Garage Door Insulation Suggestions

[AP2TUDE]

I have been waiting for new construction to be completed before I made my Garage Gallery Thread, but I need some suggestions for garage door insulation.

The doors are totally bare with no insulation, and with the North Texas weather I know that isn't going to fly. Not to mention, they are incredibly noisy due to the bare, thin metal.

I have been considering the basic foam inserts as the primary insulation material, but I wasn't sure what sound deadening improvement that would offer. Has anyone thought of adding DynaMat or a similar material to serve as an initial insulation layer, underneath the foam inserts?

Here is a few basic pictures of the door for reference. *** Edited after I re-hosted the pictures. Please let me know if they aren't showing up still. Stupid Google. ***

Since I am likely to get questions about the powdercoated hardware, here are some pictures of that as well. I am preparing a full write up of my process with that, since I couldn't find any detailed information before I did it all.

Thanks!

 

[Nuckingfuts]

I went with a Matador garage door insulation kit, about $84 shipped (each) from Amazon. I ended up doing all three of my doors. As far as sound goes it does make a minor but somewhat noticeable difference.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Why are the pic. not showing for me. 2nd post today that the pic didn't show, Is it on my end?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Why are the pic. not showing for me. 2nd post today that the pic didn't show, Is it on my end?

They don't show up for me either. Right clicking on the little boxes shows his pictures are on Google Accounts, it appears you have to be a member or sign in or something to see them.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

They don't show up for me either. Right clicking on the little boxes shows his pictures are on Google Accounts, it appears you have to be a member or sign in or something to see them.

Guessing he is using google to host his pics, they are flaky with their pics for some reason

 

[pacobeagle]

I used the kits from Lowe's. I have three doors so three kits. My garage is noticeably warmer. Easiest DIY I've ever done.

Jose

 

[2Big2Ride]

We used a layer of the metallic bubble wrap against the door and then the cheap flexible insulated suspended ceiling tiles. The tiles were like a compressed fiberglass batt with a plastic sheet laminate on the exterior. Yes, quieter and much better in both the heat and the cold.

View media item 11146

 

[gtae07]

I put one layer of half inch styrofoam, then one layer of foil-faced foam, and sealed it with metal tape. Seems to work great.

 

[AP2TUDE]

I used the kits from Lowe's. I have three doors so three kits. My garage is noticeably warmer. Easiest DIY I've ever done.

Jose

That was the first thing that I looked at. I know it will work as insulation, but I am worried about sound deadening as well.

We used a layer of the metallic bubble wrap against the door and then the cheap flexible insulated suspended ceiling tiles. The tiles were like a compressed fiberglass batt with a plastic sheet laminate on the exterior. Yes, quieter and much better in both the heat and the cold.

View media item 11146

I like the idea of the laminate layer on the outside. I would like to paint the insulation to give it a little more color contrast, and that would make it a lot easier.

 

[gnpenning]

door companies leave the inside white to help keep the inside of the garage light. Dark colors will make it ... well darker inside.

Your stand off brackets need to be adjusted to move the door closure to the jamb. Do you have a weatherstrip on the outside?

You should have 1/4 to 3/8 space between the roller stem shoulder and the hinge. The door should be able to float a little to help keep it from binding with seasonal changes.

Keep in mind that any weight you add to the door will affect the way it opens and if the springs need some minor adjustment. The springs are calibrated to the weight of the door. Insulation will make a huge difference to your comfort in the garage.

 

[pacobeagle]

AP2TUDE- I completely understand. One option would be to use a small amount of adhesive so as to permanently lock in the insulation once installed. They do move a small amount, however, not enough for me to go through this extra step. I'll take a few photos today of my doors and post them up.

BTW- I love the attention to detail and coating/painting the rails and hinges in black. Looks great!

Jose

 

[pacobeagle]

Here's a couple of shots. Notice the reflection of the lights.

 

[AP2TUDE]

Your stand off brackets need to be adjusted to move the door closure to the jamb. Do you have a weatherstrip on the outside?

You should have 1/4 to 3/8 space between the roller stem shoulder and the hinge. The door should be able to float a little to help keep it from binding with seasonal changes.

It doesn't shock me whatsoever that it isn't installed or adjusted properly. On the first visit they discovered the main door which was ordered was the wrong size, so they only installed the small one and it's opener, but not the exterior weather stripping. The second trip brought the larger door and it was installed, but not the opener. The third time they didn't show on the day they said, and when they did come they installed the opener for the primary door incorrectly, and still didn't install weather stripping on the smaller door. I am done with them.

I am waiting until I move in, and then I am going to make the adjustments that are necessary myself. I already have to install the weather stripping myself before my painter can come back to paint the larger door and the additional weather stripping. Attention to detail is a big deal to me, and these guys **** balls.

Thanks for the advice. I will address these issues when I move in.

 

[AP2TUDE]

Here's a couple of shots. Notice the reflection of the lights.

That looks awesome. The garage is bright white for now, so I think that reflective layer would add more light, and likely give me the insulation I need. Thanks!

 

[samarcus77]

i think you should ask for professional help but at least ask for 3 quotations so you can get the average cost you need.

 

[pacobeagle]

Here's a shot of the rest of the garage for reference. I, also, painted the walls white to reflect better lighting.

 

[bobj49f2]

Here's a couple of shots. Notice the reflection of the lights.

pacobeagle, I know this is an old thread but I'm looking for door insulation and came upon your post the insulation you show looks like what I'm looking for. I've found the normal foam board stuff but it looks like it would get dirty and would be hard to wash. The product you used, does it have a shiny side that's fairly easy to clean? I could only find the normal type on Lowe's website. Do you have the manufacturer's name and product name?

 

[rayra]

I used mylar-coated 1" rigid styrofoam panels, cut to wedge-fit between the major framing of my tile-up door. But I placed the mylar side facing inside the garage for both its light reflectivity and because the branding and text in dark blue was all over the obverse white surface.
If / when I do it again, I'll probably go with a double layer of the half inch and have mylar facing both directions for best insulation.
And it will get done again, as I've beat up the styrofoam over many years. The OP should probably skip any styrofoam product, his 'attention to detail' / OCD will probably drive him crazy about it.

1" and its R-factor doesn't sound like much, but it has certainly cut down the radiant heat passing thru my east-facing SoCal garage door.

 

[rpcraft]

I just used some Rmax 3/4 inch board and cut to fit in the panels of my 16 foot wide door, Most of the panels were about the same size but a couple of them I had to trim extra (plus or minus). I measured when it is cold and the door temp was around 59 in my garage while it was in the high 30's outside. I also insulated my garage recently to help keep the cold air up in the attic out of the garage because before I did that it was generally as cold in the garage as outside. It was a huge difference and I have not even needed a heater but it hasn't really gotten cold here yet so I'll find out better in about a month or 2. It's been fine enough to where I have not even needed to run a heater.