When looking to install a new garage door for your Toronto home, one of your main concerns may be the insulated garage doors that you are considering: how effectively will they keep in the heat during the winter and how well will they keep it out during the summer? If you don’t wish to invest in a new door, you may be considering adding some extra insulation to whatever you already have. Either way, you will need to know the facts about each type of insulation before you can make an informed choice. In this article, we aim to provide you with those facts, to make your task a little easier.

Making or Buying Insulated Garage Doors: A Short Guide

Take a look at the features of each different type of insulation, some of which can be found in the doors at our showroom in Vaughan, and one of which you can fashion yourself out of materials readily available in Toronto and the surrounding area. Once you have digested all the information, you should be in a much better position to choose the right type for your particular needs.

• Foamed-in-Place Polyurethane – As far as we are concerned, along with many homeowners in North York and other nearby areas, insulated garage doors that have been injected with polyurethane foam are the best choice if performance is your primary concern. The foam from which this type of insulation is comprised expands as it is injected, filling every gap in the construction of the doors in which it is used. This helps to provide excellent insulation throughout the year, making it the most popular choice among local citizens who use their garages as workshops or extra living space.
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• Expanded Polystyrene Panels – Another type of insulation that you will find in many garage doors, expanded polystyrene panels, sandwiched in between two layers of metal, can be quite effective too. However, with R-ratings of between 3.7 and 7.4, they do not compare well to foamed-in-place polyurethane, which typically boasts R-values of between 11 and 14.8. Insulated garage doors featuring polystyrene panels may be a little cheaper than their foam-injected counterparts but if you want the best insulation possible, they are not a good choice.
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• Solid Timber – Many people like the look of old-fashioned wooden doors and while it is true that they offer better insulation than plain aluminum/vinyl models, with an R-rating as low as 2 they are no match for either of the above two options. If you live within striking distance of the lake, you will probably want a door with much better insulating properties.
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• Reflective Foil – Lining the inside of your garage door with reflective foil, either sandwiched between a couple of layers of polythene foam or on its own, is a popular DIY option for homeowners who may be reticent to spend money on new insulated garage doors. However, when used on its own, reflective foil has no inherent R-value and is better at protecting against incoming heat than cold. It can also make the inside of your garage door look rather messy unless it is installed very carefully.

Get Insulated Garage Doors for Your Home

Smart Doors thinks that foam-injected doors are the best choice for local homeowners, owing to the fact they look good, perform very well, and are available at competitive prices. To find out more about these or any other type of insulated garage doors, please feel free to call for a chat or to drop into our Concord showroom if you are in the area.