4 Tips for Insulating Your Garage Door (And Saving $!)

Shrink your energy bill and create a more comfortable work environment by insulating your garage door! Here are some tips and hints for this money-saving DIY project:

 

 

1.Types of insulation:

Here are the 3 different types of insulation that you can use…

Reflective foil insulation: comes in rigid boards and rolls

Foam board: rigid panels

Batt insulation: flexible insulation,but not as effective as the others

 

 

2. Types of garage doors:

Depending on your type of garage door, here is what I would recommend using…

Steel: use any kind of insulation

Wood frame-and-panel: use rigid insulation; consider doing two layers

Flat: use foam board or reflective insulation

You can buy a kit for any of these materials and install them yourself with a tape measure, straight edge, and utility knife. If you don’t want to buy a kit, you can buy reflective foil insulation in bulk rolls and cut them to fit. Image of foam board insulation from Garage Journal.

 

 

3. Measure

For any insulation, make sure to measure your garage door panels and cut the pieces of insulation to fit. You can attach insulation to the garage door with liquid nails or plastic clips (clips come with the kit). Doing a second layer of foam board will increase the effectiveness of the insulation. (No need to do two layers if you use the reflective foil insulation).Image from Nick Ferry.

 

4. Apply Weather Stripping

Once you are finished installing the insulation, apply double lip weather stripping to seal the space between the bottom of the door and the floor of the garage.

*Note: when researching what type of insulation to use, know that a higher r-value means better insulation. Image from North Shore Commercial Door.