The microclimate in general and the air temperature in the garage in particular are parameters that directly affect the safety of the car and all other items in the room. In order for the garage to become the most reliable shelter for your property and a comfortable place for repair and other work, you need to perform a comprehensive insulation of the entire structure and pay special attention to the thermal insulation of the gate. You can handle all the stages of insulation with your own hands. Read the instructions and get to work.
In order for the thermal insulation to be as effective as possible, you must not only properly fix the insulation, but also first take all possible measures to preserve heat in the room. For example, examine the state of your gate. Maybe they are already very leaky and it's time to install a modern structure of good quality instead? Of course, it rarely comes to this, but even such unpleasant exceptions are encountered.
Typically, garage walls are relatively thin. Without high-quality insulation, they practically will not retain heat inside the garage. And even the most modern heating system will not help - condensation will simply begin to settle on the walls, which will lead to even more unfavorable consequences.
Therefore, the first thing you should do is insulate all surfaces and floors of your garage, and only then think about organizing the heating system. And the thermal insulation of the gate is an integral part of the above-mentioned complex work.
Prepare all the necessary accessories for door insulation in advance. Better to take the time to assemble them at the very beginning, so as not to be distracted by it in the future.
Video - Insulation of garage doors
Insulation kit for garage doors
- Vapor barrier.
- Waterproofing.
- Insulation.
- Bars.
- Dowel.
- Fasteners for steam, hydro and thermal insulation.
- Sealing compound.
It is better if the insulation of the garage door is external. However, such a task is very often not possible. If the garage is located in a private local area, then it is still possible to insulate its gates from the outside. In the case of placing a garage in a cooperative, you will have to be content with internal thermal insulation.
Condensation will form in the places where the insulation contacts the metal of the gate. Therefore, the metal parts of the structure must be pre-treated with a special anti-corrosion agent and covered with a vapor barrier material.
After laying the vapor barrier, a wooden frame with cells according to the size of the plates of heat-insulating material is attached to the gate. The insulation itself fits as tightly as possible.
Previously, the wooden elements of the frame must be impregnated with a special antiseptic. You can buy a ready-made composition or prepare it yourself. The heated drying oil has good antiseptic properties.
Traditionally, mineral wool and polystyrene are used to insulate the gates.
Before starting work, take the time to properly prepare.
First step. Clean the surface. Take a special power tool or at least an ordinary metal brush and remove traces of corrosion, cracked paint and other contamination from the gate.
Second phase. Prime the gate. To do this, buy a professional makeup in a specialized store. The primer will protect the metal from corrosion. It is convenient to use a wide brush to apply the composition.
Stage three. Cover the gaps between the frame and the garage door leaf directly. For this, it is convenient to use a special sealing rubber. It will simultaneously close the slots and will not interfere with the gate opening normally.
The technology of foam insulation is extremely simple and easy to do with your own hands. Follow all the recommendations given step by step and the doors of your garage will be reliably insulated.
First step. Cut the Styrofoam sheets according to the dimensions of the gate. If in the future you plan to carry out decorative cladding, for example, with clapboard, fix a crate made of wooden slats on the gate. You will put insulation in the cells of the crate, and you will nail the lining directly to the slats. If the finishing cladding is not planned, the crate can be omitted.
Second step. Lubricate the insulation plate or the gate surface at your discretion with polyurethane foam or special glue for foam, capable of ensuring its high-quality adhesion to metal surfaces. Foam must be present at the corners of the sheets. Also distribute it evenly over the plane of the insulation plate.
Take into account the fact that as the strength increases, the polyurethane foam increases in volume, so apply it as evenly as possible.
Step three. Press the foam sheet firmly against the surface to be insulated. If there is no lathing, start insulating from the corner of the gate, carefully leveling each sheet before final fixing. Beforehand, it is recommended to slightly moisten the metal with water.
We applied the foam to the sheet, waited a few seconds until it expanded slightly, pressed the sheet tightly to the surface, and pressed it again after 20-30 minutes. The foam expands, so you will likely need to do several of these repetitions.
Fourth step. If desired, fill the lining or other finishing material of your choice on the crate.
Mineral wool is also often used to insulate garage doors. The preparation for thermal insulation is the same as in the case of foam: you clean the metal of contamination and fix the vapor barrier. In the case of mineral wool, it is imperative to prepare the frame. The frame cells should be 5-10 mm narrower than the mineral wool insulation plate. So the slabs will be laid as tightly as possible.
All wooden structural elements must be impregnated with an antifungal agent.
Fill all cells of the frame with insulation. Fix the mineral wool slabs on the sides with dowels. Fasten waterproofing material on top of the insulation. A simple plastic wrap will do.
Wash the lining on top of the insulating "pie". Fasten the sheathing sheets to the crate with self-tapping screws. Instead of lining, you can use another material of your choice.
If you wish, you can use the simplest version of insulating garage doors using polyurethane foam in cylinders.
First step. Buy polyurethane foam. About 5 foam cylinders are used for 7 m2 of the surface to be insulated. Calculate the required number of cylinders for insulating your garage door.
Second phase. Apply foam evenly to the gate. Let the material cure and then cut off any excess foam that has come out on the sides with a utility knife or other sharp device.
Stage three. Decorate the insulation if desired. It is not very easy to hide the foam. But it, for example, can be covered with plaster. The insulation will not be completely invisible, however, the appearance of the structure will immediately become more aesthetically pleasing.
If you have a sufficient budget, you can arrange a cladding of chipboard, lining or other material on top of the foam.
As a result of such insulation, a real monolith will be created on the gate. The advantage of this method is that the foam is able to fill even the smallest gaps with high quality. This material is not afraid of contact with moisture and serves for several decades. In addition, the foam layer will further strengthen the door structure.
Happy work!
Video - Do-it-yourself garage door insulation
Changes in temperature in the room form condensation, which contributes to the formation of corrosion. High humidity is also undesirable for electrical wiring, as well as upholstery of the car interior. Insulation of the garage, including the gate, will help keep the car in good condition for as long as possible.
Moisture does not affect the building itself in the best way: fungus can start in its corners, plaster can crack and collapse. Condensation is especially dangerous for timber or beams that are prone to decay. In the cold season, it can accumulate on the walls and ceiling, which is why the humidity of the room increases sharply in the spring.
The choice of thermal insulation material
For insulation of garage doors, a combination of materials is most often selected, one of which serves as a heat insulator, and the second prevents the penetration of cold air.Important! Special requirements are imposed on garage door heaters. Due to the increased fire hazard of the premises, they must have a sufficiently high degree of fire resistance. Water permeability is also an undesirable factor, as well as the ability of the material to accumulate moisture, which can lead to the appearance of fungus.
As insulation can be used:
stone wool;
fiberglass materials;
non-flammable polymers (self-extinguishing with the letter "C" in the marking).
For cladding can be used cement-bonded, glass-magnesium boards or fire-resistant wood boards with a special impregnation, which reduces their flammability. If a waterproofing layer is not provided in the insulation, it is better to lay a non-combustible reinforced film or construction foil between the insulation layer and the cladding.
Stone (basalt) wool
It is a fibrous fire-resistant material with sufficiently high sound and heat insulation properties and high wear resistance. It has a low degree of water absorption and is unable to absorb moisture. The high environmental friendliness of the material allows it to be used for finishing any kind of premises.
Basalt (stone) wool with foil waterproofing
Styrofoam
Polyfoam is a fairly strong and lightweight insulation with a low degree of vapor absorption, and when flame retardant additives are introduced into it, its ability to burn becomes minimal. It can be operated at a wide temperature range: from +60 to -50 ° С. 
Styrofoam as insulation
Expanded polystyrene
The material, in fact, is a type of foam and has a similar composition, however, its density is higher, and its thermal conductivity is significantly lower. The degree of flammability of expanded polystyrene is indicated on the marking: for finishing the garage, it is advisable to choose material of the NG (non-flammable) or G1 (moderately flammable) brands. The disadvantages of expanded polystyrene include a low degree of protection against ultraviolet radiation, so it must be reliably protected from sunlight. 
Expanded polystyrene
Liquid penoizol (urea foam)
Outwardly similar to expanded polystyrene, it belongs to the flammability group G-2 and G-1 and is made of thermosetting resins that do not support combustion. Manufacturers claim that its thermal insulation properties are 1.5 times higher than expanded polystyrene. The foam coming out of the cylinder sleeve is able to fill all air gaps. After 10-15 minutes. it sets, then hardens for about 3-4 hours. This material acquires its final strength only after 2-3 days. 
Penoizol
Important! To insulate metal gates that quickly heat up in the sun, do not use spontaneously igniting heaters made from natural fabrics and cotton wool, cheap types of foam, etc.
Dew point
Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor becomes most saturated and condenses... It appears only at the warm-cold border. When insulating, the position of the dew point shifts: if the thickness of the insulating material is sufficient, then it will be inside it. At the same time, the wall remains dry.
If it is heated, and the thickness of the walls is insufficient to retain heat, then it must be insulated from the outside: in this case, the dew point moves into the outer insulation. Naturally, when interior decoration of the garage second dew point will also appear indoors. However, with this additional limitation of moisture and cold access, the temperature difference will already be insignificant, therefore, with sufficient ventilation, the amount of condensate in the room will already be minimal. 
Dew point in a heated room
The temperature difference will not be too large when decorating an unheated room: the insulation becomes a barrier that prevents the penetration of excess moisture into the room in the warm season and protects it from cold winds in winter.
Manufacturing of lathing
For reliable fixing of the insulation and the subsequent fastening of the sheathing, the crate should be pre-made. It is mounted to the load-bearing elements: stiffeners and the edge of the door using self-tapping screws for metal or screws. Can be used as a crate wooden blocks soaked in an anti-flammable solution, or thin metal profiles.
Installation of the lathing
Insulation installation
To prevent condensation from forming on the gate, it is better to work in dry and sunny weather. Before starting the installation, you should clean and cover up all the cracks and treat the metal surface with an anti-corrosion primer. Doors with a layer of bitumen insulation will be ideally sealed.Insulation sliced so that its parts fit as tightly as possible between the battens of the sheathing. He fastened using liquid nails or special assembly glue. To exclude the possibility of condensation formation, the seal should be pressed as tightly as possible to the base and not have cavities. All joints between it are carefully filled with polyurethane foam, which, when expanded, will expand the insulation and give the structure additional strength.
Basalt wool is stacked overlap... Laying of waterproofing materials (reinforced film or foil) is also carried out with a 2 cm approach to the adjacent strip. To ensure ventilation, a small air gap is left between it in several places.
A garage is a parking place for a car that protects equipment from the weather and a workshop if the car needs repair. Some inhabitants keep inventory, summer cottage supplies for the winter, old things in this room. For a comfortable stay in this room, you need to insulate it.
Many people have no idea how to insulate the garage door from the inside. You can do this work with your own hands, following the special instructions described below.
Preparation for work
There is an option that is easy to use, but very expensive - to buy a garage door model with built-in insulation and interior decoration. Do-it-yourself garage door insulation will be much cheaper. This does not require construction education or experience in finishing work, and it will take a little time for insulation. Consider how to properly insulate a garage door with your own hands with all the nuances.
Garage doors are mainly made of sheet steel, so they cannot keep warm in the room. It is impractical to heat a non-insulated room, as you can get condensation in the room and ice on the walls and gates during severe frosts. Before sheathe the garage door - purchase material than you will insulate the garage door.
You can use different heaters, the cheapest and most effective option would be to insulate the garage door with foam.
- Styrofoam has a small specific weight, so no load on the structure will be provided. The material has low thermal conductivity, is environmentally friendly, lasts more than 50 years and does not absorb water. No special tools are needed to install the thermal insulation, since the foam sheet is easily cut with a simple clerical knife.
- Stone wool(basalt) is a fire-resistant fibrous material with high moisture resistance. It is used in any premises for sound and thermal insulation, does not emit harmful substances. This material is easy to use. Sold in rolls.
- Expanded polystyrene- one of the varieties of polystyrene having the same composition. This material has a lower thermal conductivity due to its increased density, and has a different degree of flammability, which is indicated on the package. To insulate garage doors, you need to use the NG or G1 brand. This material has a drawback, it collapses in the sun, and therefore requires additional finishing.
- Liquid penoizol- a material that is sprayed from a cylinder and is able to fill all cracks and cold bridges. Cures in 15 minutes, hardens within 4 hours, final strength occurs in three days. The advantage is ease of use, good thermal insulation properties, non-combustibility. The insulation turns out to be seamless, there is no need to rack your brains - how to fill up the gaps between the sheets of material.
It is better to order a gate with a wicket in the garage, if it is not provided, then it is better to equip it before the start of the insulation work. The wicket will help keep the room warm during renovation work.
Insulation tool
Before insulating the garage door, you need to prepare the tools necessary for this process:
- screwdriver or drill;
- core;
- screwdrivers;
- square;
- level;
- hard brush;
- sandpaper;
- roulette;
- hacksaw;
- construction knife.
Almost every owner has this set of tools.
Finishing materials
Even before starting work, you need to decide how to sheathe the garage door:
- lining;
- corrugated board;
- plywood, moisture resistant;
- PVC panels.
Based on practice, it can be noted that an oriented strand board (OSB) has a lot of advantages:
- strength and reliability;
- easy to process;
- does not need additional vapor barrier;
- moisture resistant;
- has an attractive appearance;
- is inexpensive.
This material is suitable for rooms with high humidity.
To make a frame for insulation, you need to prepare bars with a cross section of 40 mm, which are pre-treated with special antiseptic compounds to prevent rotting.
Preparing the gate for insulation
Before insulating garage doors, preliminary preparation is carried out. Inspect your swing garage door for rust and loose paint. They need to be well cleaned, rust is removed with coarse sandpaper, paint with a stiff metal brush. Further, the entire surface is processed with fine-grained sandpaper for better adhesion.
The next step will be surface treatment with a degreasing solution. After complete drying, an anti-corrosion primer is applied in two layers. It should be noted that the second layer of primer is applied after the first has dried and perpendicular to it.
There is waterproofing behind the primer, it is equipped if foam is used as a heater, it is optional with other materials. Bituminous mastic is easy to use, with which the door leaves are thoroughly coated, while it is advisable to glue vapor barrier membranes on it. You can use the self-adhesive material "Izolon"
Lathing
When insulating the gate from the inside with your own hands, you need to strictly adhere to the instructions described below - this will help not to make fatal mistakes.
Lathing - installation of bars, previously sawn to the size of the door leaf. It is desirable that the bars are solid. No need to neglect the framing of bolts and vents around the perimeter.
Before installing the bars, you need to mark the door leaf and tilt the places where the holes for the fasteners will be. The step between the screws should be no more than 25 centimeters. It is necessary to pre-drill the holes with a 4 mm drill, in the previously marked places.
The bars are screwed on with self-tapping screws (wood-metal) of the required length. To do this, use a screwdriver. The bars should be 60 centimeters apart - this distance is just right for the width of the foam layer.
Styrofoam installation
Insulation of swing garage doors with foam begins with marking and cutting the material. The cutting of the layers must be done in such a way that the foam fits tightly between the crate. The cutting line must be straight and vertical, therefore the use of a flexible blade is unacceptable.
It is worth noting that you do not need to use fasteners for foam when installing it, since it will be accepted as a finishing material. But for reliability, you can use special silicate glue or polyurethane foam, which can also be used for sealing joints and cracks.
Advice: you need to buy the material taking into account the crate and its location on the swing garage door, otherwise there will be a lot of scraps. You can use expanded polystyrene for insulation, then additional waterproofing is not needed, and it is easier to work with it - it does not crumble. The only drawback is the high cost.
Stone wool in gate insulation
Such a process as insulating a garage door from the inside with stone wool will not be difficult even for a beginner. This is a good insulation, with an aluminum film on one side, which reflects heat by 97%. It is mounted directly on the door leaf using assembly glue. From the garage side, the insulation must be protected with any facing material.
The use of expanded polystyrene
For garage doors, many use insulation such as expanded polystyrene, which has good insulating qualities. The installation method is the same as when installing the foam.
Insulation of gates with penoizol
Do-it-yourself insulation of garage doors, liquid foam insulation will not work - this will require special equipment and qualified builders. The material is sprayed in several layers by a spray unit. The lathing for this method is mounted as in the previous case, it will be needed to attach the finishing.
This method has many advantages:
- does not change its properties over time;
- excellent adhesion;
- high thermal insulation properties;
- when applied, there are no cold bridges;
- does not require the installation of a vapor barrier;
- service life 70 years.
Application of polyurethane foam
As soon as the layers of insulation are installed, you need to carefully cover up the cracks. The best and simplest option would be to insulate garage doors with mounting foam, which fills all voids and cracks.
It is better to purchase professional material for the gun, this will help to significantly save material, since the gun helps to accurately distribute the foam in the right amount. Foam tends to expand, thereby filling all voids. As soon as the foam dries, it is trimmed flush with the insulation.
How to cover up the gaps between the base and the insulation? To do this, you can use "Izolon" - a self-adhesive material used as additional insulation and vapor barrier.
When insulating, it is often used to lay the door leaf with penofol, before starting the installation of the battens. It is an innovative, non-flammable, easy-to-use insulation material.
Insulation of gaps
When the gate is insulated, there are gaps between the curtain and the slopes, into which cold air penetrates from the street. For complete tightness, these cold bridges must be eliminated without fail. To do this, use inserts and thresholds.
Vinyl inserts do an excellent job with this problem. They are pasted over the edges of the gate, having previously covered them with two layers of paint. For better adhesion, there are special notches on the inside of the inserts.
Before installing the inserts under the threshold, the space is preliminarily cleaned from dust and dirt. Fastening of the material is carried out using a special assembly glue.
Insulation of a garage door
Before insulating the door in the garage, surface preparation is carried out. It must be done in the same way as when insulating large swing gates. Equipped with waterproofing and vapor barrier.
After that, the crate is mounted with pre-prepared bars. First of all, they are screwed around the perimeter of the wicket. Then you need to cut out a block equal in size to the diagonal line of the wicket and screw it with self-tapping screws. The lathing is ready, it needs to be treated with special compounds against decay.
Insulation in the case of a wicket is cut in the form of two triangles and inserted tightly into the crate. All gaps are foamed as described above.
Gate finishing after insulation
As soon as the do-it-yourself warming of the canvases is completed, the question arises - how to sheathe the garage doors. There are a lot of options, you can apply:
- Railcar is an inexpensive environmentally friendly material. She has a presentable appearance, she tolerates temperature changes well, and is resistant to mechanical damage. The gates, hinged, insulated, and finished with clapboard have an aesthetic appearance. It is mounted on wood screws to the crate of the gate.
- PVC panels are easy to maintain, installation is not difficult, long service life. But there is a drawback, this material beats shock and mechanical damage. The panels are mounted on the lathing with a construction stapler.
- moisture resistant plywood is a material with excellent characteristics in terms of ecology and technical qualities, the only drawback is the high cost.
- OSB panel - High-quality, inexpensive material for facing work, on garage doors, which even professionals advise to use.
The material is mounted on the crate with self-tapping screws. Before installation on garage doors, swing doors need to be cut to size, trying to exclude large amounts of scraps. OSB has excellent characteristics, but to increase its service life, it must be treated with special compounds, or painted.
In custody
As you can see, the work on insulation is painstaking, but not difficult, and if it is done according to all the rules, then the insulated garage doors will protect the room where the car is located from winter frosts.
It is worth considering another important nuance - you should not use such material as mineral wool for insulating garage doors. The fact is that it absorbs moisture, which, when frozen, almost completely deprives the material of its thermal insulation capabilities. This fact also applies to glass wool.
Do not forget that when cold and warm air comes into contact, a dew point appears - condensate, which, with improperly mounted insulation, can reduce all work to zero. Now you know how to properly insulate the garage door and you can do it yourself.
Since the garage is not only the place of residence of the beloved car, but also the personal territory of its owner, it should be warm and moderately aesthetic. Then it will be pleasant to be here at any time of the year, and it is not a shame to accept friends. Therefore, the question of how to insulate garage doors must be solved responsibly and competently.
Insulation types
The market offers many materials: both budgetary and more expensive. However, not all are suitable for a garage.
Styrofoam
Well-known, and most importantly reliable, cheap, simple material. Extruded polystyrene foam is also in demand, but it is much more expensive. True, it is more durable and a 3 cm thick plate can replace 5 cm foam.
Polyurethane foam
Controversial case. Some argue that it is enough to buy several foam cylinders, from which it is easy and reliable to fill the frame of the lathing. And you can forget about the problem for half a century. Others are not so optimistic: outdoors in the vibration conditions that are present in the garage, it will not last even five years.
Possibly referring to polyurethane foam. She has all the necessary properties of a garage insulation:
- thermal conductivity level;
- complete immunity to moisture;
- ease of installation: it is laid on the metal evenly, tightly, without the slightest gaps, becoming a monolith with a base.
Best recommendation: it is polyurethane foam that is used to fill elite sandwich panels.
However, it is impossible to carry out the work on your own: it is necessary to attract a master with special equipment. Therefore, the price for many is prohibitive.
"Astratek"
A coating of 1 mm of this heat-insulating paint, according to the instructions, replaces a layer of cotton insulation five centimeters, that is, 50 times thicker. However, this innovation is not cheap. It is usually applied with a roller or brush.
Cotton wool
It is presented in several modifications with different filling: glass wool, slag wool, basalt and others.
Pros:
- low level of thermal conductivity;
- affordable price.
Minus: high hygroscopicity. Cotton wool, regardless of the type, quickly absorbs moisture, crumbles, and decreases in volume.
Use is possible subject to installation technology or in a dry climate.
Preparatory stage
Necessarily carried out before insulating the garage door from the inside, since the metal, although reliable, requires certain conditions in order to remain so for a long time.
The gates are not designed for loads, therefore super-strong grades of steel are not used for their production. This has its advantages: lower price and ease of working with such metal. However, the door is strongly influenced by the environment, therefore corrosion is inevitable. To prevent the metal from rusting in just a couple of years, the simplest algorithm is used:
- The surface is thoroughly cleaned from old paint, rust and other debris. Instead of traditional sandpaper or a hand-held metal brush, you can work with a metal core brush attachment.
- The stripped iron is degreased with acetone or other alcohol-containing solution.
- Primer. Better to buy a special product. The cheapest, but not the best, way is to paint with oil paint.
High-quality durable paints and varnishes are expensive, and knowledgeable people advise, if there is a lack of funds, to use any bitumen-based composition. They are not particularly aesthetic, but this is not necessary, because the surface will subsequently not be visible.
Lathing
To insulate garage doors of high quality, and the insulation itself "sat" securely, a frame is mounted from wooden bars or a thin metal profile. It is fastened internally to the stiffeners or edges of the gate with self-tapping screws for metal or screws. 4-5 holes are drilled for self-tapping screws per meter.
The structure of the cells is equal in thickness to the reinforcing cage or slightly more, in length and width corresponds to the dimensions of the insulation. Before starting work, the wood is thoroughly treated with an antiseptic and other protective compounds. A cheap reliable method is impregnation with well-heated drying oil. It is imperative that a fungus or something similar does not appear.
The lathing is also made if the final door sheathing is planned, which is attached to it.
We insulate the gate
There are a lot of materials and ways to insulate garage doors with your own hands. They are chosen depending on the climate, financial capabilities of the owner, personal preferences.
Styrofoam
The easiest and cheapest way. Required:
- polystyrene in sheets;
- glue (better "liquid nails");
- polyurethane foam.
Gates of any design are reinforced with a pipe or a corner 4 - 5 cm thick. It is for it that the foam is selected. The sheets are cut and reinforced onto the base.
If the insulation of the garage door with foam is done using glue, the foam is placed tightly, without gaps. It must be pressed tightly to the surface until the glue is completely dry.
When working with polyurethane foam, the work procedure is different:
- A gap must be left between the sheets so that the sting of the assembly gun can go there, that is, about half a centimeter.
- The foam strips are applied in any order in an even layer, and the foam is applied to the base after a few seconds.
- As the foam expands, every 15 to 20 minutes you need to re-press the sheet against the base.
- When the sheet is securely glued, all gaps are sealed with the same foam.
- Excess foam is cut off after hardening.
Polyfoam by itself is not intended to be a finishing material, therefore it is not particularly aesthetic. For beauty, you can use, for example, isolon. This is foil-covered polyethylene foam with a thickness of half a centimeter. It is glued to polystyrene like regular wallpaper. At the same time, the thermal insulation increases. But this beauty is rather fragile.
Polyfoam plus crate
A way for people who prefer to immediately resolve the issue of how to insulate garage doors with foam, thoroughly and aesthetically.
If the thickness of the foam fits tightly into the crate, you do not need to glue it, but simply insert and treat the joints with foam. If it is thinner, then it is imperative to glue so that it does not dangle. After that, if desired, sheathe it with some material, for example, clapboard.
Cotton wool
The preparatory stage is the same as for foam: the metal surface is well cleaned. When using this insulation, one point should be taken into account. The metal has high thermal conductivity, so condensation forms inside the cotton layer.
A buffer layer between the metal and the cotton cloth is able to solve the problem. Painting, thin foil membranes or polyethylene are not enough. A more voluminous foil isolon is ideal.
The inner space is pasted over with it, after which cotton mats are inserted into the crate. They are fixed on the sides with dowels and insulated from above with foil. Ordinary technical polyethylene, attached to the crate with a stapler, will do.
In order for the cotton sheets to sit tightly in the crate, the size of the wooden cells should be half a centimeter smaller than the sheet.
The finishing layer can be plywood or other similar material attached to the crate with self-tapping screws.
Perimeter seal
An equally important factor, without which it will be useless to insulate the garage door with your own hands.
Entrance door
Choosing a gate, you should prefer a model with a regular door. This is a little more expensive compared to a solid canvas, but it pays off with the saved energy for heating the garage.
Obviously, multiple opening of the overall sash will carry away much more heat than a door that is several times smaller in size.
Slots
It is unrealistic to ensure an absolutely tight fit of the shutters along the entire perimeter of the opening. The materials used in interiors for windows or doors are not initially suitable. For garage doors - solid metal construction - the corresponding accessories are produced. A good solution is rubber hoses, hollow or filled with foam or similar material. The seal is sold together with a strip or, if it is not available, is attached to the base with self-tapping screws using mounting strips. If the gaps are very large, laths are additionally used, and brush profiles are placed in the lower part.
Curtain
The accessory familiar to customers of a car service is made in several versions.
Thermal curtain
Acts on the principle of a fan heater, cutting off cold air directly at the inlet. However, both the unit itself and the electricity it consumes are expensive.
Tarpaulin
The same classic sliding curtain, only with a water-repellent impregnation. It is easy to install: a baguette is fixed over the gate or a metal string is pulled. It is easy to hang tarpaulin curtains on them.
Tape
It is made from vertically placed tapes above the entrance. Dense technical polyethylene is cut into strips 10 - 15 cm wide. They are fixed with a stapler on a wooden rail with an overlap of a centimeter - one and a half. From above, everything is pressed with the same rail for reliability.
Whatever the curtain is, it should not reach the floor, but be a couple of centimeters shorter.
Finishing
The interior design is not limited to the above-mentioned clapboard, plywood or isolon. The following options are equally popular:
- siding;
- galvanized iron;
- chipboard plates;
- PVC panels.
They are attached to the lathing with glue or self-tapping screws, the joints are treated with silicone sealant. The surface can be primed or painted. When deciding how to sheathe the gate, you need to take into account the main requirement for materials - incombustibility.
It is not so difficult to insulate a garage door with your own hands. Materials are available in different prices and quality. If everything is done correctly, it will be pleasant and safe for both the car and its owner.
A garage, in our reality, often serves its owner as a car service station and a workshop. And sometimes - a cellar, a pantry, a warehouse, and God knows what else. Therefore, the creation of a certain microclimate in it, and therefore the need for insulation, is not a whim of the car owner, but a vital necessity.
The main heat exchanger, of course, is the garage door, made of metal. In the summer they serve as a huge battery, actively heating the air inside the garage, and in the winter as a refrigerator. Warming them will radically improve the situation. And if with protection from the summer heat everything is more or less clear - almost any insulation system is suitable here, then protection from the cold will require more deliberate approaches. It's about choosing a heater.
Physics of heat transfer in a garage
Even if your garage is not heated in winter, then a car with a warmed-up engine put into it after a trip serves as a kind of heating device for some time. This means, first of all, on the gate, there are 2 air flows: warm inside, cold outside, which is why condensation forms on the inner wall of the garage door leaf. If the frost is large enough, then it turns into frost - the water freezes.
If you put insulation inside the garage door, then warm air will not flow to the canvas. That's right, but the insulation is different from the insulation. If you put mineral or any other wool, then it will inevitably become moist in a garage, because the car itself is a source of excess moisture, especially in winter. At the same time, not only will it significantly lose its thermal characteristics, it will also provoke accelerated corrosion of the gate metal.
If you heat your garage during the winter, then this process will only get worse.
This method of insulating garage doors can only be used if you do not operate the car in winter or this happens extremely rarely. And even then, before closing the gate, insulated with mineral wool, you need to let the car cool down enough. But the products in the cellar will not freeze and in the summer such insulation will save. But we will not consider this option of warming in this article because of its unsuitability, especially since there are more effective methods.
Simple ways to insulate garage doors from the inside
Since cotton wool is not quite suitable, you need to find effective insulation that does not absorb moisture. The simplest, but, unfortunately, not the most economical, will be the way of pasting garage doors with thick foamed polyethylene, such as used for soundproofing bodies, but thicker. It has an adhesive layer on one side. You just need to degrease the canvas, let it dry, and stick the material cut to size. Its thickness can be up to 35 mm.
There is a thick foamed polyethylene without an adhesive layer. You can glue it on glue of constant stickiness (this is used on scotch tape), which can be purchased via the Internet.
Or, use multiple layers of underlayment underneath a laminate of the same material. It is better to secure such a substrate using wooden battens and battens. And it is better to protect this whole cake from the inside with some sheet material, protecting it from mechanical damage: plywood, OSB, plastic panels, etc.
But this will not be enough if there are gaps around the gate, as in the photo. To eliminate them, you should use various seals or even metal linings with a seal if the gaps are very large.
The second option for a simple solution to thermal insulation of the door opening will be the installation of a blackout curtain.
This solution is as simple as it is effective. The only inconvenience is the need to constantly raise or open such a curtain when entering and exiting the car.
The main requirement: tight fit of the curtain to the walls and floor, especially from below, so that cold air, which is known to be below, is not blown in. The air gap between the door leaf and the curtain will serve as a gate insulation, and the air circulation will actively dry the formed condensate.
Curtain material can be any, but dense: tarpaulin, awning fabric, dense polyethylene. The most commonly used type of garage door insulation will be their insulation with expanded polystyrene.
How to insulate a garage door with foam
The choice of polystyrene foam for insulating garage doors from the inside with your own hands is simply explained:
- the relative cheapness of the material;
- ease of cutting;
- the effectiveness of insulation (one and a half times more effective than mineral wool);
- possibility of operation without additional protection.
Polyfoam, unlike cotton wool, is absolutely hydrophobic, fungus does not start in it and it does not release small fiber particles into the air.
Let's consider the process of insulating garage doors with expanded polystyrene in more detail. There are 2 types of it:
- from expanded granules (otherwise called ball);
- extruded.
The second is more dense, but quite expensive and, unlike PSB-S, is quite flammable. It is only slightly "warmer" than usual white, so thickness plays a role in insulation. For garage doors, a layer of 50 mm will be sufficient.
Step-by-step instructions for insulating garage doors:
1 ... We clean the gate from dust, dirt and oil stains.
2. We fix wooden slats 50 mm thick. You can do this with self-tapping screws to the shelf of the corners, you can go through the outside through the door leaf, or you can glue it with polyurethane glue - a balloon one for polyurethane foam, applied with a foam gun, is also suitable.
3. With its help, we glue polystyrene, filling the cavities between the slats.
Glue on expanded polystyrene sheets should be applied quite thickly, ideally in full.
4. The joints of the polystyrene sheets and the places of its abutment to the rails are also foamed with polyurethane foam (you can use the same foam glue). After polymerization, remove excess foam with a sharp knife flush with the foam.
5. We cover the entire surface of the gate with foil-coated penoizol (it is better to take it with aluminum foil, not spraying) with a shiny layer inside the garage. We use self-tapping screws with a cone-shaped head, deepening them into the rail.
6. We close the insulation with sheets of plywood or OSB, screwing them to the frame slats.
7. We glue the sealant in the quarters of the openings, foaming the cracks around the box.
It is advisable to paint over the inner lining or open it with varnish.
do-it-yourself insulation of garage doors from the inside with polyurethane foam
And yet the best way to insulate garage doors from the inside is to spray them with polyurethane foam. Firstly, it is by far the most effective insulation: it is one and a half times better than expanded polystyrene and three times better than mineral wool, and secondly, having excellent adhesion, it fills all the cavities of the garage doors, leaving not the slightest voids.
Ideally, a high density polyurethane foam should be used and applied with a special apparatus. Only it is unlikely that you have one in the corner of the garage, and hiring a team with the necessary equipment is quite expensive, and the raw materials themselves are not very cheap. But there are 2 options in which you can do the work yourself:
1. One of them is described in our self-made SIP panels:
Polyurethane foam in cylinders is the same polyurethane foam, though of low density, but it will do its job no worse than sprayed through high pressure installations. A spray gun for this method of application can be used with an old one, but with a large nozzle, and you will definitely find a compressor, if not with you, then in one of the neighboring garages. You need to apply the foam continuously, so that the result is a layer of 30 mm. You can do this in several steps.
2. The second one is somewhat more expensive, but less troublesome. For it, you will need to purchase a Foam Kit for spraying polyurethane foam, consisting of two containers with components A and B (polyol and isocyanate), when mixed forming polyurethane foam, a hose and a spray gun.
These kits come in different capacities, with a fairly accurately calculated foam output by volume. It is not so difficult to calculate it.
There are kits from other companies, and the spraying process itself will become clear to you after watching the demo video. After polymerization, the foam can be painted or covered with an inner lining in a convenient way.
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