How to Insulate a Garage Door for Winter

Why Would You Insulate Your Garage Doors?

Working in a cold place is not the first thing you want to do. Cold workstations can make you lazy and you do not want simple tasks pending, Well, in winter you do not want any source from where cool air can come in. Garage doors are not good at insulating or trapping the heat inside. While the doors on their own cannot keep the garages warm, the room and surroundings will become colder as the temperature decreases with time. It becomes necessary to insulate the garage door when your objective is to let the warmth trapped in your workplace.

Insulating the rooms or doors is not a challenging task. You can do it yourself or you can hire professionals for the job. It is also convenient to insulate garages as it saves heating bills naturally. The need for heaters and heating systems will decrease because of the insulated walls. There are several types of insulation you can choose from. Insulations can also function as sound dampers and do give the surface some structure. It also eases garage door repairs. In conclusion, to keep the areas warm and make them look nice, you can insulate your garages.

Stripping And Its Types

Stripping has several types. You can choose the best for yourself. It is used to seal the gaps between doors or walls. Not recommended but, it can also be used to conceal the cracks. It is also used to cover up any leaks as it will is much more economical.

Topside Stripping:

Top-side stripping also known as door jamb stripping, has its use just like its name. It is purposely made for the tops like the top of the door where it ends and meets with the wall. It is used to seal the gap between the door and the wall.

Side Weather Stripping:

As its name suggests, is used for concealing the areas between the hinges and the doors. The gap in the middle of them can cause the heat to pass outside. You can find out the areas where you can and want to apply weather stripping.

Downside Stripping:

It is the most commonly used stripping as it is purposed for both, insulation and leak prevention and also serves to keep the crawling insects underneath the concrete slabs to stay outside. It is applied where the door ends and meets the floor.

How to Choose the Best Insulation?

There are several types of insulation you can choose from. Whether you are constructing a new home or just renovating it. There is a number of insulations, and all have different purposes. You can choose fiberglass or foam spray insulations for your preferred purpose. There are sheets that you can lay on the walls or blocks which can reflect. You can always discuss with professionals which can guide you further while you are at the local home depot. Once you have decided which kind of insulation suits you, you can go forward and start working on the insulation if you are doing it yourself.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can insulate your desired areas.

Things required for this DIY project.

• Preferred insulation
• Tools for cutting
• Measuring tape
• Glues or nails
• Weatherstripping

Steps Involved in Garage Door Insulation:

1. Once you have selected the insulation that suits you, you can work on procuring it, it is better to have some amount of extra material in hand. You should create some allowance for the wastages.
2. Cover the places surrounding which you are going to insulate. Clean the area before you start any work. If you are going to insulate walls, check if there is any leakage or cracks which can destroy the insulating material, fix that first. If you have piping or wires going behind the walls, look for them and fix them before insulation.
3. Measure and mark the areas you want to insulate. You must measure exactly what is required, having mismatched measurements will have adverse effects on the overall insulation, making it unaligned.
4. Use the measuring to cut the insulation exactly. Do not over or undercut the insulating material. If you are using foam insulation, put the exact amount of insulation. As the material is not cheap and you do not want to waste it.
5. If your insulation has attachable clips, use them as a guide before fixing the insulation to the doors. Check the fitting of the insulation. Hang the insulation on the clips to get a better view and alter the insulations accordingly afterward.
6. When you have checked everything, and it looks and fits fine, you can use adhesive or nails to fix the insulation to the desired position.
7. Once you have finished applying the insulation, seal any gaps with the stripping. Stripping helps increase the life of the insulation and also helps to block the passages of air to come in.

You can check and repeat the steps over and over again to achieve the desired result.