UP AND OVER GARAGE DOOR INSULATION

Up and over garage door insulation is a super easy and cheap added protection attached to bare metal of the door surface designed to make substantial difference, reduce heat loss and keep the temperature at a comfortable level. This type of insulation will make a tremendous difference, you will not be disappointed. Insulated garage doors have a big advantage over uninsulated garage doors like. You will increase savings on heating bills for your entire property. Moreover, it will help keep you warm when you use your garage at the same time, you will also increase overall door strength. You can buy garage door insulation kits that come with everything you need to do the job, including tape and adhesive. These packs are affordable online or available at Screwfix, B&Q or Wickes shops. There are no specific thermal standards that new garage doors need to meet, so it is best to look for products with impressive U-values. Popular DIY insulation product for garage doors is reflective foil such as LOW-E™. In fact, LOW-E™ is the oldest foil insulation for sale in the UK and the best 'do it yourself' projects you can do to make your garage door more comfortable and energy efficient. Coming from America, where it has been used for over 20 years in various applications, Low-E™ products reflect back the heat by non-contact. Basically, heat from one object transferring to another object without the two ever touching.

TYPES OF GARAGE DOOR INSULATION

It's worth understanding the types of garage door insulation that can help maintain a warm zone and protect the contents of your garage. There are several material options for adding insulation to your garage door, the most common types being:

POLYSTYRENE (only flat ‘up and over’ doors)

Polystyrene is soft and it is made of 98% air and just 2% plastic. It is a very practical, economic and efficient form of insulation material which can be applied as a garage door insulation. They come in the 1000mm x 500mm and 1200mm x 600mm size panels that are glued to the garage door with low expansion foam. The main advantage is its weight. Polystyrene boards do not weigh much, therefore that can be glued to any type of branded garage door such as Hormann, Novoferm, Henderson, Fort Doors, Gliderol, Garador, Select, Wayne Dalton or Wessex. Please note insulation doesn’t come as standard on new garage doors. Non-insulated doors are only a couple of millimetres thick, whereas insulated doors are usually 45mm in thickness.

PANEL INSULATION (only flat ‘up and over’ doors)

PIR or Phenolic panels are the common materials used to insulate garage doors. This type of material offers good thermal performance ranging from 0.018 up to 0.244W/mK, so you can get the job done with relatively thin sheets. However those panels may be relatively heavy for your garage door runners, so always remember that garage door insulation must be lightweight and thin. Moreover, this type of insulation is inflexible, so you may find it hard to fit. If the insulation is too heavy it will cause problems for the lifting mechanisms. Maximum allowed rigid insulation thickness for garage doors is 40mm. For instance, a 20mm phenolic panel 1200mm x 600mm weighs less than 0.5kg, which results in an extra 5.5kg to your garage door weight. Putting this insulation on the doors is a gigantic improvement. Always make sure the foam is thinner than the channels inside your door.

REFLECTIVE FOIL INSULATION (all type of doors)

Rolls of reflective foil insulation are non-toxic and no fibre insulation material made of 80% recycled foam polyethylene core and an aluminum facings, that is a good option for standard metal garage doors. It is very flexible and extremely strong and usually 5.5mm thick. In fact, it's flexible enough to bend back on itself. Its core provides a thermal break to reduce and stop conduction and convection. It uses less space than other insulation materials such as PIR or Phenolic. Moreover, it cuts easily with a utility knife or scissors, and weighs less than 150g per m2. This type of insulation is known as the thinnest and most effective garage door insulation available on the UK market. However, when installing reflective insulation on garage doors, it is important to allow for sufficient space for air layers. 
Reflective foil insulation blocks 97% energy transfer in and out of the structure. Why? Aluminum is the best reflector. Pure aluminum has a reflectivity rating of 97% so it reflects virtually all the radiant heat. Only silver and gold reflects more, at 98% and 99%.

GARAGE DOOR INSULATION COST

It’s not cheap to buy a new insulated door as they may cost anything between £1900-£4000. It could be simply worth adding extra insulation to existing doors. If you’re going down the DIY route for installing garage door insulation, then the materials are affordable and available from online shops like us. Depending on the size of the door, you can probably insulate a standard garage door for between £69-£140. Reflective foil allows you to upgrade the efficiency of your garage door at very little cost of £69.90 per 10m2. 

HOW TO INSULATE A GARAGE DOOR CHEAP?

Installing garage door insulation yourself isn’t difficult or tricky to do, but, if you’re going to do it yourself, there are things to be aware of to ensure a successful result. The plan is to just simply glue some foam insulation on the bare metal door. Also be aware of the extra weight and thickness insulation adds, which some garage doors won’t take. Check for areas where you shouldn’t install insulation to make sure you don’t damage the opening mechanism. Clean the door and make sure the surfaces are sound. Mark up each insulation panel accurately and cut it safely. Reflective foil can be trimmed with a Stanley knife or pair of scissors. For rigid foam you will need a handsaw. Fit insulation before installation. If everything works well, apply adhesive. Some kits already come with attached adhesive. For rigid panel insulation you will need either low expansion foam or heavy duty double sided tape. All in all, 2’ inch thick insulation together with expanding foam glue will cost you not more than £115. This is well worth the money. You could do it considerably cheaper by using just the thinner sheets of rigid foam board such as 15mm Xtartherm which work great too. There are propably ways to do it cheaper but again, cheaper doeas not always mean good. There are no regulations stating that garage doors must be well insulated, however it is always worth saving a few £ each year.

BENEFITS OF INSULATING A GARAGE DOORS

• Door is a lot quieter.
• Boost thermal efficiency.
• Stop garage door draughts.
• Safe money.