Proper Garage Insulation

by Mark Row

How to Turn Your Garage into a Multifunctional Space

Proper garage insulation could be your next home improvement project and something worth investing in. People are nowadays finding numerous ways to make alternative spaces like their basements, attics or garages into multifunctional spaces. If you are a proud owner of a well preserved garage you want to use for more than a place where you keep your car at night, especially if you want to turn it into a storage room or better yet create a living or amusement environment, you should consider insulating it. This way you will not only capacitate it, but also add another protective layer to your home interior.

Why and Where to Insulate?

Opting for garage insulation is entirely up to you. As mentioned before, if you want to spend more time in your garage by placing a sofa and a TV for a quiet afternoon or installing a pool table to enjoy with your friends and family, insulation can do you much good. It will create a more stable temperature, not so much subjected to outside weather conditions. Insulating your garage will have another positive effect if it is somehow attached to your home. It will also contribute to your interior temperature and insulation, keeping it safe from exterior impacts. On the other hand, if your garage space is too small and separated from your house, it is better to invest your money into something else.

If you have decided that adding insulation to your garage is the right thing for you, there are a few places that should be insulated. The first one is your garage door. While newer garage doors come with insulation, that is not the case with older ones. Most commonly used material for insulating the garage door is reflective foil insulation being a very light aluminium foil blocking the transfer of heat and creating a radiant barrier thus protecting your home from both heat and cold. Since garages tend to be moist and high humidity places, it is good to know that this type of insulation is moisture resistant. It is simply placed between support rails of the garage door. Insulation Shop offers a wide rage of reflective foil insulation products which are very easy to install, so simply choose any of the products manufactured by Low-E, Thinsulex or Alumaflex and your job will be done.

Low-E Reflective Foil                        Thinsulex TLX Multi-foil                           Alumaflex Multifoil

Besides the garage door, another thing to consider is insulating garage walls, especially the ones between the garage and the house which will not only serve well to your garage space but also enhance the thermal performance of your interior. The type of insulation will be determined by the type of the wall, since some different products and methods are applied to masonry or stud wall. Insulating a masonry wall is a more demanding task, while garage stud wall are most commonly insulated with blown-in or batt and blanket insulation. If the wall studs are exposed and opened to the interior they are best insulated with some type of batt and blanket insulation like glass wool insulation.

Another thing to consider is the insulation material R value, since higher R value means higher heat transfer resistance.Finally, you will need to determine the size of the material prior to installation. Simply measure the depth and the distance between the studs and order the insulation material accordingly. After adding the insulation between the studs, consider enclosing it with drywall. If, on the other hand the studs are closed to the interior, better go for some type of blown-in insulation and always hire a professional to do it. It is basically done by drilling a hole in the wall and blowing the insulation inside the cavity, which will later on expand and fill the space behind the wall.

Finally, another place you can consider insulating is your garage floor. This will not only be practical but can also have an aesthetic effect and improve the look of the floor. If you have a solid ground floor (which is usually the case with garage spaces) you can insulate it with rigid insulation boards, like polystyrene urethane and phenolic boards. For suspended timber floors choose rock and glass wool insulating materials, used to insulate the joists between the boards or added between the joists.

With all the previous steps taken, you will get a properly insulated garage and another multifunctional space. It is good to know that this way you will stop the hot air from penetrating in (according to some measurements garage insulation can reduce the inner temperature up to eight degrees), reduce the heat transfer (thus saving money on electricity bills), it will work as a noise barrier as well and give your garage space a fresh, clean look.

If you have more ideas for this Garage Project, feel free to post them in the comments section below. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.