1 of 2
Form and function
These simulated carriage-style garage doors have a steel skin with a thermal break, foam insulation and double-pane glass for maximum energy savings.
Photo credit: Clopay
2 of 2
An easy home improvement project
Insulating an existing garage door is an easy DIY project. After clips are stuck to the garage door, the fiberglass batts are pressed over the clips and secured in place.
Photo credit: Owens Corning
Q: I do woodworking projects in my garage, and this winter I’m feeling the cold more than usual from the uninsulated roll-up door. What should I look for in a new, efficient door?
A: Before you invest in a new garage door, inspect your existing one. If it is in relatively good condition and there are no significant drafts coming from the joints between the panels, consider installing a garage door insulation kit. Some do-it-yourself kits increase the insulation value by R-8.
A typical kit includes vinyl-backed fiberglass insulation batts, retaining clips and tape. Cut the batts to fit the door panels and apply strips of double-sided tape on two spots on each panel. Stick the retaining clips on the tape and push the insulation over them. A top clip snaps over each retaining clip to hold the insulation securely in place. As a final step, put one-quarter-inch adhesive-backed foam weather stripping in the joints.
Installing insulation will also reduce outdoor noise, and it may even reduce lighting costs as the exposed white vinyl backing reflects a lot of light, creating a brighter workspace for your woodworking projects.
If you decide that you need a new garage door, there are several options. The most common garage door materials are wood, insulated steel, insulated fiberglass and aluminum with glass panels. Of these, the insulated steel or fiberglass offers the highest insulation value.
If you prefer the appearance of wood but want higher efficiency, select a clad insulated steel garage door. A half-inch-thick polymer coating is applied over the exterior steel skin for efficient insulation, but authentic wood grain is molded into the surface so it looks identical to stained wood. A two-inch thick door with the polymer coating provides R-20 insulation. Another attractive option is an embossed, simulated-wood finish providing R-18 insulation.
A very popular garage door style today is a simulated swing-open carriage type. It still rolls up like a typical panel garage door, but from the street it appears the two doors swing open on hinges. These attractive doors often have some type of decorative glass across the top panel for aesthetics and for natural light in the garage.
An insulated steel door is probably the most affordable option. The foam inside the door can be either preformed rigid polystyrene or foamed-in-place urethane. The urethane foam has a higher insulation level, but even an inexpensive 1 3/8-inch-thick door with rigid polystyrene still provides R-6 insulation.
If you have children, look for tight-sealing, pinch-resistant panels. The edges are designed to push a finger out of the panel joints as the door closes. Also select a door with an interlocking panel joint design, which creates a tight, long air path to minimize leakage. If you want glass in the garage door for natural lighting, select double-pane, insulated glass.
The following companies offer efficient garage doors: Amarr Garage Doors, (800) 503-3667, amarr.com; Clopay, (800) 225-6729, clopaydoor.com; Overhead Door, (800) 929-1277, overheaddoor.com; Raynor Garage Doors, (800) 472-9667; raynor.com; and Wayne-Dalton, (800) 827-3667, wayne-dalton.com.
Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or email energyqa@scliving.coop.