Should I insulate my parents' garage?

[Fat Charlie]

I got some of the foil covered bubble wrap kind. It came in a few different widths, one of which was perfect for garage doors. I just tucked the sides into the panels and they've held up for a few years. It keeps the garage from getting too cold when things get too far below zero.

[Xist]

Fat Charlie, is that simply held in place from friction? Did you purchase a kit or just find the appropriate materials?

How much of a difference did it make?

Regarding the original instructions, my mom said that some snow did get through with the door closed, so there must be a gap.

Thanks, guys!

[Fat Charlie]

The bubble sheets are flat on the edges for stapling. I just curled them up inside the door panels and they hold. The "kit" was just a few rolls of the bubble stuff from Lowe's Depot. A door is X feet wide, there are Y panels to each door and you've got Z garage doors. That tells you how many feet of bubble wrap you need, and measure the height of each panel- there should be a size that's an inch or so wider and it'll do.

It makes a huge difference. I used to have 4 100 watt bulbs in the garage that I'd leave on overnight during real cold snaps to keep heating pipes in the garage ceiling from freezing. Now 4 CFLs are enough. I haven't worried about sealing between the panels because simply insulating the panels themselves was such an imprvement.

[lordherald]

I would vote for the mylar covered bubble wrap also. If you compress fiberglass or rockwool you lose R-value and because both are springy (rockwool more so) they will push back against the tape. If you use a product that is as thick or less than the channels in the doors then you eliminate this problem.
Are the panels aluminum, steel or pvc plastic? There is also some doors that are a plastic foam composite.
The metal doors might get condensation on them regularly which will effect the tape's ability to stick.
Fat Charlie's method should eliminate the need for any tape if cut to the correct width.
As to whether you should do it now depends on a number of things. It will help to control the temp in the garage and if it is connected to the house and used as the entryway, can act as an airlock keeping out the heat in summer and the winter cold.
The bubblewrap should be available in widths up to 48" for pole barns and metal shop buildings but you might have to order it.

On a side note this same product makes an excellent sound deadener under carpets and behind door panels and best of all it can be glued into place with spray adhesive like 3M 777.

[Xist]

I guess that I should have mentioned Home Depots' other options:

Reach Barrier Air Reflective Garage Door Insulation Kit-3009 at The Home Depot
Reach Barrier Silvertanium Garage Door Insulation Kit-3122 at The Home Depot

I did not mention them because I understood them even less, but it sounds like the same situation. So: Reflectix 4 ft. x 25 ft. Double Reflective Insulation-BP48025 at The Home Depot and Reflectix 2 ft. x 25 ft. Double Reflective Insulation-BP24025 at The Home Depot for $67.70, $2.25 less than a kit, of which I would need two.

Ryland, I have not ruled out the hinges, but at $83.94, I am not sure they would have the same ROI.

I wanted to do this while I have free time, before I am busy with school again.

I am not sure if the door is steel or aluminum, but it is metal.

I kind of mentioned that one and a half walls in the garage are not insulated. You just get the bats, staple them in place, and staple a vapor barrier over it? Is there anything wrong with using plywood instead of drywall? I just imagine plywood surviving better than drywall.

[Xist]

I forgot to mention that there are instruction guides for using that material for garage doors:

Do-It-Yourself | DIY Garage Door

and

http://www.reflectixinc.com/images/u...oor%200910.pdf

They just say to measure, cut, and attach!

[lordherald]

just fire.
The drywall is to prevent the house/garage from burning down, essentially it is a rock that is a uniform thickness.
the plywood would last longer at the same thickness it just wouldn't be fire resistant.
An uninsulated garage door will lose and gain more heat than an uninsulated wall. Metal conducts heat much faster than a wall, even an uninsulated one.

[Xist]

Ah, yes, fire, and there tend to be flammable items in the garage.

That is another benefit of the rockwool.

When I was reading about insulating garage doors, someone wrote that an insulated garage door would never be as good as a wall, and if you were converting a garage into living space, it would be more efficient to replace the garage door with a wall.

According to Cost to Install Drywall - 2013 Cost Calculator (ZipCode based), drywall to cover 33.5 linear feet (268 square feet) would be $102.08 - 119.60, supplies would cost $39.80 - 43.10, and it would take 3.3 hours. For insulation, I would need two Owens Corning EcoTouch Kraft 3-1/2 in. x 15-1/4 in. x 93 in. R-13 Batts in Bags Insulation-BF12 at The Home Depot $56.74 each.

To use Roxul Comfortbatt, I would need to special order through Lowe's (my parents have a Home Depot card that gives them a 5% rebate\discount). It is $48.63 for half as much, so instead of costing $113.48, it would be $194.52, although it would have a slightly higher r-value.

[lordherald]

is the roxul the 2 inch insulation board?
if it is it would be nice and ridged.
If the door panels have an angle at the top and bottom you will end up with an air gap unless you can flex the product and pop it into place.
I have installed rockwool sound control batts before and they will make you itch just as bad as fiberglass.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by lordherald

is the roxul the 2 inch insulation board?
if it is it would be nice and ridged.
If the door panels have an angle at the top and bottom you will end up with an air gap unless you can flex the product and pop it into place.[Image]
I have installed rockwool sound control batts before and they will make you itch just as bad as fiberglass.

Actually, the bubble mylar sounded good for the door, but I was considering Roxul for the walls.

When I looked at the different ways to insulate garage doors, I thought that if I used solid foam, I would use two pieces, slide in the bottom half, then the top, and glue them together.

So, regardless of the product, pants, long sleeves, and shower afterward?