also reduce your energy bills and act as a buffer to prevent noise escaping from the room.
Preparation is key, so before undertaking any garage door insulation project, you must address all factors to ensure durable, effective results. With such a comprehensive range of insulation materials available on the market today, it can be a rather challenging task to find the product which best suits your requirements, budget and installation abilities. This article will explain the top two insulation materials, and will provide instructions on how to carry out a successful ‘do it yourself’ garage door insulation project.
Decide on a material for insulation
For high performance and optimum sound/temperature insulation properties, it is strongly advised that you choose one of the following materials:
1. Reflective foil insulation.
This insulation is usually ½ inch thick and consists of a sheet of polyethylene foam sandwiched between reflective aluminium foil. This insulation is available in rolls and has the benefit of being a rather flexible material.
2. Polystyrene foam
This form of insulation is rigid and is sold in large sheets. Polystyrene will insulate better than reflective foil insulation, but can be difficult to install due to its rigidity. Research into which type shows that it has the highest R-value for top thermal resistance.
How to insulate your garage door
Start by measuring your garage door panels from the inside as you will be installing the insulation on the interior face of the garage door. Use a tape measure to establish the dimensions of each panel – this does not need to be exact at this point as you only require the dimensions to know how much insulation to purchase.
Using a ruler, measure out the dimensions of a single garage door panel on a sheet of the insulation, marking the dimensions with a pen. Using the ruler as a guide, cut the insulation to size with a utility knife – it is best to cut off too much rather that too little as you can always trim off the excess later.
The next step is to fit the insulation into each garage door panel. Place the panel of insulation up against the recessed door panel, tucking the insulation into the metal frame which extends past the door face if there is one, or aligning the piece of insulation directly with each recessed panel if not. Trim any excess insulation material if necessary.
Fasten the insulation to the door by using aluminium foil tape to attach the piece of insulation to the garage door face. Alternatively, you can use double-sided tape by first attaching long strips of the tape to the panel and then pressing the insulation into the panel. Repeat this process until all panels have been insulated.
Although the traditional purpose of a garage is a place to store vehicles, many homeowners are choosing to convert the space into a workshop, playroom, gym… The possibilities are endless. Whatever you decide to use your garage space for, it is essential to carry out regular maintenance on your garage door to ensure it remains in top working order.
As proud members of the Door and Hardware Federation, here at JB Doors we are dedicated to providing an extensive range of premium quality garage door services for highly competitive prices.
From first class garage door designs to thorough repairs and installations, our team of experts are fully trained in dealing with any garage door problem. Simply get in touch with our friendly team today for further information or to arrange a free site survey!
