Is It Worth Insulating A Non-Insulated Garage Door?

In an effort to make your garage more comfortable during the summer or winter months, you might have just finished adding some needed insulation to the walls and ceiling. However, your garage door is sitting there and it is currently lacking insulation, so you might be wondering if it is even worth insulating a non-insulated garage door. Let’s talk about that for just a moment.

A non-insulated garage door can be insulated, although…

There are two main ways to go about insulating your garage door if you choose to do it:

• Mineral wool blankets: You can generally find these blankets in any store that sells materials for home renovations. Look for a kit that includes some flexible mineral rolls, along with a plastic film that is reflective. Expect this to cost in the $75 to $100 range.
• Polystyrene insulating panels: You can often find these panels in major do it yourself stores. Again, you will want a kit that contains enough panels for a single garage door that is about 8 to 9 feet wide. Remember that this material is flammable, so be sure to cover it with another material to eliminate the risk of fire.

There are some possible negatives to adding insulation to your garage door that you should be aware of. For starters, adding insulation to the interior side of the door will not necessarily keep the cold from getting inside. This is because there is not any thermal break between the exterior and the interior of the garage. Know this going into the insulation process in order to avoid disappointment if you think that the money you are spending will actually improve your level of insulation in the garage.

The only real advantage…

If you do end up insulating your non-insulated garage door, you will likely notice that those annoying empty metal sounds you have hearing will largely disappear.

Warning!

While there might be other materials available to you to insulate your garage door, you will want to make certain that you are NOT adding any more weight to the door itself. There is a spring system on your garage door that is used as a counterweight to the door, and it is calibrated based on the total weight of a garage door that is not insulated. If you go over the allowable weight, you will need to change your existing spring system in order to make up for the new weight that the door is with the new insulation.

Is it worth it?

In most cases, the answer is no. The only real exception is if you are hoping the added insulation will reduce the existing noise level in your garage to result in less rattling. Other than that, it would probably be in your best interest to look for a new insulated garage door and have that installed.

A final piece of advice…

You are always welcome to contact us at your convenience at 705-322-0136. We understand that you want your garage door to be durable and long lasting, and that insulation be of the highest grade possible. If you want to see some pricing options, we can email you over a quotation.

Also, we can arrange a visit to your home to go over the many different options that would work for you. Our team can give you some expert advice to help guide your decision. You are also welcome to use our Design Centre or our visit our online image gallery.