Insulated my garage door

[danielhv]

I broke down and did it, and DAAAAYMN!!! There is probably a 15 - 20 degree difference between outide and the garage! My garage walls are not insulated, so it could be better, but its colder than shit out side and pretty comfortable in the garage! Here is what I used:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=15355-10477-15355&lpage=none

I got 8 sheets, and 2 tubes of liquid nails... I glued the foil side to the garage door, and then glued the second sheet to the first with the second sheet's foil facing inside... so it keeps the cold out, and the heat in. :D

Here are some pics:

http://www.my-pctech.com/door1.jpg

http://www.my-pctech.com/door2.jpg

http://www.my-pctech.com/door3.jpg

I am extremely happy with the results... the two 3/4" sheets glued together make it look like it was made for the garage door... it is a very tight fit, couldnt have been more perfect. I cut the peices tall, and slid the top in, then slid the bottom in, and held it in place with scrap peices for the liquid nails to setup.

[gtownGT]

nice...

[jims93lx]

I've been debating on that, especially since my I have a couple of vents for heat/ac out there

[fordracing19]

I opted for the insulated door on mine. Well worth it.

[bsharer]

I like that it made the room brighter by reflecting the light.

How much does all of it weigh? Any difference on your garage door opener?

[danielhv]

none what-so-ever... it adds a few pounds, but the door opener has the same h/p recommended for pulling open wooden garage doors... It doesnt struggle at all, but its definately alot quieter when opening, closing, and when that compressor kicks on!

[big_tiger]

I like that it made the room brighter by reflecting the light.

How much does all of it weigh? Any difference on your garage door opener?

As long as the spring has been twisted enough, and is the correct spring, you have nothing to worry about.

[George G.]

That's sweet! I can't wait to get rid of my old collapsing wooden door. That thing is heavy!

[wesman]

Is that just a light foam or is it heavy?

Just concerned how heavy it is to add strain to the garage door and the opener.....my opener is about out, I don't wanna do anything to exacerbate it's demise.

--wes

[danielhv]

its pretty light... id say all 8 sheets probably weight between 20 - 25 pounds.

[Da Prez]

looks good man...

[Blue90LXSupercharged]

looks great. You have a very clean garage. Nice floor too!

[miketyler]

I replaced my rickety old wooden door years ago with a steel insulated door. Big difference in noise levels during operation. A bare metal door makes a helluva racket going up and down.

[DFWtechie]

I did that to mine and luckly my neighbor works for a garage door company, he came over had to add more tension to the spring so the opener did not have to work so hard.

[Mark04]

How much is that stuff per sheet? Every time that I try to look up that number on Lowes.com, it says that it isn't available in my area. I guess I'll go to a store and see.

[miketyler]

looks like $11 for a 4'x8' sheet.

[Fox466]

I did that to mine years back (north facing door) and it made a huge difference when the cold winds blew.


Looks nice!

[TX21]

Gonna have to do that to my house next, nice job!

[propellerhead]

Sounds like a good project for the holiday break.

[wade_racing]

yeah propeller head i was just thinking the same thing...lol looking forward to the xmas break and not having to be here for 10 days or so... :)

[propellerhead]

yeah propeller head i was just thinking the same thing...lol looking forward to the xmas break and not having to be here for 10 days or so... :)
Yea. If I take Jan 2, 3 and 4 off, I'll have 16 consecutive days off. Woohoo!

[TINKRD]

what was the final cost?

[PooterWS6]

It makes a big difference, I did mine last year and around winter time last year the garage was freezing cold! You could see your breath in there:p
After insulating it, it keeps the garage much warmer, and seems to keep the laundry area/back door warmer too.

[OrangeCrush]

looks good...

[joshGN]

what did you use to cut the stuff down to size? jigsaw?

[Justa4banger]

I've been wanting to do this........... just been lazy. ggod toknow it actually works well. Looks good too.

[turbostang]

Damn, that looks good!

I was just thinking earlier on how much I missed my old insulated door since my new house doesn't have it (yet). I remember when we did the new door with insulation (on my old house) how much difference it made.

[Clifton]

what did you use to cut the stuff down to size? jigsaw?
It cuts like butter with just a razor blade.

[BigShoe]

I think im going to do that to my new shop.

[PooterWS6]

It cuts like butter with just a razor blade.
Yep!

I used two tires to hold the sheet up off the ground, then used a 2x4 I had lying around to help keep the cuts straight, other than that, its a piece of cake...

[TINKRD]

how much did everything run ya? $100-$200?

[Txstang1]

If ya don't mind me asking.......how much did materials set ya back?

[PooterWS6]

how much did everything run ya? $100-$200?
I have two 7x8 Doors, and I only did one layer, I think materials set me back a little over $60, I used 6 sheets if I remember, just measure it all out before and to see how you need to cut each panel to go in the door, and depending on the size of your doors itll vary...
(Also check your depth on the panel, as that will limit which one you use too, they have thicker/thinner sheets for better/lesser R ratings...)

[Yellowstang]

I did that at my old hosue but twith the kind that was in a roll and looked like bubble wrap. Makes a real noticeable difference.

[propellerhead]

I did mine too. Instead of double-layering it, I cut small pieces to use as spacers. I wanted to create some airspace between the door and the insulation.

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1216/cimg7960cs6.jpg

I glued the spacers on then put the insulation up. The 3/4" thick insulation is basically 3/4" away from the garage door panel.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7638/cimg7963hm8.jpg

Using an infra-red thermometer, the uninsulated sections were 8 degrees warmer than the insulated ones with the afternoon sun beating down on the door. I expect the garage to be much cooler in the summer.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2094/cimg7965ot8.jpg

[line-em-up]

I did that about 2 years ago and it made a BIG difference. I only used one layer, though. The summertime is the most noticable.

[46Tbird]

Did the same thing in my garage. I didn't space anything off, I just used aluminum duct tape to hold it on. Looks pretty good and couldn't have added more than 15lbs to the garage door.

One important part, is to be sure to close any air gaps on the SIDES of the garage door where it meets the house.

[miketyler]

Yup - Home Depot has a flap kit that you can install on the sides that can help block any gaps.

[LucasHVAC]

Nice work.

[pdc37]

i bought a entire foam package for single door when homedepot was closing in denton, then found out i had wooden doors! doh but if i replace the door ill probably just buy the insulated door to start with.

[danielhv]

well, after having 2 months down with the insulated doors... it is about 12 - 15 degrees warmer in the garage than outside. Humidity is a bit lower too. (Around 10%) Total cost was under $125. Well worth it in my opinion. I recently bought a mini forced air propane heater... When is 40 and below outside, I can run it for 10 minutes and I have a 70 degree F garage to work in for an hour and a half or so before it gets down to the low 60's...

[Marisa]

wow! looks great!

[turbostang]

I just did my doors (one double door and one single). For anyone wondering, it took me 5 tubes of liquid nails and 12 sheets.

I did it just like Danielhv's at the top, in fact you probably wouldn't be able to tell mine apart from his other than the painted flooring. I can tell you for sure the door is MUCH quiter going up and down.

The 3/4" foam is around 10$. The 7/16 is about 8$. I opted to use the 7/16" insulation and double stack it - one foil layer towards the outside and one towards the inside. The reflection seems to have helped the lighting some as well....not to mention the R rating on the 7/16" is 3.2 and the 3/4 is 5. (I don't know that the R rating is "compoundable" like that..but it sounded good at the time.

A definite improvement for 100$ and an afternoons' worth of work.