Best end result garage door insulation.

[Raisedonadeere]

I have two metal non-insulated garage doors, that I am willing to invest some time in to get them insulated. Not necessarily needing kit or something that are aimed at the quick and easy market unless it is truly great at insulating.

The NASA Tech kit seems to be legit in that it creates a dead air space behind the radiant barrier foam that perhaps is a generic Reflectix. It uses double sided tape and if one is careful to have all tape seams meet, there would truly be a dead air space behind the membrane. Dead air a good insulator. But I overall am skeptical.

My other thoughts are to buy SilveRboard R5, or some such, and cut the panels to fit. I would use some spray foam insulation inserted into corners to make it stay trapped by the flanges around the panel. More spray foam to fill the air spaces behind all the door verticals which are full of holes.

I think most of the testimonials on the kit reviews are just enjoying the fact that any insulation is a marked improvement over no insulation but perhaps I could do better just doing a custom job of some sort that would pay off in the long run.

 

[nadogail]

After having an insulated door installed on the garage at my home, I
will also plan to use an insulated door on my workshop when it is eventually replaced.

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

Can it be done? Yes. There are universal kits designed for garage doors where the styrofoam is covered with a heavy vinyl paper. When done it looks nice. Slapping blueboard or aluminum foiled board will work but will always look cheesy. My opinion. So price a kit and you may find a new 2 layer door may not be that much more expensive. A 3 layer high R door can get real pricey but can pay for itself both in energy savings and re sale value.

 

[CraigStu]

I like your idea better. My only concern would be using spray foam. I just know how that stuff expands and wonder if you'd come back an hour later and your panels would have been pushed out of position. There are caulk tube type adhesives made especially to adhere foam insulation so I'd look at them.

 

[Raisedonadeere]

I like your idea better. My only concern would be using spray foam. I just know how that stuff expands and wonder if you'd come back an hour later and your panels would have been pushed out of position. There are caulk tube type adhesives made especially to adhere foam insulation so I'd look at them.

OSI foam doesn't seem to have the expansion to the point it would cause a problem around the edge. I have used it over the years in all sorts of situations and it doesn't push very hard. For example I have never had a window sash tighten up by squirting foam around the outside void around the frame. Any way I was not proposing to use it behind the panel. Just around the edges to make it stay put, trapped behind the lip on the door.

My idea is to cut the panel tall enough that when I slip it up as fare as it will go vertically behind the upper lip it will just slip over the lower lip. When pushed in just far enough to be behind the lower lip, allow the panel to drop down enough to catch behind the lower lip then lock it in place with some caulk or foam under each bottom corner.

With the panel securely in place by that method there will still be an inch or so of space at the ends of the panels. I propose to fill that void with foam.