The GTA is notorious for its unrelenting winters. Because of that it’s crucial that all the insulation on your home is up to par and that includes insulated garage doors. What? You didn’t know the garage door on your Toronto, Vaughan or Richmond Hill home needed to be insulated? Well, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Garage door insulation isn’t the kind of topic that comes up a lot and since many new garage doors come already insulated it can be difficult to tell if yours is or isn’t. In this post we’re going to take a quick look at some of the most common types of insulation you can add to your garage door so that the Ontario climate stays outside where it belongs and you keep more of your hard earned money.

Insulated Garage Doors: A Quick Primer

Even though wood provides some insulation if you have a wooden garage door you should think of augmenting the panels with one of the following materials:

• Fiberglass: Steel, vinyl, aluminum and yes even wood garage doors are typically good candidates for fiberglass insulation. The rigid fiberglass panels come in a kit that includes 8-12 such pre-cut panels that are attached to the back of the aluminum, steel or other panel. Fiberglass is one of the most effective forms of insulation and you should see an immediate difference in the temperature of the garage. The obvious drawback to adding insulation in this after-the-fact way is that the inside of your Toronto garage door won’t win any beauty contests.

 

• Polystyrene Foam: Polystyrene foam panels are also available as part of a garage door insulation kit that includes a number of pre-cut panels, just as with fiberglass. These panels attach easily onto the back of steel or aluminum panels on your garage door making it fairly easy to achieve insulated garage doors using this method. Polystyrene (commonly known as styrofoam) is even lighter than fiberglass so it’s not going to add any noticeable weight to your door that might put a strain on your motor.

 

• Reflective foil: Reflective foil uses the accumulated insulating power of multiple layers of foil, polyethylene and bubble wrap to keep the heat you pay so dearly for inside the home. There are several variations on this insulation sandwich but the basic idea remains the same. This type of insulation is available for purchase in either rolls or sheets and, if you are a dedicated DIYer, is not terribly difficult to install.

 

• Spray foam insulation: Whereas installing reflective foil is a job a skilled DIYer can handle spray foam garage door insulation is a far more involved and complicated matter and one that would require more space than we have here to properly explain. It can be quite an effective means of insulation however; if done right. But it’s easy for a DIYer to mess it up. If you’re interested in insulated garage doors using spray foam do yourself a favour: leave it to the professionals.

Final Thoughts

We mentioned weight in passing earlier but it bears repeating because some types of insulation will add weight to an existing door that may throw off the balance of the door or put undue stress and strain on the torsion spring and/or motor. As a result you may need to upgrade your motor or have the door rebalanced. For more comprehensive information on garage door insulation talk to the pros at Smart Doors. They’ll take you through all your options so you can make an informed decision regarding insulated garage doors for your Toronto, Vaughan or Richmond Hill home.