Insulation Options for your Garage Door

Insulating your garage door is important if you want to save energy and also, protect your garage. In fact, if your garage door shares a wall with your house, then the need for good insulation is much higher. However, there are many different options in terms of garage door insulation, which means you will have to do some research before you actually make a decision.

You can always buy a completely new garage door with built-in insulation, but that might work out to be much more expensive. If you already have a garage door in place, then it is cheaper and wiser to insulate it separately. All you need to do is buy the necessary insulating material kits and install the insulation yourself.

Luckily, the market has quite a bit to offer in terms of insulation kits for garage doors. They are available in various price ranges, but, the good ones tend to be more expensive. Nevertheless, good insulation kits can still save you money by cutting down on the utility expenses. Some of these insulation kits even come with the necessary tools to help with the installation, once again, saving effort, time, and money for you.

Here are some of the most common insulation kits you could consider.

Reflective foil

Reflective foils are installed as insulation by applying them as a lining for the garage door. These reflective foil kits come in multiple options which include single foil insulation and double foil insulation. With the former, you get a layer of aluminum foil which is pressed between two layers of polyethylene foam, while the latter comes with two polyethylene layers pressed between two aluminum foil layers.

Panels

Panel kits are sold with 8 pre-cut panels that are shaped to fit within the garage door frame’s channels. These panels can be either bought as foam panels or fiberglass panels. The fiberglass variety provides greater insulation and also, mold and water resistance.

The foam panels are composed of polystyrene and they enjoy a laminated plastic surface that offers plenty of resistance. The insulation provided is a little higher than what you would get from fiberglass panels and they work very well for steel garage doors. 

However, panel kits are not as effective as reflective foil. Nevertheless, they do look better when installed. Reflective foil insulation can look very unpleasant.

Considerations to be made

Choosing a type of insulation isn’t just limited to the materials. You also need to factor in other conditions. For instance, the weight of the insulation is an important factor to be considered. Will it affect the operational efficiency of your garage door?

You might have to adjust the garage door springs in order to make it handle the extra weight better.

Similarly, you will also have to consider the insulating material’s R-value. R-value here refers to the measurement used in determining the heat resistance of the insulating material. A higher R-value indicates better insulation. Double foil insulation has the highest R-value among these above mentioned options.

Finally, you will have to look at fireproofing. Your insulation must be fireproof. Fortunately, most of the

Choosing the Right Garage Door

It is true that you don’t need to go garage door shopping very often and therefore some amount of upfront homework helps in making the right decision. Garage doors have evolved from the basic old slab styles in the last couple of years and hardboard or wood constructions have led to the availability of an unlimited number of design options.

Research

Before you make any decision regarding your garage door, spend some time getting information about their various important features. The complexity and size of these doors has an impact on their safety and functionality. Besides this, the other issues that need attention include insulation and installation.

Garage doors also have a huge impact on the overall aesthetic appeal of your home. In a lot of ways, they do create that “first impression” on the people who come to visit your home or pass through your neighborhood.

Therefore, gaining knowledge about the different garage door types and their features could enable you to make the best buying decision. Apart from aesthetics, homeowners also need to consider vital technical aspects before deciding on a particular garage door. These include the materials used for making the garage door and its construction. Garage doors made out of different materials have their own pros and cons and vary in terms of pricing. Some of them are discussed below:

Steel and metal garage doors

Garage doors made out of steel and various other metals have the advantage of being durable and require far less maintenance. There garage doors being made out of aluminum as well as copper. But majority of the metal garage doors are still made using steel.

The least expensive and simplest steel doors comprise a steel panel or one single sheet which makes the door. Such doors might not be very sturdy. Other garage steel doors use a back and front panel for a greater amount of rigidity. These doors also offer insulation and can be fitted in between the door skins.

You will be able to paint almost all steel garage doors using latex paint so that it matches your house color.

Wooden garage doors

Garage doors can be made out of a solid piece of wood or from a mix of other materials combined with wood (e.g. steel) and the wood can be the face of a steel-back garage door.

You cannot miss the beauty and richness of this beautiful material, especially all the stained varieties. However, woodengarage doors naturally require the maximum amount of maintenance. Also, these doors are more expensive to install as compared to garage doors made with other materials.

Often, buyers come across references to the number of construction layers when shopping for garage doors. For instance, a four-layer garage door may comprise a combination overlay covering the front panel made of steel. Also, the back of the door is constructed using one more steel panel. There is an insulation core in between the two panels.

Consider the type of garage door you would like to install keeping in mind both durability and aesthetics of the material used.