insulating steel garage door - two options

[sblanky]

Went to the local home improvement store to investigate possible approaches to insulate my steel garage door. One option is a sort of buble wrap stuff with foil on both sides, that's supposed to be a very good reflective barrier. The other option is poly-foam of varying thickness.

I live in southwest ohio, where dec-feb have mostly sub-freezing days, and the coldest days can get down to single digits or below zero... in summer, weeks of 90s are normal.

My garage door is souther facing.

My question is this: foil, foam, or some combination of the two? And, if you recommend a combination, which one against the steel door, which exposed to the open space of the garage?

[Rich]

Why don't you just use what is supposed to be on a garage door?

[Rick Blaine]

What problem are you trying to solve? If your garage door is uninsulated, chances are the walls in your garage aren't either. Since at least one of those is probably an exterior wall, you won't see much improvement in the garage temps.

If there are gaps in or around the door, you might be able to improve things a little by blocking the air infiltration with a better door seal.

Given where you live, you might also consider the effect of an insulated garage on your vehicle. The major cause of rust is salted roads, splashed on the vehicle. This process is accelerated by bring the vehicle into a warmer garage. Better that it stay as cold as possible.

[Joseph Meehan]

I agree with Rick. Why do you want to insulate the door? You are not going to suddenly make the garage a lot warmer. While I do have insulated doors, and I would replace them with insulated doors, I also have insulated walls and the garage has heated areas on two sides and above. It does not stay warm, but it is a little warmer than it would be otherwise. But just doors will not do much. If the garage is not attached to a heated area or does not have some form of heat itself, insulating the doors is going to do very very little.

[Later]

Just curious, why do you want to do this?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Probably the same reason many of us have. We use the garage as a work shop and like it to be a bit warmer in the winter. Do you find that odd for some reason?

[Scott]

It's an attached garage, and I was hoping to improve the energy efficiency of my home somewhat. Also, I am interested in keeping it a bit warmer in the winter in there, as I often work out in the garage on different small projects. I don't expect it to be balmy in there, but if by spending what appears to be less than $100, I can achieve some level of energy efficiency, and raise the garage temp a few degrees in the winter, I think it would be worthwhile.

So, back to my original question, foil or foam?

[Rick Blaine]

And has been pointed out by multiple people, insulating a garage door in an uninsulated garage is going to do bupkis for keeping it warmer, especially if there is no living space above or around the garage.

Sealing any airgaps around the door may help keep things less drafty, although you would need to be mindful of any open flame devices in the garage that need makeup air (ie furnace or water heater). Vents for those should never be blocked.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Right, that is why I insulated my garage and run a 30k Btu heater when I'm in there. That is why, when I bought a new door, I got one that was insulated. Every little bit helps to keep that heat in the garage.

[mrsgator88]

My contractor put in the foam w/ vinyl backing that someone in a prior post had posted a link to. It doesn't exactly slide right in like you'd think because it gets caught on the screws in the door face.

S