Having garage door insulation kits for your garage door can be the difference between a draft ridden, cold garage, and having a garage fit for an extra living or workspace in the winter.
In this article, I will show you the best garage door insulation kits you can buy right now, alongside extra guidance on how to install them and use them properly to get the most out of your money. First of all though, if for some reason you’re not enticed by the idea of garage door insulation kits, here’s why you need one for your garage door.
Why You should Insulate Your Garage Door
If you’re looking for a more detailed post about garage insulation, feel free to read my post on it here. However, if you want a more summarised version, these next few points should sum it up.
That article sums up the main points of garage insulation. Generally, you’ll want to insulate your garage to prevent a cold, damp garage that will eat up your heating bills. This can go a step further and result in mould as well if you’re unlucky.
Another general point is that insulating your garage will make it much more suitable for conversions. Whether you’re planning on having a home gym or an extra bedroom, you won’t want a cold room for it.
Your garage door in particular is very worth insulating. Garage doors tend to be thin, thinner than your walls or roof, and so tend to be the area of the garage that lets in the most unwanted cold air. Luckily for you, all you need to do is buy a garage door insulation kit, these are usually inexpensive and won’t take long at all to install. Therefore, the best time/effort to results ratio for garage insulation by far is insulating your garage door. Now let’s take a look at some of the best ones, it is worth a quick reminder that the higher the R-value is, the better it will be as an insulator.
Best Garage Door Insulation Kits
1. NASA TECH White Reflective Foam Core 2 Car Garage Door Insulation Kit. This 18ft wide and 8ft high insulating foam will easily be able to cover your garage door. With a high R-value of 8.0, this U.S. made garage door insulation kit will keep your garage warm in the coldest months. Coming with various bells and whistles, such as being a sound deadener and having high fire safety, it’s hard to fault this kit. The heavy-duty tape is the same used for cars and can guarantee you the best protection for your garage door in the hottest and coldest climates. If you have a double garage door, this is the one to go for.
2. SmartSHIELD -5mm 24”X50ft Reflective Insulation Roll. Coming in many different thicknesses, this pure aluminium thermal foil insulation is a cheaper but still very high-quality alternative. Its core radiant barrier will keep any warm or cold air out as it will reflect 97% of radiant energy. Amazingly, just one layer of this foil will give you an R-value of 15.67, with an R-value of 21.10 for two layers! Other great features include a vapour barrier, this will mean your garage won’t have condensation and will be unaffected by humidity and moisture. This foil also acts as a sound barrier too, great for when you’re listening to your gym playlist on the speakers. Finally, this foil also acts very safely against fire, and is just very high quality and easy to install, you really can’t go wrong with this one.
3. Reach Barrier DD24025 Air Double Reflective Polyethylene Insulation Roll. This 2ft by 25ft insulation roll will offer reflective air so the insulation will have a long-lasting effect alongside sound reduction. This roll is easy to install and works with all kinds of garage door sizes, while being ideal for other areas in the house too such as attics or crawl spaces. The reviews don’t lie for this insulating foam, it is quick, easy, and meets each requirement of the building code to offer superior safety and convenience for your home. This lightweight foam is a great alternative to the above option if you’re on more of a budget.
4. Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation. This 2ft by 10ft roll is industrial strength and commercial grade which will guarantee no tears which means a great insulation for your garage (or anywhere else in your house). This water proof insulation kit will not be affected by moisture or humidity, you won’t get mould in your garage with this insulation kit. It is also non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, safe to handle, and easy to install as it does not require any tools you won’t find in the most basic of tool boxes. The two layers of polyethylene industrialised air bubbles between layers of highly reflective metalized aluminium polyester film will offer your garage door some of the best insulation money can buy. A very strong option to finish off this list as it reflects 97% of radiant heat.
Now we’ve seen some of the best garage door insulation kits, let’s take a look at how to install it to your garage door.
How to Fit a Garage Door Insulation Kit to your Garage Door
If you’ve opted for the last three insulation kits on the list, a simple process of using scissors and staples should be enough to secure them to your garage door.
However, if you’ve gone for the first option, or a similar material, here is the relatively straightforward process to installing a garage door insulation kit to your garage door.
First of all, you’ll want to measure each panel, or section of your garage door. Use those measurements to cut pieces from the insulation while leaving an inch on each side for a tight, snug fit that will leave no gaps.
Then, with the vinyl side facing the ground, use a sharp utility knife or scissors and a ruler to trim down the insulation. Next, tuck the insulation into the door panel with the vinyl side facing you this time. Make sure to press the insulation against the retainer clips as you go.
Then, cut a small opening for the retainer clips to fit through. Then, fit the second retainer clips onto the first clips to secure the insulation, then rinse and repeat until each panel is covered and you’ve got yourself a fitted garage door insulation kit.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, fitting a garage door insulation kit is a quick and easy process that will require no specialist tools or experience, but will make a massive difference in how comfortable your garage will be to live in during the hot and cold months especially.
If you fancy insulating more than just your garage door, take a look at my post on garage insulation: Garage Insulation: A Comprehensive Guide. This will offer you guidance on how to insulate other areas such as your garage walls, windows, floor, ceiling etc.
With that being said, I hope you now see why you should insulate your garage door, found an insulation kit that you like, and have learned something in the process. Please share my article if you found it useful and enjoy your warm garage.
