DIY Garage Door Insulation

[OJ Bartley]

We've had a few really cold days lately, and the garage seems to at least stay above freezing. I think on the days when I actually drive the car, and park it with a warm engine, it seems to retain a little heat, but maybe that's just my imagination. Definitely better than it was.

 

[CodeRedZ]

I still need to do mine, luckily my kerosene heater works really good in there.

 

[curlyws6]

This is on my never ending to-do list, keeps the ideas and reviews coming.

 

[T_Raven]

Saw a YouTube video once where a guy showed how easy it is to stick a wire above a garage door with windows and pull the release handle hanging from the garage door opener. Just thought I'd mention it since you've got windows in that door

 

[OJ Bartley]

Interesting tip, T Raven... I hadn't thought about that. It looks like someone has developed a measure to counter that type of break-in here:

http://thesafehouse.info/articles/Is_Your_Garage_Secure/index.htm

But I think we would be a pretty low value target... no door connecting to the house, and not enough room to store anything much of value. If someone wants to go to the trouble to get my old snow shovels, then he needs them more than I do. Lol.

Seriously though, thanks for the tip, and I might look at the countermeasure above when I do get the place finished and start to keep my tools in there full time.

 

[Nick DL]

Interesting tip, T Raven... I hadn't thought about that. It looks like someone has developed a measure to counter that type of break-in here:

http://thesafehouse.info/articles/Is_Your_Garage_Secure/index.htm

But I think we would be a pretty low value target... no door connecting to the house, and not enough room to store anything much of value. If someone wants to go to the trouble to get my old snow shovels, then he needs them more than I do. Lol.

Seriously though, thanks for the tip, and I might look at the countermeasure above when I do get the place finished and start to keep my tools in there full time.

You can use a zip tie to secure it better. You can still pull it and break the zip tie but from the outside, you can't.

 

[1299]

How can I tell if I already have an insulated door? I don't have open pockets, it looks almost solid, circa 1995.

 

[dubber]

Interesting tip, T Raven... I hadn't thought about that. It looks like someone has developed a measure to counter that type of break-in here:

http://thesafehouse.info/articles/Is_Your_Garage_Secure/index.htm

But I think we would be a pretty low value target... no door connecting to the house, and not enough room to store anything much of value. If someone wants to go to the trouble to get my old snow shovels, then he needs them more than I do. Lol.

Seriously though, thanks for the tip, and I might look at the countermeasure above when I do get the place finished and start to keep my tools in there full time.

Wow, thanks for posting that link, very scary.

 

[jfleisher]

Why not just remove the handle from the release rope? Pretty tough to use a coat hangar to pull on a rope with nothing on the end of it to catch.

Or remove the rope entirely. If you are inside the garage and need to use the manual release, you could use a ladder to reach it.

 

[mechanicworkman]

Great Info I will be doing this to my garage door shortly!

 

[kerr]

What is pl300-400 ? I have a all steel sliding shop door That needs insulation real bad as it faces west and the afternoon sun just makes it into a George Forman grill ! I want to use form board as the frame is 1" thick x 3" tubing with just sheet steel on the outside .

I was wondering what I should use to glue the sheets on to the sheet steel ? Spray glue ? Silicone ?

The door is 14' x 12' I have to keep it closed after about noon or so , so the concrete dont get hot and cook us all evening long .

Thanks to the OP for the push I been needing to get after this .

Kerr

 

[OJ Bartley]

Kerr, PL-300 is what I used, because it is safe for styrofoam. It is a construction adhesive that comes in tubes like in the picture below. You will need a caulking gun to apply it, but those can be had pretty cheap at any hardware store.

 

[TommyRox]

Are you having any issues with it sticking? I just did my garage door last night and used the same adhesive but LockTite brand. I cut a bunch of small pieces with the leftovers and used them to hold the panels while it cured. Ill post pics later today r

Thanks again for sharing your project - it really helped me.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Tommy, my panels all fit pretty snugly in the door sections, and with the extra adhesive I don't think one has so much as budged since I installed them.

An Additional Thought on Garage Insulation:
I was speaking with a guy over the weekend who is renovating his own house (adding 2nd storey and some additional space to a bungalow) and the work he has done so far is beautiful. This is a guy who is picky about what he does, and doesn't skimp on the small stuff. We got to talking about garages, and he mentioned that he built his with what is essentially a 2nd ceiling in the garage that creates an air gap between the "lower" ceiling and the closed-in floor for the room above. The garage looks totally normal from below. Now his gap is fairly large, and he said he even has some heated air flow through it, but the result is no cold transfer from the garage to the room upstairs.

I have been wondering if it would be worth adding some strapping (2x4 maybe?) and building a 2nd ceiling in my garage to create an air gap for more protection from the cold. Has anyone done this? Would it be worth the trouble, or a waste of time/materials/height without active heated air passing through?

 

[TommyRox]

Thanks for the reply OJ - I tried to cut them to fit snug as well but a few came up a little short due to the panel sizes on the garage. I had a few corners that didn't stick but added a little more PL300 to the corners and looks like we are good to go now.

I also unfortunately got rain during the project so that might have effected the adhesive some how.

I meant to post pictures but didn't finish till a little while ago. I"ll try to get to it tomorrow and show ya how it turned out.

Thanks again !

 

[OJ Bartley]

I wouldn't worry too much, Tommy. If you have PL on there, it should hold them well. I've been thinking about going around all of the edges with foil tape, just to make a little better seal. That would probably help you too, especially on the panels that have a little gap.

 

[TommyRox]

Now that's a good idea...thanks. And just happened to have a roll too

 

[P0sTaL]

Hey OJ Bartley nice pics on the install. Im in the Toronto area as well and i was wondering what was the outcome from this winters weather. What i mean did you have any issues with the panels or any moisture build up on the door such as the windows and did it cause any issues. I know that my door still havent gotten around to do what you have done but during the winter this year the door looked wet most of the winter on the days the sun is beating hard on the door in some areas. Just wanna get some feedback on that. Thanks

 

[OJ Bartley]

Hey p0sTaL, I think it made a difference for me, and kept things a little bit warmer in the room above the garage. I didn't see any moisture issues, but to be honest I wasn't really looking for it. The panels have held up great, and haven't moved at all that I can see.

My next step will be weather stripping for a better seal around the door, which I think leaks just a bit of air around the edges. I've been contemplating getting some direct application film for the windows to add a little insulation protection there, but they're so small, and there are other areas that should be dealt with first. I think whenever I finish the garage and have full drywall and insulation on the front wall I'll do that last.

 

[Tricon]

Been looking to do this for a while, there's some great pics and info in here. I'm guessing most of you guys are doing this to keep heat in the garage right? I have a west facing garage in SoCal and it gets mega hot in the summer. One thing I noticed you guys are missing out on is that there really needs to be a space between your insulation and the door. This air space is what help bolster the insulating value. If you are trying to keep heat out, you need to have the foil side pointed towards the door as that is the radiant barrier and whats going to protect you from most of the heat.

Keep the pics coming!

 

[Tricon]

Here's a good video:

 

[OJ Bartley]

Tricon, for me it is definitely heat INSIDE in winter. I thought about trying to create more of an air gap between the foam panels and the door, but they would have been sticking out. I figure there's a small gap created by the adhesive which wouldn't completely compress flat, and that's about the best I could do.

 

[Rhyno]

So, some time has passed......

Are you still happy?

Any updates or new conclusions?

 

[nw2571]

Bump...

Interested in hearing how things are holding up on these doors? Anything you would do differently?

 

[rburke65]

You did a great job on that door .... looks great!

 

[OJ Bartley]

Still holding up great. And it is quite a bit warmer in the garage in the morning after a cold night. I don't think I would have done much different if I were to do it again today.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[nw2571]

Thanks OJ. I'll be doing mine in the next few weeks.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Thanks rburke!

Nw2571, it's not too bad a job to do. Just take your time with the cuts, and, as always... Measure twice, cut once!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[Amizon]

I saw your post about adding insulation to your garage door but there were no pictures added. I would like to do the same and my doors are like yours and you cannot push the insulation into the squares. I would like to see how you did it and do you have any pointers you could give to prevent me from making any mistakes.
Thanks
Amizon

 

[rpcraft]

See I am trying to determine if I should use the foam foil backed insulation or the Reflectix. I'm in Central Texas so our version of cold is somewhat wimpy compared to the Canucks. Of course I want it to stay warm when I get heat in there, but I'm more worried about the heat 100 + days of 100_+ heat and humidity in the summer... (Once I add the AC unit). I'm not sure which would provide more of a heat barrier.

 

[OJ Bartley]

I saw your post about adding insulation to your garage door but there were no pictures added. I would like to do the same and my doors are like yours and you cannot push the insulation into the squares. I would like to see how you did it and do you have any pointers you could give to prevent me from making any mistakes.
Thanks
Amizon

Amizon, I guess my original pics have been lost to the ether. I'll try to get a couple pics this week and post something recent.

My doors had a kind of natural lip on the inside, if I remember correctly. I used a blob of foam-friendly construction adhesive (about the size of a quarter) in each corner of the individual panels. They almost friction-fit inside, but I wanted to know they were stuck in place with all the movement.

Also take note that garage door springs are fairly finely tuned (if they're done right) and even just adding a few light foam panels can potentially throw off their balance. I have been lucky, but a neighbour of mine who did the same thing had his spring snap a while ago, which is a huge pain, and can be dangerous.

***ACTUALLY: check the link in my sig (OJ's single) and you can see a pic of the door.

See I am trying to determine if I should use the foam foil backed insulation or the Reflectix. I'm in Central Texas so our version of cold is somewhat wimpy compared to the Canucks. Of course I want it to stay warm when I get heat in there, but I'm more worried about the heat 100 + days of 100_+ heat and humidity in the summer... (Once I add the AC unit). I'm not sure which would provide more of a heat barrier.

rpcraft, I'm not sure which would be better, but check the R-value of each solution, see if you can roughly compare the weight and cost of each, and I'd go with the overall lightest/cheapest/best insulator combination.

 

[rpcraft]

I think I am going to go ahead and go with the foam for now. It will serve best for the cold weather. I think I will have a lot more trouble heating then cooling in the grand scheme of things. According to the Reflectix it seems like it works best with a air gap but its got about half the R-value compared to the attached foam board.

 

[Bad00SS]

My door is an old 2 car door from the 70s so it was solid wood. I used 3/4" foil backed insulation foam board. I fastened it with those nails that have the red plastic washer on it. I got tired of nailing them so I swapped the washers to drywall screws and used the drill. much faster lol. I used foil tape to cover all the seems where it would bend. The garage is fully insulated everywhere else and has a gas house furnace in it. this made a pretty good difference along with adjusting the door and wood trim on the outside so it sealed better. I bought new trim boards with the rubber flaps that seal against the door from the outside. You cant even see any day light with the lights off in the garage now.