Have you ever wondered how to insulate overhead garage doors…and not spend a bunch of money doing it?
You could spray foam them and really bring the r-factor up. Or you could use bat type insulation. How about using foam board like I am sharing in this blog post?
I prefer to keep my overhead doors as lightweight as possible for easier lifting, especially when my wife needs to lift them occasionally…
Plus the foam board stays in the door sections the best of anything I have found. Of course the spray foam would be the best insulation r-factor, but it adds more weight and the cost is very expensive.
Today I purchased R-Tech foam board to finish my overhead door insulation project which was marked down $4.00 per sheet over the normal price. When buying several of these at a time the $4.00 per sheet savings really adds up quickly.
What Tools Are Needed For Installation?
- Box cutter with sharp blades
- Tape measure
- Pencil or ink pen or sharpy
If you are worried about these foam board panels falling out when the door is opened, don’t worry, they won’t fall out as long as you make these fit very tightly.
The way to do this is to measure carefully and when you make your marks/your cut lines, then just cut on the outside edge of your cut marks so these foam board insulation panels will fit very tightly.
How to insulate overhead garage doors and keep them secure.
There is one more option to really secure these foam boards in case your cuts and measurements are off a little and they seem loose. Use some type of adhesive that is good for all weather and that will adhere to foam board as well as garage doors. Most of these garage doors are aluminum, so I recommend using a construction adhesive that will hold up to anything.
Always fit each foam board panel first before using the adhesive, otherwise you will have a mess to deal with, and they might not come back out without breaking them.
See how to insulate overhead garage doors in this picture above. Notice the difference colored panels? I’m all about using as much reclaimed stuff as possible to keep my cost down which is why I have two different colors and types of foam board panels.
Getting Cheap or Free Materials
The blue ones were free and the white ones were marked down and on sale. Personally I don’t care if they are different colors, but some people would. My only concern is about keeping the cold out and the warm inside. I am not concerned about the looks. You can also purchase outer skin covers to hide the foam board and make it look really nice if you want. However, this will add additional cost to your project.
As I have mentioned in previous blog post, you can go around to building projects and often times pick up scrap materials. Lumber, and sometimes even scrap insulation or foam board that may have broken corners, or other damage. Check on Craigslist too. You might find someone that is wanting to get rid of materials for your projects. You just never know what you can find cheap, or even free if you just keep your eyes and ears open.
If you are wanting to learn how to insulate overhead garage doors and keep warmer on the cold days, then this is a very important part of keeping the heat inside and the cold out.
This simple foam board insulation project has raised my indoor temperature by almost 10 degrees. However, I also installed new door seals on the overhead doors and the walk in doors which helped a great deal. If you can see daylight from the outside when the doors are closed, then know that the cold weather and drafts will find there way inside.
Feel free to leave your comments below. Maybe you have other ideas for keeping the cold out? I’d like to hear your ideas, or about your projects!
Always do your best,
-Mike Pilcher
.
.
