When it comes to thermal isolation and comfort in your garage, door insulation is the first thing to consider. Here, the most important value is the thermal resistance coefficient. An energy-efficient R-18 insulation can easily keep the temperature at about 12 degrees warmer in cold months and 25 degrees cooler during the hot season.
If you decide to buy such doors with such characteristics from manufacturers, you should be ready to spend $750 – $1,900 and $1,500 – $3,700+ for one-card and two-car doors, respectively. At the same time, it is possible to make your in-garage microclimate more stable and reduce heating costs on your own. The Abell Garage Door Repair (time + resources) in this case are the following:
- Working time: 2 to 4 hours;
- Average cost: from $200 to $300;
- Experience level required: Beginner.
This project does not require professional tools and all the consumables you can buy in the nearest home center.
Mark the Door and Install Retainer Pins
You can start marking the garage door after you get all the necessary equipment. For this purpose, you need a measuring tape and a felt-tip pen or carpenter’s pencil. To locate fasteners correctly, measure 12 inches from every panel edge and vertically between the horizontal rails. Mark those points with a pencil. Now, you can stick the retainer pin base to the surface. After that, make one more measurement to ensure you did everything correctly.
Measure and Cut the Betting
At this step, you need the following equipment:
- Utility knife;
- Straightedge;
- Face mask;
- Safety glasses;
- Gloves.
Now that you know the panel’s dimensions, you must roll out the insulation material and cut it, adding two inches on each side. You can do it on the table by pressing the straightedge directly onto the betting material. Always try to put the betting with the vinyl facing down and mark cutting lines in advance.
It always makes sense to put something between the betting and the table to protect the surface while cutting (for example, it may be a plastic sheet or scrap plywood). Always wear gloves, a face mask, and safety glasses to prevent little material particles from entering the respiratory tract or eyes when cutting insulation.
Mount Insulation Pieces
Now, you must attach the cut pieces of insulation to the panel, tuck it, and press until retaining pins puncture the vinyl facing. Double-check which side of the insulation you attach to the panel before pushing and making holes. After completing everything correctly, you can push the retaining cap over a pin to fasten the material.
Instal Doorstop Weather Stripping
Regarding thermal isolation, it is better to upgrade your garage door completely. For this purpose, you can remove old doorstop weather stripping all around the entire perimeter of the garage opening.
After you remove the old doorstop, you must attach new panels against the top and side jambs. Make sure the vinyl weather stripping is at a 45-degree angle. After that, you can either drive a screw into the jambs or use nails to fix all construction in place temporarily. Now, press on the garage door strong enough to imitate a hard wind.
Explore in which places the gap is bigger and readjust the stripping. Sometimes, gaps may be too wide and require changing hinges. If it is so and you are unsure which one to take, it is better to choose spring-loaded. After there are no gaps, you can sink all those nails completely.
All Advantages of a Properly Insulated Garage Door
Aside from the obvious advantages of lower utility bills for heating, you can help the building tools (often stored in a garage) serve you longer. Moreover, people prefer to store paint and different liquid decorations there.
As for paint, it may freeze and change characteristics, while decorations may melt and become unusable. Also, proper insulation may significantly decrease street noises thanks to sound-absorbing characteristics. The top pick in this case is fiberglass since this material has a Noise Reduction Coefficient from 0.90 to 0.95, while 1 is the maximum.
Also, you may try a special foam with an NRC of about 0.80. One more interesting but not obvious advantage is an additional value to your house. If you do insulation properly, it may increase the cost of your house by several thousands of dollars (of course, if you are thinking about selling it).
Anyway, it is a 100% justified investment. The reason is that insulation using high-quality materials always pays for itself. It will be barely worn out as time goes by and retain the same condition for many years.
