Insulation of garage doors. How to insulate the garage door with your own hands according to all the rules

A garage for a car owner is not only a place to store a car, but also a workshop, a place to store tools, a pantry for summer cottages. In the article, we will explain what material is best for thermal insulation, and we will tell you how to insulate garage doors.

Why insulate garage doors?

Having installed the gate, car owners eventually understand that in order to maintain comfortable temperature in the autumn-winter period they need to be insulated. In addition, the car itself material values they will retain their presentation and working condition longer if the temperature does not fall below 12 °, and the humidity does not exceed 70%. In such a room it is quite possible to arrange a workshop for year-round use, and country supplies will not freeze.

Temperature fluctuations in the garage lead to condensation, which adversely affects the anti-corrosion properties of the car

Door insulation will solve many problems and increase the life of the car.

What types of garage doors need to be insulated

According to the material of manufacture, the gate can be completely metal or wooden with iron sheathing. According to the method of opening the canvas in garages, they install Various types gate:

  • Swing double doors with or without a gate;
  • Sliding, single-floor or double-floor;
  • Sectional, lifting and turning;
  • Roller blinds.

You can insulate on your own all types of gates except roller shutters. When warming sectional doors difficulties may also arise, since the automation is designed for the weight of the canvas without insulation. Difficulties will not arise when insulating gates with manual opening, swing or sliding.

The lifting mechanism may not withstand the heavy weight of the heat-insulating material, therefore sectional doors are not designed for insulation

Choosing the right insulation

For the insulation of the gate, an effective heat-insulating material with a low weight is suitable. Of the heat insulators offered by the construction market, slabs made of mineral wool (stone, basalt), foamed or extruded polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam have the best performance. The coefficient of thermal conductivity of heaters at high humidity(conditions B), W/(m °C):

  • Polyurethane foam - 0.04;
  • Foamed polystyrene, graphite-containing or extruded - 0.031;
  • Mineral wool basalt 0.044.

The volumetric weight of these materials ranges from 25 to 40 kg/m3, and 50 mm of any of them is enough to bring the door leaf in line with the current standards for heat transfer resistance of external enclosing structures. These thermal insulation materials are durable, environmentally friendly, and do not harm nature and human health upon contact.

Polyurethane foam (PPU) is produced in the form of plates or a two-component composition for spraying, extruded polystyrene foam is a plate material of various thicknesses, basalt fiber insulation is produced in the form of rigid and semi-rigid plates, as well as soft mats.

Polyurethane foam is a honeycomb-type artificial filling that is tested and safe, which confirms its widespread use in everyday life.

For work, it is preferable to choose soft basalt mats, since the height of the structure is small, the insulation is not loaded and rigidity is not needed, and the mass of mats is less than that of the plates.

How to insulate garage doors from the inside

Do-it-yourself insulation of the gate from the inside requires preliminary preparation: after choosing the insulation material, it is necessary to prepare the surface, and only then proceed to work.

Surface preparation

Work is easier to carry out when the door leaves are in the supine position. Cloths of old gates require cleaning from rust, priming and protection from further corrosion. For cleaning, you can use one of 3 methods:

  • Chemical - we treat the surface with a rust converter;
  • Mechanical - using a special nozzle on a drill or manually, with a brush with metal bristles;
  • Painting - paints, for example "Hammerite", which are at the same time rust converters, a primer and a paint composition.

A grinder with a polymer-abrasive brush is an ideal choice for cleaning a metal surface.

If you have chosen a mechanical or chemical method, then after processing and cleaning the rust, the surface is dedusted, degreased, primed, then painted with a metal composition. Primer and paint based on alkyd, acrylic or pentaphthalic resins must be designed for use in conditions high humidity and a wide temperature range.

Creation of a crate

The crate is needed to give the structure rigidity and fix the insulating material. The crate is performed depending on the size and design of the gate, it can be made of wooden beam section 50x50 mm or from a metal corner 50x5 mm.

A wooden beam is attached along the perimeter to the frame of the door leaf, along the perimeter of the gate, bolt and lock, then horizontally, in increments of 600 minus 5 mm. The location of the elements of the crate is marked on the canvases with a marker, it is desirable to use the bars in one piece, without joining.

The crate helps to fix the insulation, and the front layer of the cladding will also be held on it.

Lathing for slab heat insulator or mats should be carried out in a horizontal direction to prevent possible slipping of the insulation from its own weight. Wooden bars before installation of the crate are treated with an antiseptic to prevent decay, damage by insects and fungal diseases.

It is important! For antiseptic treatment of timber, choose a composition with a validity period of 10-25 years, so that after a couple of seasons you do not have to do the work again.

In the case of sprayed insulation, the direction of the frame does not play a role, but the surface of the gate should be treated with an adhesive primer to improve the adhesion of PPU to the metal sheet. The wooden crate is fastened to the frame of the canvas with galvanized self-tapping screws for 1/2 of the thickness of the beam in increments of no more than 25 cm, metal - with bolts or welding.

Foam insulation

Work algorithm:

  1. Expanded polystyrene plates are cut to the desired size.
  2. For better adhesion to metal, the smooth surface of the plate is pricked with a spiked roller.
  3. The adhesive composition (mounting foam, adhesive foam) is applied around the perimeter of the plate, retreating from the edge of 1.5-2 cm, and in the center with 1-2 marks.
  4. The slab is pressed against the metal and fixed with a load, leveling the level of the crate with a rail-rule.

The main rule for using polystyrene foam is that the fewer joints, the better.

The adhesive should not get on the end of the heat insulator in order to avoid the appearance of cold bridges. The gaps between the plates are filled with scraps of polystyrene foam.

The use of mineral wool

Operating procedure:

  1. Soft mineral wool mats are cut to the size of the crate cells plus 5 mm for spreading.
  2. Mats are coated with adhesive around the perimeter and in the center in 1-2 places.
  3. The mat is placed in place and pressed to fix it.
  4. The slots are filled with scraps of material on the mounting foam.

Since the water absorption of mineral wool is greater than that of expanded polystyrene and polyurethane foam, a vapor barrier film (not household polyethylene!) Is fixed on the surface of the mats with a stapler to prevent absorption of water vapor by the material.

Mineral wool is a gyroscopic material, therefore, before laying insulation, it is necessary to take care of waterproofing

Use of polyurethane foam

When using slab polyurethane foam, the insulation process is similar to thermal insulation with foam. If you decide to spray foam, you will need professional equipment that you can rent or invite a team of professionals. It will cost more, but guarantees a quality result.
Polyurethane foam insulation is suitable for sectional doors, as the material itself has a low volumetric weight.

It is important! When spraying, it is necessary to use a protective suit, goggles, a respirator, work in the air or in a room with good ventilation.

Performance of work: spraying is carried out in layers, monitoring the thickness of the material so that it matches the thickness of the crate. After the foam has hardened, the excess foam is cut off.

Before covering the gate with polyurethane foam, it is necessary to close the openings and parts of the gate into which foam is not desirable.

Finish lining

Finishing will not only make the garage space more attractive, habitable, but it will also protect the polyurethane foam and polystyrene foam from the damaging effects of sunlight.

The interior of the gate can be made from a variety of materials:

  • Moisture resistant plywood - a classic finish with excellent performance;
  • OSV board - oriented strand board quality material for external and internal facing;
  • Lining wooden;
  • Lining plastic;
  • Sheet plastic is opaque.

To prevent the appearance of cold bridges with a metal crate, before fastening finishing it is advisable to glue the shelves of the frame and corners with foil tape.

Materials are cut to size. For fastening plastic lining- siding along the perimeter of the canvases, a connecting U-shaped profile is mounted. The cladding is attached to the crate with self-tapping screws in special grooves; when fastening, the self-tapping screws are not screwed up to the stop, leaving a gap of 1.5 mm for thermal expansion. Siding orientation can be either horizontal or vertical.

Plywood, OSV boards, lining after installation must be primed with an antiseptic and painted with a composition for wood materials for outdoor use, paying special attention to protecting the ends, since rotting and fungal infection begin from them.

General view of the insulated gate after facing with moisture-resistant plywood

For finishing sectional doors, you can use foil insulation made of foamed polyethylene foam, fixing it with a similar adhesive tape, or sheet plastic, which is attached to the insulation with a stapler.

The advantage of artificial materials for sheathing is their resistance to decay, durability and ease of maintenance, the disadvantage is the release of harmful substances during combustion.

Mounting seals

Particular attention should be paid to sealing the porches, since heat loss through cracks is up to 30% of all heat loss. The seal can be single-circuit, when the seal is attached along the contour of the opening, double-circuit, with the fastening of profiles to the opening and the door leaf.

Rubber seal due to the elongated tail is perfectly attached to the gap

The sealing of the porches is carried out with special seals:

  • Rubber have different shapes (flat, round, tubular), the choice depends on the size of the slots;
  • Silicone is most often produced in the form of a tape: they are soft and elastic, designed to fill small gaps;
  • Brushes are equipped with piles of different heights, impregnated with a protective compound, have a service life of at least 8 years;
  • Polyurethane foam - take the form of a gap, resistant to temperature changes, but afraid of light.

The sealant is fixed on three sides of the opening with self-tapping screws or glue, on the gate leaves in the center and on the bottom leaves. In the lower part of the canvases with a large gap, it is better to use brush seals, along the perimeter of the opening - tubular, at the junction of the wings - silicone. If the gate has a wicket door, then the sealing profiles should be fixed along the perimeter of the opening in the door leaf.

Video: do-it-yourself garage door insulation

Performing insulation will not be difficult for a person who owns tools. It takes only a small financial investment and time to implement the plan. Carrying out work in accordance with the technology will help create comfortable conditions in your garage even during winter frosts.

Since the garage is not only the place of residence of your favorite car, but also the personal territory of its owner, it should be warm and moderately aesthetic. Then it will be pleasant to be here at any time of the year, and it is not a shame to accept friends. Therefore, the question of how to insulate garage doors must be addressed responsibly and competently.

Types of insulation

The market offers a lot of materials: both budget and more expensive. However, not all are suitable for a garage.

Styrofoam

Well-known, and most importantly reliable, cheap, simple material. Extruded polystyrene foam is also in demand, but it is much more expensive. True, it is more durable and a 3 cm thick plate can replace a 5 cm foam one.

Mounting foam

Controversial case. Some argue that it is enough to buy several cylinders of foam, from which it is easy, reliably to fill the frame of the crate. And for half a century you can forget about the problem. Others are not so optimistic: in the open air, in the conditions of vibration that is present in the garage, it will not last even five years.
Perhaps you mean polyurethane foam. She has all the necessary properties of a garage heater:

  • thermal conductivity level;
  • complete immunity to moisture;
  • ease of installation: it fits on the metal evenly, tightly, without the slightest gaps, becoming a monolith with the base.

The best recommendation: it is polyurethane foam that fills elite sandwich panels.
However, it is impossible to carry out the work on your own: you need to involve a master with special equipment. Therefore, the price is prohibitive for many.

"Astratek"

A coating of 1 mm of this heat-insulating paint, according to the instructions, replaces a layer of cotton insulation five centimeters thick, that is, 50 times thicker. However, this innovation does not come cheap. It is usually applied with a roller or brush.

cotton wool

It is represented by several modifications with different fillings: glass wool, slag wool, basalt and others.
Pros:

  • low level of thermal conductivity;
  • affordable price.

Minus: high hygroscopicity. Cotton wool, regardless of the type, quickly absorbs moisture, crumples, decreases in volume.
Use is possible subject to the installation technology or in a dry climate.

Preparatory stage

It must be carried out before insulating the garage door from the inside, since the metal, although reliable, requires certain conditions to remain so for a long time.
The gate is a structure not designed for loads, therefore, super-strong steel grades are not used for their production. This has advantages: lower price and ease of working with such metal. However, the gate is strongly affected Environment so corrosion is inevitable. So that the metal does not rust in just a couple of years, the simplest algorithm is used:

  1. The surface is carefully cleaned from old paint, rust and other debris. Instead of traditional sandpaper or a manual metal brush, you can work with a metal core brush attachment.
  2. The cleaned iron is degreased with acetone or another alcohol-containing solution.
  3. Primer. Better buy special remedy. The cheapest but not The best way- paint with oil paint.

Quality durable paints and varnishes roads, and knowledgeable people it is advised, if there is a shortage of funds, to use any composition on a bitumen basis. They are not particularly aesthetic, but this is not necessary, because the surface will subsequently not be visible.

crate

To warming garage doors it was of high quality, and the insulation itself “sat” securely, a frame made of wooden bars or a thin metal profile is mounted. It is fastened inside to the stiffening ribs or the edges of the gate with metal screws or screws. 4-5 holes are drilled for self-tapping screws per meter.
The construction of the cells is equal in thickness to the reinforcing cage or slightly larger, in length and width corresponds to the dimensions of the insulation. Before starting work, the wood is thoroughly treated with an antiseptic and other protective compounds. Cheap reliable way- impregnation with well-heated drying oil. This is necessary so that fungus or something like that does not appear.
The crate is also made if the final sheathing of the gate is planned, which is attached to it.

We insulate the gate

There are a lot of materials and ways to insulate garage doors with your own hands. They are selected depending on the climate, the financial capabilities of the owner, personal preferences.

Styrofoam

The easiest and most cost effective way. Required:

  • foam in sheets;
  • glue (preferably "liquid nails");
  • assembly foam.

Gates of any design are reinforced with a pipe or corner with a thickness of 4 - 5 cm. It is under it that the foam is selected. The sheets are cut and fixed to the base.
If the garage door is insulated with foam plastic using glue, the foam plastic is placed tightly, without gaps. It must be firmly pressed to the surface until the glue dries completely.
When working with mounting foam different workflow:

  1. You need to leave a gap between the sheets so that the sting can pass through. mounting gun, that is, about half a centimeter.
  2. The foam strips are applied in any order in an even layer, and the foam is applied to the base after a few seconds.
  3. Since the foam expands, every 15 to 20 minutes you need to re-press the sheet to the base.
  4. When the sheet is securely glued, all gaps are sealed with the same mounting foam.
  5. Excess foam after solidification is cut off.

Styrofoam itself is not intended to be finishing material and therefore not very aesthetically pleasing. For beauty, you can use, for example, isolon. This is foil-coated polyethylene foam with a thickness of half a centimeter. It is pasted on polyfoam, as usual wall-paper. At the same time, the thermal insulation is increased. But this beauty is rather fragile.

Styrofoam plus crate

A method for people who prefer to immediately decide how to insulate garage doors with polystyrene foam thoroughly and aesthetically.
If the foam plastic fits tightly into the crate in thickness, you can not glue it, but simply insert it and process the joints with foam. If it is thinner, then it is necessary to glue it so that it does not hang out. After that, if desired, sheathe with some material, for example, clapboard.

cotton wool

The preparatory stage is the same as for foam: the metal surface is well cleaned. When using this heater, one thing should be taken into account. The metal has a high thermal conductivity, so condensation forms inside the cotton layer.
The buffer layer between the metal and the cotton cloth can solve the problem. Painting, thin foil membrane or polyethylene is not enough. A more voluminous foil isolon is ideal.
They paste over the inner space, after which cotton mats are inserted into the crate. They are fixed on the sides with dowels and insulated from above with a film. Suitable ordinary technical polyethylene, attached to the crate with a stapler.
In order for the cotton sheets to sit tightly in the crate, the size of the wooden cells should be half a centimeter smaller than the sheet.
The finish layer can be plywood or other similar material attached to the crate with self-tapping screws.

Perimeter seal

Not less than important factor, without taking into account which the insulation of the garage door with your own hands will be useless.

Entrance door

When choosing a gate, you should prefer a model with a regular door. This is a little more expensive compared to a solid canvas, but it pays off with the energy savings for heating the garage.
It is obvious that repeated opening of the overall sash will carry away much more heat than a door that is several times smaller in size.

cracks

It is unrealistic to ensure an absolutely tight fit of the valves around the entire perimeter of the opening. Materials used indoors for windows or doors are not initially suitable. For garage doors - a solid metal structure - appropriate accessories are made. A good solution is rubber hoses, hollow or filled with foam rubber or other similar material. The sealant is sold together with the strap or, in its absence, is attached to the base with self-tapping screws using mounting straps. If the slots are very large, rails are additionally used, and brush profiles are placed in the lower part.

Curtain

An accessory familiar to car service customers is available in several versions.

Thermal curtain

Operates on the principle of a fan heater, cutting off cold air right at the entrance. However, both the unit itself and the electricity it consumes are expensive.

Tarpaulin

The same classic sliding curtain, only with water-repellent impregnation. It is mounted simply: a baguette is strengthened over the gate or a metal string is pulled. It is easy to hang tarpaulin curtains on them.

Tape

It is made from vertically placed ribbons above the entrance. Dense technical polyethylene is cut into strips 10 - 15 cm wide. They are fixed with a stapler on wooden lath with an overlap of a centimeter - one and a half. From above, everything is pressed with the same rail for reliability.
Whatever the curtain, it should not reach the floor, but be a couple of centimeters shorter.

Finishing

The interior design is not limited to the mentioned clapboard, plywood or isolon. The following options are no less popular:

  • siding;
  • galvanized iron;
  • chipboard boards;
  • PVC panels.

They are attached to the crate with glue or self-tapping screws, the joints are processed silicone sealant. The surface can be primed or painted. When deciding how to sheathe the gate, you need to take into account the main requirement for materials - incombustibility.
Insulating garage doors with your own hands is not so difficult. Materials are available in different price and quality. If everything is done correctly, it will be pleasant and safe here for both the car and its owner.

A garage is a parking place for a car that protects equipment from the weather and a workshop if the car needs repairs. Some inhabitants store inventory, country supplies for the winter, and old things in this room. For a comfortable stay in this room, you need to warm it.

Many do not know how to insulate the garage door from the inside. You can do this work with your own hands, following the special instructions described below.

Preparation for work

There is an option that is easy to use, but very expensive - to buy a garage door model with built-in insulation and interior decoration. Do-it-yourself garage door insulation will cost much less. For this, you do not need a building education or experience in finishing work, and it will take a little time for insulation. Consider how to properly insulate garage doors with your own hands with all the nuances.

Garage doors are made mainly from sheet steel, so they cannot keep the heat in the room. It is impractical to heat an uninsulated room, as it is possible to get condensate in the room and frost on the walls and gates when severe frosts. Before sheathing the gate in the garage, purchase the material that will insulate the garage door.

Can apply different heaters, the cheapest and most effective option would be to insulate the garage door with polystyrene foam.

  • Styrofoam has a small specific gravity, so there will be no load on the structure. The material has low thermal conductivity, is environmentally friendly, lasts more than 50 years and does not absorb water. To install thermal insulation, special tools are not needed, since the foam sheet is easily cut with a simple clerical knife.
  • stone wool(basalt) - fire-resistant fibrous material, with high moisture resistance. It is used in any premises for sound and heat insulation, does not emit harmful substances. This material is easy to use. Sold in rolls.
  • Styrofoam- one of the varieties of foam plastic having the same composition. This material has a lower thermal conductivity due to its increased density, and has a different degree of flammability, which is indicated on the package. For insulation of garage doors, you need to use the brand NG or G1. This material has a drawback, it collapses in the sun, and therefore requires additional finishing.
  • Liquid penoizol- material that is sprayed from a cylinder and is able to fill all the cracks and bridges of cold. Sets in 15 minutes, cures in 4 hours, final strength is achieved in three days. The advantage is ease of use, good thermal insulation qualities, incombustibility. The insulation is seamless, no need to rack your brains - how to close the gaps between the sheets of material.

It is better to order a gate with a gate to the garage, if it is not provided, then it is better to equip it before the start of insulation work. The wicket will help keep the heat in the room during repair work.

Insulation tool

Before insulating garage doors, you need to prepare the tools necessary for this process:

  • screwdriver or drill;
  • core;
  • screwdrivers;
  • square;
  • level;
  • hard brush;
  • sandpaper;
  • roulette;
  • hacksaw;
  • construction knife.

Almost every owner has this set of tools.

Finishing materials

Even before starting work, you need to decide how to sheathe the gate in the garage:

  • lining;
  • corrugated board;
  • plywood, moisture resistant;
  • PVC panels.

Based on practice, it can be noted that the oriented strand board (OSB) has a lot of advantages:

  • strength and reliability;
  • easy to process;
  • does not need additional vapor barrier;
  • moisture resistant;
  • has an attractive appearance;
  • is inexpensive.

This material is suitable for rooms with high humidity.

To make a frame for insulation, you need to prepare bars with a cross section of 40 mm, which are pre-treated with special antiseptic compounds to prevent decay.

Preparing the gate for insulation

Before insulating garage doors, preliminary preparation is carried out. Conduct a garage inspection swing gate for rust and peeling paint. They need to be cleaned well, rust is removed with coarse sandpaper, paint with a stiff metal brush. Further, the entire surface is treated with fine-grained sandpaper for better adhesion.

The next step is to treat the surface with a degreasing solution. After complete drying, an anti-corrosion primer is applied in two layers. It is worth noting that the second layer of primer is applied after the first has dried and perpendicular to it.

The primer is followed by waterproofing, it is equipped if foam plastic is used as a heater, it is optional with other materials. Easy to use bituminous mastic, which the door leafs are carefully smeared with, while it is desirable to glue vapor barrier membranes on it. You can use self-adhesive material "Izolon"

crate

When insulating the gate from the inside with your own hands, you must strictly adhere to the instructions described below - this will help you not to make fatal mistakes.

Lathing - installation of bars, previously sawn to the size of the door leaf. It is desirable that the bars are solid. Do not neglect the framing of the deadbolts and vents around the perimeter.

Before installing the bars, you need to mark the door leaf and tilt the places where the holes for the fasteners will be. The step between the screws should be no more than 25 centimeters. It is necessary to pre-drill the holes with a 4 mm drill, at the previously marked places.

The bars are screwed with self-tapping screws (wood-metal) of the required length. To do this, use a screwdriver. The bars should be 60 centimeters apart - this distance just fits the width of the foam layer.

Foam installation

Insulation of swing garage doors with foam plastic begins with marking and cutting the material. The cutting of the layers must be done in such a way that the foam plastic fits tightly between the crate. The cut line must be even and vertical, so the use of a flexible blade is unacceptable.

It is worth noting that you can not use fasteners for foam when installing it, as it will be taken as a finishing material. But for reliability, you can use special silicate glue or mounting foam, which can also be used for sealing seams and crevices.

Tip: you need to buy material taking into account the crate and its location on the canvas of the swing garage doors, otherwise there will be a lot of scraps. You can use expanded polystyrene for insulation, then additional waterproofing is not needed, and it is easier to work with it - it does not crumble. The only drawback is the high cost.

Stone wool in the insulation of the gate

Such a process as insulating garage doors from the inside with stone wool is not difficult even for a beginner. This is good insulation, which has an aluminum film on one side, which reflects heat by 97%. Mounted directly on the door leaf with mounting adhesive. From the side of the garage, the insulation must be protected with any facing material.

The use of expanded polystyrene

For garage doors, many use such a heater as polystyrene foam, which has good insulating qualities. The installation method is the same as when installing the foam.

Insulation of the gate with penoizol

Do-it-yourself insulation of garage doors with liquid penoizol will not work - this will require special equipment and qualified builders. The material is sprayed in several layers by a spraying machine. The crate for this method is mounted as in the previous case, it will be needed to attach the finish.

This method has a large number of advantages:

  • does not change its properties over time;
  • excellent adhesion;
  • high thermal insulation properties;
  • when applied, there are no bridges of cold;
  • does not require the installation of a vapor barrier;
  • service life of 70 years.

The use of mounting foam

Once the layers of insulation are installed, you need to carefully cover the gaps. Optimal and simple option there will be insulation of the garage door with mounting foam, all voids and cracks are filled with it.

Better buy professional material under the gun, this will help to significantly save material, since the gun helps to accurately distribute the foam in the right amount. The foam tends to expand, thereby filling all the voids. As soon as the foam dries, it is cut flush with the insulation.

How to cover the gaps between the base and the insulation? To do this, you can use "Izolon" - a self-adhesive material used as additional insulation and vapor barrier.

When insulating, it is often used to lay the door leaf with penofol, before starting the installation of the crate. It is an innovative, non-flammable, easy-to-use insulation material.

Gap insulation

When the gate is insulated, gaps remain between the door leaf and the slopes, into which cold air penetrates from the street. For complete tightness, these cold bridges must be eliminated without fail. For this, inserts and thresholds are used.

Vinyl inserts do an excellent job with this problem. They glue the edges of the gate, after covering them with two layers of paint. For better adhesion, there are special notches on the inside of the inserts.

Before installing the inserts under the threshold, the space is pre-cleaned from dust and dirt. The material is fastened with a special mounting adhesive.

Garage door insulation

Before you insulate the door in the garage, surface preparation is carried out. You need to do it in the same way as with the insulation of large swing gates. Equipped with waterproofing, and vapor barrier.

After that, the crate is mounted with pre-prepared bars. First of all, they are screwed around the perimeter of the gate. Then you need to cut out a bar equal in size to the diagonal line of the gate and fasten it with self-tapping screws. The crate is ready, it needs to be treated from decay with special compounds.

Insulation in the case of a gate is cut in the form of two triangles, and inserted tightly into the crate. All cracks are foamed, as described above.

Finishing the gate after insulation

As soon as the insulation of the canvases with their own hands is completed, the question arises - how to sheathe the garage doors. There are a lot of options, you can apply:

  • Rail car - which is an inexpensive environmentally friendly material. She has a presentable appearance, she tolerates temperature extremes well, and is resistant to mechanical damage. Gates, hinged, insulated, and trimmed with clapboard have an aesthetic appearance. It is mounted on wood screws to the gate crate.
  • PVC panels are easy to maintain, installation is easy, long service life. But there is a downside, this stuff beat bumps and mechanical damage. The panels are mounted on the crate using a construction stapler.

  • moisture resistant plywood - a material with excellent characteristics in terms of ecology and technical qualities, the only negative is the high cost.
  • OSB panel - High quality, inexpensive material for facing works, on garage doors, which even professionals advise to use.

The material is mounted on the crate using self-tapping screws. Before installing on garage doors, swing doors need to be cut to size, trying to eliminate a large number of scraps. OSB has excellent characteristics, but to increase its service life, it must be treated with special compounds, or painted.

In custody

As you can see, the work on insulation is painstaking, but not difficult, and if it is done in accordance with all the rules, then the insulated garage doors will protect the room where the car is located from winter frosts.

It is worth considering another important nuance - you should not use material such as mineral wool to insulate garage doors. The fact is that it absorbs moisture, which, when frozen, almost completely deprives the material of thermal insulation abilities. This fact also applies to glass wool.

Do not forget that when cold and warm air come into contact, a dew point appears - condensate, which, if the insulation is not installed correctly, can reduce all work to zero. Now you know how to properly insulate the gate in the garage and you can do it yourself.

Often, car owners do not think about how to insulate their garage. However, both the condition of the car and the safety of fuel, tools and other spare parts depend on the temperature in this room. And if you use the garage as a workshop, then insulation is a mandatory part of the work. One of the structures of the garage that requires insulation is its gate.

Why insulate garage doors? Which gates can be insulated? What insulation material to choose? How exactly to make the gate warm? Let's look at the answers to these important questions.

Why insulate the gate

Many are perplexed why it is so important to make the gate warm. In fact, everything is simple: the gate is one of the main sources of heat loss. Through them warm air comes out of the garage, and the cold one penetrates into it. And if you heat your garage, then you can say that you are doing it in vain. After all, all the heat goes outside. And this can negatively affect both the vehicle with components and interior decoration. As a result, you spend money on heating, but there is none.

And if you work in a garage, then high-quality thermal insulation is simply necessary for him. In winter, it will be difficult for you to spend time in a cold structure. You can get sick and lie down for many days. That's why it's so important to insulate your garage door. So, you keep the heat inside the building and make it even warmer.

Which gates can be insulated

Basically, many car owners use for their garages. This is the option in which insulation can be performed and even necessary. This design is based on a frame made of a profile pipe and a sheet of steel sheet. He plays the role exterior finish. We can say with confidence that these garage doors do not block the heat from leaving the building. An important point in the device of such gates is that they have a gate. Thanks to it, heat loss is reduced, since people who often go to the garage do not open the entire gate structure, but only a small part. The heat comes out slowly.

Advice! If you want to make a gate for your garage, plan to implement a gate right away.

Lift-and-turn structures and sectional type gates have become quite popular. Their section or web is made according to the type sandwich panels consisting of steel sheet and polyurethane foam. These factory-made gates already have proper insulation and excellent thermal insulation properties. Therefore, they do not need to be insulated.

Advice! If you bought such a handicraft construction, then most often it is not insulated in any way. The process of insulation will be identical to the insulation of swing garage doors.

But if we talk about roller shutters, then, unfortunately, they cannot be insulated. It's all about the structure itself and the principle of its operation. That is why they are very rarely used for garages that are located in cold regions.

Choosing a heater for the garage door

Your main task for insulation is 50% of the choice of material for insulation. If this is not done correctly, then all your work, time, effort and money wasted. Insulation material is a product that has minimal thermal conductivity and is able to retain heat inside the building. In the construction industry, the conduction of heat in a material is determined by the conductance coefficient. The following principle applies here: the smaller this coefficient, the better the insulation will retain heat inside.

Above you could see a table with materials and their conductivity coefficients. It should be noted that the thicker the layer of insulation, the better the insulation itself will be. However, everything should be in reasonable measures. If we talk about the insulation of garage doors, then 5 cm of insulation is enough. What kind of material can be used?

We will consider the following types of materials:

  1. Mineral wool.
  2. Styrofoam.
  3. PPU (polyurethane foam).

What is the best way to insulate a gate? What are the advantages and disadvantages of materials? Let's find out.

Use of cotton

Few people are not familiar with this heater. It has excellent performance and is great for insulation. various designs. The material is sold both in rolls and in slabs. Builders love and appreciate it very much. But, is it suitable for insulating garage doors? We will find out later. To begin with, consider the types of wool as a heater and its characteristic features:


And now we will find out whether any of the cotton wool is suitable as a heater for garage doors. The thing is that they have a rather high hygroscopicity and cannot withstand moisture. When wet, any cotton wool will lose its properties and not insulate the room properly. And in winter, the dew point in the garage will be exactly in the insulation layer. As a result, condensation will harm the wool and reduce its performance. This is solved by the fact that the materials are sheathed with vapor barrier and waterproofing films. However, this is an additional expense.

Styrofoam door insulation

Cheap, but very popular material for insulation. Unlike cotton wool, it does not absorb moisture and is able to serve for a long time, reliably protecting the garage. One of the disadvantages is flammability. But, this is the main disadvantage. Other than that, it's a great solution. Consider why polystyrene can be called one of the best for garage doors:

  1. It has low density and weight. Due to this, the insulation has almost no effect on total mass garage doors.
  2. It has one of the lowest thermal conductivity. And extruded polystyrene foam is even better than mineral wool.
  3. It is environmentally friendly and does not affect human health.
  4. Styrofoam does not interact with air and water in any way. Moisture is simply not terrible for him.
  5. Material durability. It will last you 50 years or more.
  6. It is easy to work with it: transport, wear, handle and style.
  7. The water absorption of foam plastic is less than 3%, and extruded polystyrene foam has less than 0.4%.

It can be concluded that polystyrene and its types are ideal for insulating garage doors.

PPU insulation

This material requires special attention. It is unusual and is produced by spraying. You saw something similar when working with polyurethane foam. Applied by means of a special unit resembling an airbrush, the material is sprayed onto the surface, after which it increases several times. A monolithic layer of insulation is created that does not let any cold through. What are the advantages of PPU:

  1. Low thermal conductivity.
  2. Moisture resistant.
  3. Light weight.
  4. High quality insulation due to the absence of seams.
  5. Durability.
  6. Ecological purity.

This material could be put at the top of the list, if not a few nuances. Firstly, you will not be able to do the insulation with your own hands, since it will take special device which is available only to professionals. Secondly, such insulation is quite expensive. Not everyone can afford to insulate their garage. Still, PPU is rightfully high on the list if you have the opportunity to purchase it.

Insulating garage doors

So we have come to the point of doing the insulation of the swing gates of the garage with our own hands. In general, the technology depends on what material you choose. PPU is applied by spraying. But the foam is laid on the gate. We will consider foam insulation, since you can do it yourself and this is the most popular way.

Before work, we recommend that you inspect the design of the gate. If you find rust on the frame or sash, remove it. Carefully fill all cracks with mounting foam. So, you will avoid the appearance of cold bridges. Next, you need to install special polymer inserts on the floor. Thanks to them, you will seal the gate from rain and melting snow. Ideally, treat the garage doors with a primer and an anti-corrosion agent. But it is necessary to lay the material itself only after the soil has dried.

Let's start fixing the insulation boards. The process is simple, as the width of the gate is small. You need to lay the slabs in the space between the sheets and profile pipe. You can fix the foam directly on the sheets, or you can also between the crate. In the first case, a special glue is used, in the second, a frame device. The crate is made of bars, metal profiles or slats. After laying the insulation, everything is sewn up with clapboard, panels or plywood. When laying the material, you must do it tightly so that there are no air gaps between the foam and the gate. Otherwise, condensation will form in these places.

So, the process of warming the gate occurs according to this principle:


Advice! Attention should be paid to the gaps at the point of contact between the two wings.

This is how easy and effortless you can insulate your garage door. You will see the process of warming in more detail from this video:

Summing up

Done right, you'll protect your garage from heat loss, make it warmer, and protect your car and the tools stored inside. And working in a warm room will be safer and more enjoyable. Therefore, if you have not yet insulated the garage door, you can do it right now.

Insulation of garage doors and their timely repair is an urgent need, since cold air passes through the structure into the room, and condensation begins to appear due to temperature changes. This adversely affects the technical condition of the car and the microclimate of the room itself. Most of the work can be done with your own hands, if you have a basic set of tools in stock and minimal building skills.

Why you need to insulate your garage door

The comfortable temperature inside the garage allows you to use it at any time of the year. If initially the garage doors were not insulated, then they become a source of significant heat loss. It is through them that heat freely penetrates into the garage in summer, and heat goes outside in winter. Therefore, if the garage is used as a car repair shop or as a place to store things, insulation will provide a softer temperature regime and prevent condensation from entering. In such a garage, the car body is not threatened with corrosion, the electrical wiring is rotting, and the walls of the structure are protected from fungus and mold.

The insulation of the built-in garage is especially important, because it is usually connected to the general house heating system. Accordingly, in the event of heat loss, heating costs will increase.

Important! Before warming, you should take care of the organization of the ventilation system! It should be both supply and exhaust. If the supply hole was in the sash, then it is impossible to block it with a heater.

What types of structures can be insulated

  • Sectional doors are usually already filled with foamed polyurethane, which acts as a heater. But if you wish, you can also paste over with foam inner part sections.
  • Swing gates, especially those made of steel, which has a high thermal conductivity, must and can be insulated with any suitable material.
  • As a rule, prefabricated lift-and-turn structures are already equipped with thermal insulation. But if the gate mechanism is homemade, then it will be quite simple to insulate them.
  • And here design features roller shutter doors, both self-made and automatic, make their insulation impossible.
  • The choice of material for work in the garage

    When choosing a heater, it is necessary to take into account some nuances. For example, mineral wool and other porous materials are not recommended as insulating material, as they form a dew point (the temperature to which the air must be cooled so that the vapor contained in it begins to condense into dew). Moisture accumulates in the pores, due to which the thermal conductivity increases, and this negates the effect of warming. In addition, glass wool in work is quite hazardous to health, residual acidity is inherent in slag wool, so basalt wool will be the most digestible option, but subject to the use of a vapor barrier film.

    Styrofoam remains the most preferred material for insulating garage doors. It's a variety synthetic materials with a foam structure, based on a polymer. Styrofoam is classified according to the type of polymer.

  • Polystyrene foam consists of gas-filled white sintered balls. This is an inexpensive heater with good characteristics. Extruded polystyrene foam is suitable for insulating the gate, as it is characterized by increased strength, resistance to ignition and negligible moisture absorption.
  • Polyvinyl chloride foam is also often used for thermal insulation. Panels can be not only rigid, but also elastic.
  • Urea-formaldehyde foam after drying slightly increases in volume, so it is good for them to fill the cavities between the panels. It is also suitable for insulation.
  • Polyurethane foam comes in two types. The first, elastic, is foam rubber, and the hard one is the well-known polyurethane foam. Rigid is more suitable for door insulation, as it has excellent thermal insulation properties and excellent adhesion to any type of surface. The material is applied by spraying, which requires special equipment.
  • Thus, if resistance to increased load is not needed, then the best choice will be foam. In all other cases - expanded polystyrene or polyurethane foam. It is not desirable to save on insulation, so that the efficiency is not minimal. The thickness of the layer largely depends on climatic conditions. If the temperature in winter does not fall below minus 25 degrees, then the thickness of the insulation should be:

  • Polyfoam - 100 mm.
  • Expanded polystyrene - 80 mm.
  • Polyurethane foam - 70 mm.
  • Additional consumables and tools

    Prior to installation, it is necessary to measure the gate itself and determine the number additional materials. In particular, this is a crate, on which the insulation will then be attached and facing material.

    Also for work you will need such a set of household tools:

  • Screwdriver or screwdrivers.
  • Drill and drill for wood and metal.
  • Jigsaw or hacksaw.
  • Rigid metal brush for removing rust.
  • Sandpaper.
  • Screws and self-tapping screws.
  • Anticorrosive primer and antiseptic.
  • Solvent.
  • Mounting foam.
  • Preparatory work

    Before starting work on the insulation of iron gates, they should be carefully prepared. If the canvas is covered with rust, old paint or dirt, then all this must be cleaned with a metal brush or a nozzle on a drill. After that, the surface is degreased and a suitable anti-corrosion primer is applied on it in two layers.

    The next step will be waterproofing the surface of the valves. This step can be skipped only if the gates are insulated with extruded polystyrene foam. If a simple foam is used, then this operation is required. As insulation, you can use:

  • Izolon.
  • Membrane with vapor barrier function.
  • Bituminous mastic.
  • Step-by-step production of the crate

  • For any type of thermal insulation, you will need a crate, because not only a heater is attached to it, but also a facing material. The crate can be made of wooden bars with a section of 4 by 4 or 5 by 5 cm, which are fixed on the bearing part around the entire perimeter and across the door leaf area. The bars must be made of dry wood, and it is advisable to treat them with any antiseptic composition before installation to prevent decay. Please note that they must dry well.
  • For power structures steel pipe and corner) the crate is fixed with screws. To do this, through holes of the desired diameter are marked and drilled in the right places in increments of 20–25 cm. If it is necessary that the screw head be recessed inward, then small recesses can be drilled. In the bars, holes are made in advance so that the screw does not split them.
  • If there is nothing to attach the bars to in the center of the canvas, then they can be combined with each other using corners. Air vent manages them around the perimeter, like castles.
  • Sometimes, along with the gate, the walls of the garage are also lined. The crate for the walls is made in the same way as for the gate - from wooden bars, on which you can then attach a lining or other suitable sheathing. The bars are attached to the wall with dowels.
  • Options for carrying out and order of work

    Foam insulation

  • After measuring the required amount of material, it must be cut in such a way that there are a minimum of joints. It is necessary to cut with a margin so that the foam is combined very tightly. It is most convenient to cut with a construction knife along the ruler.
  • The foam parts are glued with mounting foam supplied from a gun. It is preferred because its volumetric expansion is small. For better adhesion, the foam is applied to the edges and crosswise in the center, after which the sheet is pressed with bars or a rule. For some time, the position can be corrected.
  • After installation of the entire insulation, the cavities and joints are also filled with foam, and the excess is cut off with a construction knife after hardening. The gate is now ready for cladding.
  • Heat savings with polyurethane foam

    This type of insulation requires professional equipment and special knowledge. Polyurethane foam is sprayed in several layers using a special installation. In this case, the crate is also needed, since the gate lining is then fixed to it. This method has many advantages - excellent adhesion, excellent vapor barrier, long service life and very good thermal insulation properties. Before applying the coating, lock structures, bolts, hinges must be covered with a film and pasted over with masking tape. All work is carried out in a respirator, glasses and protective clothing. After the insulation dries, the excess is cut off with a knife.

    How to use basalt wool

    If the choice fell on mineral wool, then it should be the products of well-known manufacturers. Before laying this insulation, waterproofing is required. The next step is to cut the cotton into pieces so that they fit snugly inside the crate. A vapor barrier film is stretched on top of the insulation and fixed with a stapler. Now the gate can be revetted.

    Lining from the inside after insulation

    In order for the gate to look aesthetically pleasing after insulation, and the thermal insulation retains its properties for as long as possible, they must be lined. Finishing material can be:

  • Lining from a suitable material.
  • Fiberboard or MDF.
  • Decking.
  • 10 mm OSB boards or OSB resistant to high humidity. The standard size of such plates is 1250 by 2500 mm, so two are required for a standard gate.
  • The cladding is mounted on screws using washers.

    Additional tricks for proper thermal insulation

    Heat leaves the garage not only through the door leaf, but also through the gaps between the leaves. To avoid this, special rubber seals are used. round section 20 mm in diameter. They are fastened with self-tapping screws using a steel perforated strip.

    The gaps under the gate can also let in heat. They are usually sealed with brush profiles. They are mounted quite simply - they are screwed with self-tapping screws in increments of 20 cm to the bottom of the wings.

    Also, to save heat, a garage curtain is used, which is hung at the entrance. The best option is a water-repellent tarp, although PVC fabric can also be used. They hang the curtain on a cable or on a cornice pipe, for which special rings are inserted into the material.

    Video about the process of working with insulation

    Options for repair and adjustment of faulty structures

    There are quite a few factors that cause deformation of metal structures such as garage doors. This is a natural deformation from the vagaries of the weather, and metal fatigue, and the drawdown of the opening, and the usual shrinkage of the loops. To correct the geometry of the opening, there are some methods that are available to any garage owner, provided that they have a tool and an assistant.

  • The need to raise the opening. As a rule, to correct this oversight, understands top part openings and the frame is scalded again. But this is a rather complicated method.
  • Raising garage doors. First, the sashes are removed, then the frame is released. Further, several rows of bricks are removed from above, and the gate rises to the desired height. At the end, backfilling is done in the lower section, and everything returns to its place.

    Important! Instead of the removed row, a channel is installed (in extreme cases, a corner) so that the structure does not collapse. After raising the garage door by one or two bricks, a gap appears between them and the floor. It can be concreted by sloping outward or by installing a threshold.

  • Sagging loops. If one sash sagged or sagged, then a spacer washer can be used to return it to its place. We remove the warped sash from the hinges, put a washer on the axis of its lower hinge and put it in place. If it is impossible to put on the washer, then we advise you to eliminate the warp by inserting a metal ball into the hinge hole.

    Important! Both the washer and the ball must be carbide.

  • The gate does not open from the bottom. The simplest solution is to cut the bottom with a grinder. Then either a rubber strip or a brush profile is attached above the gap. If the beam interferes, then it is cut, reduced and welded into place.
  • Skewed sashes with a deformed opening. The easiest option to align is to cut a few mm of metal on the sash, which does not give a bow. To do this, you need to cut a horizontal beam. Then with effort (for example, using a jack) we press the vertical beam, level it and weld it.

    Important! The place of welding must be additionally boiled with a strip, otherwise it may tear it over time.

  • As you can see, it is quite possible to insulate the gate with your own hands, and there are no particular difficulties in this work. When faced with a similar task, you can solve it quickly using simple ways and tools.