Installing garage door insulation is essential if you want to conserve energy. Since garage doors are typically made from uninsulated aluminum, wood or steel materials; what happens is that it absorbs heat and transmits it throughout the garage that also seeps through walls connecting the house and the garage especially during the summer.
During the cold season, it allows heat to escape. Either way, you are wasting energy that ultimately affects your electricity bill since you will need more heat from your furnace making it work double time during winter and you need more cool air from your air conditioning unit in the summer.
Installing Your Own Garage Door Insulation
Installing insulation on your garage door is one of the easiest do-it-yourself home improvement jobs there is and it takes very little time to accomplish it. As a matter of fact, there are DIY kits that you can find in most home depots and even hardware stores and these come with installation instructions that you can follow step by step.
DIY Kits
Typically, these kits come in the usual garage door sizes for both single-door and double-door garages. Single doors of garages are approximately nine feet by seven feet while double doors are about sixteen feet by seven feet.
The kits usually include the insulation panels, fasteners, repair tape for tears and gloves. Depending on the type of kit you are getting, the insulation panels can be made from polyethylene foam with a protective aluminum foil covering or molded polystyrene.
Thicknesses also vary, with regular thickness measuring about five-sixteenth of an inch while others come in one-fourth of an inch thickness.
To install your insulation panel, simply cut it down according to size and then place the panels on each section of your garage door. Secure the panels with the fasteners or adhesives that came with your kit and you’re done!
It is recommended that you cut your panels atop a plywood sheet to avoid making the knife dull.
Non-Standard Sizes
If your garage door is not of the typical size, you will find that there are also ready-made non-standard sized insulation kits that you can easily purchase. If you cannot find the exact measurements that you need, it is best to get the size that is bigger than your door size as you can easily cut this to fit each section of your garage door.
On the other hand, you may also purchase polyethylene insulation in rolls and simply cut this down to size. You will also need to purchase adhesives – silicone adhesive is recommended – so you can attach your panels on your door sections.
