Garage Door Insulation

Q: Is it a good idea to insulate your garage door?

Insulated garage doors are better for energy efficiency, more durable, and operate more quietly compared to non-insulated garage doors.

Q: What are the pros and cons of an insulated garage door?

The pros of having an insulated garage door include energy efficiency, durability, and quiet operation. The cons of having an insulated garage door are a higher initial purchase price and a higher cost of replacing damaged sections if needed.

Understanding Garage Door Insulation Types

Garage door insulation comes in several models depending on budgets and demands. To explain insulation levels, R values are used. They are a way of measuring thermal insulation properties for products. The higher the number, the better the insulation quality. The level of insulation will affect the cost of the garage door. Two types of insulation are used with garage doors: polystyrene, a styrofoam-like material, and the highest or best garage door insulation level: polyurethane foam injected into the garage door panels or sections,

Watch the video to see our Operations Manager Jonathan explain the various insulation options.

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Table of Contents

Non-Insulated Garage Doors

Called a hollow door, pan door, or single-layer door
Have no temperature control
Not heavy-duty and will show dents and dings easily
Not sold as a quiet option because they may run a little rough and loud

This is an example garage door panel showing a non-insulated garage door.

Vinyl-Back Garage Door Insulation

This is an image of a garage door panel that has vinyl back insulation.

Called a partially insulated, poly back, softback, etc.
Controls the temperature of the garage, will trap in cold or hot air and will have a similar temperature to the house
Not heavy-duty and will show dents and dings easily
Not sold as a quiet option because they may run a little rough and loud

Steel back Garage Door with Polystyrene Insulation

Referred to as a fully insulated sandwich door
Controls the temperature of the garage and will trap in cold or hot air and will have a similar temperature to the house
Considered heavy-duty and will not show dents or dings easily.
Sold as quiet and maintain their quiet operation as long as they are maintained regularly

This is an example garage door panel showing a polystyrene insulated garage door.

Steel Back Garage Door with Polyurethane Insulation

This is an example garage door panel showing a polyurethane insulated garage door.

Referred to as a foam-injected, desert-rated, fully insulated door. This model also typically has insulated windows, whereas the lesser insulation level typically have single-pane windows.
Best garage door insulation and control over the temperature in the garage, will trap cold or hot air and have a similar temperature to the house
The most heavy-duty insulation, will not show dents or dings easily.
Sold as quiet and maintain their quiet operation as long as they are maintained regularly

Garage Door Insulation FAQ

Do insulated garage doors really make a difference?

If you add an insulated garage door to an already insulated garage, you will notice a huge difference in temperature control. If you add an insulated garage door to a non-insulated garage, there will be no marked difference in temperature control. If you have a non-insulated garage door on an already insulated garage, you will lose much of your temperature control. If your garage is insulated and your garage door is also insulated, the temperature inside the garage will be similar to the temperature inside your home. If you are running your air conditioning in your home, but your garage is not insulated, it will make your air conditioning run harder and is less energy efficient.

Is it a good idea to insulate your garage door?

What are the pros and cons of an insulated garage door?

Can I insulate my garage door after it is purchased?

It is possible to buy an insulation kit online to add polystyrene insulation, but it is impossible to change it to steel back construction or polyurethane insulation after then fact. Consider that by adding additional weight to the garage door, it may not operate as well and as safely. The springs that came with the door was based off of the original weight, and now the tension may be incorrect.