If your garage door isn’t currently insulated, you can have it insulated without replacing it entirely. Doing so can protect your possessions in the garage from harsh outdoor weather and temperatures. You’ll also lower your energy bills for the whole home while softening outside noise. Knowing how to insulate a garage door is useful knowledge when you consider whether or not to have it done, but you’ll also likely see that professional service is the best way to go about it.
How a Garage Door Company Insulates Yours
Once you choose a garage door company and schedule your installation, they’ll work with you in picking the right insulation to use. This will entail comparing insulation R-values that measure how effective various kinds of insulation are. Higher R-values mean your garage will stay warmer when it’s cold outside but also cooler when it’s hot outdoors compared to lower R-value insulation.
On the actual day of installation, your contractor or technician will mark the garage door panels. They’ll likely do this with a steel measuring tape in 12-inch intervals so they can plan the fastener locations. Then, they’ll put double-sided tape on the panel spots that they mark. Once they do that, they’ll stick retainer clips to the tape. Measuring the door panels needs to happen precisely and for every panel because not every panel may be exactly the same size as the others. Your technician or contractor will be able to ensure these measurements are properly done; if they are not precise, you will not reap the benefits of the insulation being installed.
Your professional will need some working space. They’ll have to put on a dust mask, glasses, and protective gloves while they measure and cut the insulation. A piece has to be cut for every panel. If possible, leave them working room inside the garage so that they aren’t disturbed by rain or wind outside. Most kinds of insulation irritate the skin and eyes, so keep your pets and your kids out of the garage while the work is happening so the contractor can efficiently complete their job and your family members stay safe.
Once your professional cuts all the pieces, they’ll tuck the insulation into the door panels one piece at a time. They’ll then attach pieces to retention clips as need be to secure them properly. The final step is usually fastening the retention clips so that everything is in place.
Benefits of Insulated Garage Doors
Insulating your garage doors has tremendous benefits for you and your home. Energy savings were already mentioned, and that’s the first reason many homeowners choose to insulate their garage doors. Garages are often one of the biggest gaps in the thermal envelope of a home, meaning they can constitute a significant portion of the heated or the cooled air that your HVAC system is circulating through your home. When you retain more heat in the winter but keep it out during the summer, you minimize the work that your home’s HVAC has to do. Using less electricity to keep your family comfortable saves you money on every utility bill.
When your insulated garage door keeps heat in during the winter, it doesn’t just help your utility bill. It keeps your garage itself considerably warmer than the temperature outside. You’ll be especially thankful for that if you use your garage as a living space or as a workshop, but it’s also more comfortable to just get in and out of your vehicle when you leave or come home.
Insulation also means your garage will be quieter than before. Garage doors are not nearly as thick as your home’s walls, so you can easily hear barking dogs, radios blasting, and any other noise common to your neighborhood. Thick insulation dampens exterior noises, so you can enjoy your garage a bit more. It also means you won’t bother your neighbors as much if you play music in the garage or use power tools. The garage door itself will even make less noise when opening and closing.
An insulated garage door is also going to be more durable compared to one that isn’t. Insulation is a thick inner layer that provides a garage door with more impact resistance. Most garage door insulation is typically made of foam, and it absorbs the shock from constant impacts and openings. It even makes the door less likely to be dented. By absorbing impact and vibrations, metal moving parts and motor components will remain in better shape and even last longer.
You’ll also be protecting anything in your garage from temperature fluctuations. That can include passenger vehicles if you park them in there. Your chances of a dead battery will go down, and motor oil, antifreeze, and other fluids will remain thicker, so you don’t get mechanical issues. Cold air can wreak havoc on tire pressure. Any of these can result in anything from an inconvenient early morning to getting your car handled by mechanics. This also applies to temperature-sensitive products you might store in your garage, ranging from paint to cleaning chemicals.
Finally, an insulated garage door helps boost your home value. Potential homeowners look for many things in any home they might buy, but energy efficiency and curb appeal are two of them. An insulated garage door simply looks better and more robust, and both of those facets are attractive to buyers when you want to sell.
Why You Should Hire a Professional
Insulating your garage door might look like a potential DIY project, but there are a lot of risks involved with that. This is one case where hiring professionals is a smart move. The time commitment is a big one. An experienced professional is already practiced at all the individual tasks involved, so they’ll be done far more quickly.
If something goes wrong, you might have to pause the project until you can come back to it. That might mean not being able to use your garage for days on end, and that can impact everyone you live with. Also, the finished product might be different from your liking as much as professional work would. More than that, would potential homebuyers or home inspectors like what they find? There’s also always the concern of voiding the warranty on your garage door or its components.
Turn to the Right Professionals
Choosing to have your garage insulated has many benefits, and you need to let professionals handle this project for you to get the most out of it for several different reasons. Even more than that, you need to only use the right professionals. If you live in Louisville, Lexington, or Elizabethtown in Kentucky, then count on our team of Absolute Services professionals for all your garage door needs. We also handle heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing services. Contact us right away to find out what we can do for you and your home.