I Installed Garage Door Insulation

[ddawg16]

There have been a few posts on this....mostly questions.

I have the basic 16' wide AL roll up door. My oldest son has made a 'man cave' on the second floor after giving up his bedroom to the two girls we are fostering. It was getting a bit cold for him at night.

I bought some Styrofoam panels off Amazon....$89/pack. 1 Pack is good for a single width garage door...so I needed two. Got one today....the other one arrives tomorrow. I'm at a loss as to why they shipped different dates.

Pretty nice stuff. The height is perfect for my doors....I had to trim off about 4-5" on the width. They have what looks like about a 1/64" layer of plastic on one side. The other side is 'grooved' to allow them to bend.

I only have 8 panels in...but the most noticeable difference is the drop in noise. Not cold enough yet to see what the difference in temp will be. I still need to install the outside seal to seal between the garage and the door (I know, it's only been about 11 years since I first built my garage).

I already see several advantages.....

1. Noise
2. Temp
3. Dust control

I do a lot of woodworking and the saw dust has a propensity to settle into the bottom of the channels in each section.

And....It looks pretty good.

 

[4 Ever-Fish N]

Congrats. I know your son will love it. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Sounds a bit pricey but I can live with it. Send me a link if you don't mind. And need more pics when your project is complete. Thanks.

 

[ddawg16]

Congrats. I know your son will love it. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Sounds a bit pricey but I can live with it. Send me a link if you don't mind. And need more pics when your project is complete. Thanks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OPLHVE/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[zippi]

There have been a few posts on this....mostly questions.

I have the basic 16' wide AL roll up door. My oldest son has made a 'man cave' on the second floor after giving up his bedroom to the two girls we are fostering. It was getting a bit cold for him at night.

I bought some Styrofoam panels off Amazon....$89/pack. 1 Pack is good for a single width garage door...so I needed two. Got one today....the other one arrives tomorrow. I'm at a loss as to why they shipped different dates.

Pretty nice stuff. The height is perfect for my doors....I had to trim off about 4-5" on the width. They have what looks like about a 1/64" layer of plastic on one side. The other side is 'grooved' to allow them to bend.

I only have 8 panels in...but the most noticeable difference is the drop in noise. Not cold enough yet to see what the difference in temp will be. I still need to install the outside seal to seal between the garage and the door (I know, it's only been about 11 years since I first built my garage).

I already see several advantages.....

1. Noise
2. Temp
3. Dust control

I do a lot of woodworking and the saw dust has a propensity to settle into the bottom of the channels in each section.

And....It looks pretty good.

Nice. I recently installed a heater in my garage and was looking at ways to help out since 3 of my garage walls have no insulation. The link you gave has a special on 2 packs for $143.69. The website says 2 packs adds 20 lbs. Does it affect your garage door opening up and? My door panel openings are 1 5/8" thick and the product is only 1 1/4" thick. Was this the same for yours?

 

[Sawdust_]

Looks like a clean product with a nice finish but with only R4.8 worth of insulation I dont think you will see much benefit to heat retention.

I'm looking for a product that can be applied to wood garage doors. Does anyone have suggestions?

 

[ddawg16]

Looks like a clean product with a nice finish but with only R4.8 worth of insulation I dont think you will see much benefit to heat retention.

I'm looking for a product that can be applied to wood garage doors. Does anyone have suggestions?

Wood....as in swing up?

As for the insulating value....Even though I still have the door seal to install and a few more panels, the garage was noticeably warmer this morning than previous mornings. When you consider the large surface area of the AL door, even at R4.8 (almost 5), it's a considerable difference vs R0.0.

And there is a noticeable reduction in noise.

 

[ddawg16]

Nice. I recently installed a heater in my garage and was looking at ways to help out since 3 of my garage walls have no insulation. The link you gave has a special on 2 packs for $143.69. The website says 2 packs adds 20 lbs. Does it affect your garage door opening up and? My door panel openings are 1 5/8" thick and the product is only 1 1/4" thick. Was this the same for yours?

I haven't tried to open the door yet....but I doubt it's going to add 20 lbs....the 1st box was pretty light.

Mine is the same as yours....depth wise. But the panels are pretty much flush with the outside rails.

I didn't have to cut any of the height...just cut off about 4" of length. The fit nice and snug,

 

[Sawdust_]

Wood....as in swing up?

As for the insulating value....Even though I still have the door seal to install and a few more panels, the garage was noticeably warmer this morning than previous mornings. When you consider the large surface area of the AL door, even at R4.8 (almost 5), it's a considerable difference vs R0.0.

And there is a noticeable reduction in noise.

That's good to know, R5 still seems pretty low but in your context I guess its better than zero.
My garage door is a sectional roll up (just like your aluminum one) it's solid wood so I dont have the little gutters to tuck the insulation into.

 

[ddawg16]

That's good to know, R5 still seems pretty low but in your context I guess its better than zero.
My garage door is a sectional roll up (just like your aluminum one) it's solid wood so I dont have the little gutters to tuck the insulation into.

Your wood has an R value of 1.25/in. A WHOLE lot better than AL.

I don't think there is much you can do with your door that would also look good.

 

[zippi]

I just checked Lowes and they sell 1 1/2" Polyshield foam board at $16.98 a sheet which would fill my door panels better but there is a catch. It is not in stock at any surrounding Lowes and they will not deliver to the store for Free. It is home delivery only. So.....I' would need two sheets for a cost of $$33.96 and the shipping to my house would be $80.00. What a racket they have going on.

 

[duneslider]

Going from r0 to r5 is a huge difference. Just the effect of stopping the radiant transfer of cold makes a difference to how it feels. A metal garage door is basically a giant radiant panel (cold or hot) to a person standing near it.

Air sealing the area like you are doing will also make a significant difference. The fewer changes of air that take place the warm it will be/feel.

 

[zippi]

Like duneslider said, R5 is better than R0. I just went out to Lowe's to check out the 1 1/2" Blue foam board they sell which has an R rating of 7.5. It is to thick to try and bend to get into the garage door panels plus they are scored on one side so a contractor can snap it off a 16" intervals. So.....just ordered 2 of the Matador SGDIK001 Garage Door Insulation, Large, White but they are out of stock and would be in until second week in February. Got it for FREE as the wife had Amazon gift cards to cover the cost. I'm a happy camper.

 

[ddawg16]

Like duneslider said, R5 is better than R0. I just went out to Lowe's to check out the 1 1/2" Blue foam board they sell which has an R rating of 7.5. It is to thick to try and bend to get into the garage door panels plus they are scored on one side so a contractor can snap it off a 16" intervals. So.....just ordered 2 of the Matador SGDIK001 Garage Door Insulation, Large, White but they are out of stock and would be in until second week in February. Got it for FREE as the wife had Amazon gift cards to cover the cost. I'm a happy camper.

The Matador panels have thin slots on the back side to all bending.

I can't imagine bending a full sheet of 1.5" foam board.

One advantage of this stuff over big sheets.....it has that plastic layer which protects and looks good.

 

[ddawg16]

So the big question for you guys....yeah, I want your opinion...

Do I put foam around the windows?

It would be a task, but I could cut out openings for the glass.

I'll have left over foam....so, what would you do?

 

[AaroNX]

I'm glad you posted this. It's something I've been meaning to do for years, and keep putting off.

 

[510ebl]

So the big question for you guys....yeah, I want your opinion...

Do I put foam around the windows?

It would be a task, but I could cut out openings for the glass.

I'll have left over foam....so, what would you do?

I would install the foam over the windows in such a way that I could remove it (the whole panel) during the warmer months, but I have loads of lights in my garage and don't condition the space. If you decide to cut out for the windows, save the "plugs" to install when you are not in there often.

My garage maintained about 40deg in the winter before insulating, now it stays about 45 deg or more with insulating panels much like yours. It FEELS warmer though, when close to the doors. I don't feel a chill like I used to.

 

[zippi]

ddawg16, the more the better IMO. I may even buy some of the insulation tape and go over the rails on the door and plug all the holes.

 

[ddawg16]

I would install the foam over the windows in such a way that I could remove it (the whole panel) during the warmer months, but I have loads of lights in my garage and don't condition the space. If you decide to cut out for the windows, save the "plugs" to install when you are not in there often.

My garage maintained about 40deg in the winter before insulating, now it stays about 45 deg or more with insulating panels much like yours. It FEELS warmer though, when close to the doors. I don't feel a chill like I used to.

That is a thought.
Then cut out the holes when I have time....I do like the natural light....

If I push on the foam, it should make an indention where the windows are....then I cut that out.

Thinking more...I'll cover for now...the white of those foam boards improves the light reflection.

ddawg16, the more the better IMO. I may even buy some of the insulation tape and go over the rails on the door and plug all the holes.

I live in California....I don't have to go that far.

 

[CombatNinja]

You're in Southern California. Maybe you can feel a tiny bit of difference but any place with an actual winter--forget about it. R4.8 would not amount to squat when it is 0 degrees outside if you are crazy enough to have an uninsulated garage door. I think these can be better thought of as a noise and vibration damper that has the side effect of a little R-value.

FWIW, I would not in a million years cover the windows. That is going to look so dumb from the outside, analogous to the classy individuals I see in my neighborhood with bed sheets hanging up as curtains. Seriously people, you live in a $200,000 house, you can't find a store that sells curtains and pay $19.99 for a cheap set?

 

[AaroNX]

Whatever you choose to do with the windows please post pics. My dooor and windows are very similar to yours. It's nice to get an idea of how it's going to turn out before I do it.

 

[ddawg16]

Whatever you choose to do with the windows please post pics. My dooor and windows are very similar to yours. It's nice to get an idea of how it's going to turn out before I do it.

Will do.

My concern is the exposed edge of the foam where I cut out the opening for the window. I'm wondering how to seal that so it looks nice

 

[Jinks]

Will do.

My concern is the exposed edge of the foam where I cut out the opening for the window. I'm wondering how to seal that so it looks nice

White duct tape. I used a similar insulation kit on my door & the panels needed to be bent to go between the top & bottom ribs on the door. They also needed to be bent to get the ends behind a couple of vertical ribs. Difficult to bend in two planes at one time, so I cut the panels in half. Bent each half along the ribs in the foam to insert. They fit fine, but I had seams in the middle of two large panels. Taped over them with a matching white duct tape & you can hardly tell.

 

[ddawg16]

Whatever you choose to do with the windows please post pics. My dooor and windows are very similar to yours. It's nice to get an idea of how it's going to turn out before I do it.

Got the rest of the panels in and one window done.
Not hard but I will need to put some type of white plastic molding around the window

I'll do the other windows tomorrow night.

Huge difference in noise

 

[Fatboy148]

My oldest son has made a 'man cave' on the second floor after giving up his bedroom to the two girls we are fostering.

Not to be "Debbie Downer" BUT what are the exiting opportunities from the second floor of your garage? What is the fire separation from the garage space to the upstairs? Do you have any smoke or CO detectors in the space? The smoke generated from the burning foam insulation that you just installed alone would not be a good thing to breath while sleeping.

It sure is nice of him to volunteer to move to the garage for the well being of the girls BUT it sure would **** if there was a fire in the garage, especially while he is sleeping there.


Just some things to think about.....

ETA....

If you aren't familiar, there is no rating (or the rating is not good) for flame spread on unprotected Styrofoam. As an experiment, take one of the window cut outs and give it some fire from your propane torch to witness the smoke it will generate.

 

[zippi]

ddawg16, if you can't find any plastic molding for the cut outs you could get some of the white Duct tape and cut strips so the tape passes through the opening and attaches on both sides of the panel making it look presentable from the inside and outside. I don't have windows in my door but I like to get creative when I do things so for me it would be a bit of trail and error to get it looking good. Let us see what you come up with.

 

[Loose Nut Buster]

Just something to add to the conversation with.
As far as the R factor of 4.8 being not much, nor is a 1/8" of foam in a coffee cup much but it sure takes the ouch out of the 150+° temp out of the coffee inside it.
Personally I used 4"of poly iso high density fiberglass reinforced w/ fiberglass matt on both sides with class A fire rating on the exterior of my t & g roof w/a 1" air space vent.
Its stated that foam R ratings per inch double that of fiberglass in ratings
Good points on the escape route and fire suppression though.

Sent from my SM-T387V using Tapatalk

 

[acer66]

Going from r0 to r5 is a huge difference. Just the effect of stopping the radiant transfer of cold makes a difference to how it feels. A metal garage door is basically a giant radiant panel (cold or hot) to a person standing near it.

Air sealing the area like you are doing will also make a significant difference. The fewer changes of air that take place the warm it will be/feel.

This.

I used the pink/purple because the prior owner installed some white stuff and it looked very nasty and was falling off.
I might get the thin white pvc/abs sheets HD sells to cover it to make it more pretty and brighter though.

 

[Raisedonadeere]

So the big question for you guys....yeah, I want your opinion...

Do I put foam around the windows?

It would be a task, but I could cut out openings for the glass.

I'll have left over foam....so, what would you do?

I ordered R-5 1.125-in x 4-ft x 22-ft SilveRboard graphite Faced Polystyrene Garage Door Foam Board Insulation from Lowes and my concern over the R5 is gone. The warmth in my garage is wonderful.


I had the same question about the windows, and did not want to stop installing so I used a permanent marker and put tick marks on the frame to mark the locations of the edges of the windows and went ahead and covered them. there are other windows in the garage and I just don't know whether I will bother cutting the holes out. I am so pleased with the thermal performance of my garage.

If I do cut them out I plan on using some thin plexiglass I have to create a trapped air space over the window.

One reason I think my installation is working so great is the steal door is embossed to a depth of over 1/2 inch. I used OSI foam along the ridges so that when the panel was installed there was a foam sealed air pocket behind the installed panel. With the radiant barrier and the air gap trapped behind the panel I must be getting well over R5 because of how easy the garage is to keep warm.

I did a 16x8 and a 10x8 door in this garage for under $200, around $50 just for the OSI foam. Used a small table saw to cut all the panels to size, it was breezy warm day I did this so I set the saw up outside and let the breeze carry the foam dust away. Otherwise I would have used a dust free method to do the cutting.

I would love to find some kind of plastic or aluminum sheeting to cover the exposed graphics and to toughen the surface, but i am not complaining, --- so far no dings in the door and when they get dinged I will just repair


For those interested, I just quit reading on what to do and did something and there is a night and day difference in my garage, a 1500 wat electric heater kept the temps above 55 on 25 degree mornings for a few weeks while I was installing a minisplit. Gsarage is 24x36x10 tightly air sealed.

 

[ddawg16]

Not to be "Debbie Downer" BUT what are the exiting opportunities from the second floor of your garage? What is the fire separation from the garage space to the upstairs? Do you have any smoke or CO detectors in the space? The smoke generated from the burning foam insulation that you just installed alone would not be a good thing to breath while sleeping.

It sure is nice of him to volunteer to move to the garage for the well being of the girls BUT it sure would **** if there was a fire in the garage, especially while he is sleeping there.


Just some things to think about.....

ETA....

If you aren't familiar, there is no rating (or the rating is not good) for flame spread on unprotected Styrofoam. As an experiment, take one of the window cut outs and give it some fire from your propane torch to witness the smoke it will generate.

Oh, that has crossed my mind.

No flame sources in the garage....i.e., no gas. Just water based paints.
Smoke detectors on both floors along with a fire extinguisher

He also has a big window he can go out

 

[Jwall82]

I used the 24" rolls of reflective foil/reflective bubble rap insulation sold at Lowes on my pole barn doors. It comes in different widths. I used the 24" width as it fit perfectly between the wooden frames of the door and applied with spray adhesive. I believe it is somewhere around an R5 value. I have foam board over my walls and ceiling but went this route with the doors because I think the foil/reflective looked better and more "race shop" than foam board as the rest is covered with plywood. But now you guys have me thinking and I might put foam board over top and recover with the foil again. Hopefully triple the R value. Or just foam board it and a double it at least.

 

[Fatboy148]

Oh, that has crossed my mind.

Glad you considered it.

I think it is fitting to memorialize the following....

ddawg16
Senior Member

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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: S. California
Posts: 20,000

Congrats on a milestone!

 

[skulldrinker]

I just had my 35 year old garage doors replaced. The new doors are insulated and are rated R17. My heater cycles less than before. The part that makes the most difference is the seals around the outside. They installed them so that when the door is shut there is zero daylight and no air leakage. There are no horizontal gaps between the panels either.

R-17 insulated

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[zippi]

Nice looking skulldrinker. Just got my Matador garage door insulation shipment in. It wasn't due until the first part of February but it works for me. I'm slow so it took me about 3 hours. I had to remove the door handle and the door lock mechanism to get the foam in and then make hole. I had lunch in the mix as well. Looks really nice and brightens up that end of the garage now. I'm a happy camper.

 

[ddawg16]

Nice looking skulldrinker. Just got my Matador garage door insulation shipment in. It wasn't due until the first part of February but it works for me. I'm slow so it took me about 3 hours. I had to remove the door handle and the door lock mechanism to get the foam in and then make hole. I had lunch in the mix as well. Looks really nice and brightens up that end of the garage now. I'm a happy camper.

Looks good.....and you're right....it does improve the lighting.

That plastic they put on it looks like it will wear well.

You're lucky....you didn't have windows.

Did you have to adjust the up force on your door opener? I did a bit on mine

 

[zippi]

ddawg16,
I didn't adjust the door as It works fine. There is really no added weight at all in my mind. The box they came in weighed more than the panels.

 

[cdestuck]

Yours turned out and looks great. I put in garage doors now and then and quite often friends come to me with building/repairs/product info. When asked about garage doors, first out of my mouth, spend a bit more up front and buy a insulated door. Heated or unheated, go for it. Warmer, sturdier, less likely to dent.

 

[zippi]

Thanks. The bars between the foam board panels has holes straight through to the outer skin and they are like ice cubes. Now I'm looking for something to cover them.

 

[zippi]

ddawg16,
What have you figured out about adding trim around the windows? Looks like your bars between the panels has holes like mine letting the cold get through.

 

[ddawg16]

ddawg16,
What have you figured out about adding trim around the windows? Looks like your bars between the panels has holes like mine letting the cold get through.

My weather is much milder than yours....

I've found vinyl trim I can buy to put around the windows. I prefer that over white tape.....my door faces south and I have no doubt what the sun will do to it.