The garage can be used for its intended purpose - as a parking lot for a car, as well as a workshop or warehouse where you can store inventory and various things. If you are often involved in car repairs, it is best to insulate the building. The most effective data will be in the goal area. However, before carrying out such manipulations, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the rules that state that it is better not to use porous heaters like mineral wool for thermal insulation of a garage. This is because the dew point will shift towards the insulation, it will get wet, its density and thermal conductivity will increase.
Material selection
You should not try to save money when ordering a gate without a gate. Its presence allows you to keep warm inside the garage. It is better to immediately make the gates not only with a separate door, but also with insulation. Among other things, the building must be equipped with a ventilation system, which can be exhaust and supply. The air inlet can be made at the gate. Inadequate ventilation can create life-threatening conditions.
Garage door insulation can be carried out with different materials, but one of the most effective is foam. This material has a low density, so the insulation will not have additional loads on the structure. Polyfoam has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, it does not emit substances harmful to human health, which is true under normal conditions of use. This thermal insulation does not interact with air and water, and the formed layer will last more than 50 years. Processing canvases is quite simple, for this you can use the available tools. It should also be noted that the water absorption of the foam is quite low and does not exceed 3%, but if we are talking about extruded polystyrene foam, then this figure is even less, it is 0.4%.
Gate insulation: tool preparation
If you decide to insulate the garage doors with foam, then at the first stage you need to prepare the tools. You will need:
- electric drill;
- Screwdriver Set;
- brush for metal;
- screwdriver;
- wood hacksaw;
- roller;
- core;
- clamps;
- square;
- sandpaper;
- hammer;
- meter tape;
- metal ruler;
- construction knife.
Preparation of materials
In order to make the gate look attractive from the inside, you can use facing material, which is sometimes used as corrugated board, wooden lining, waterproof plywood or OSB. As practice shows, it is best to prefer oriented particle boards, as they have many advantages, namely: the material is quite durable and reliable, easy to process, has low vapor permeability and eliminates the need for vapor barrier membranes to cover thermal insulation. Oriented particle boards can be purchased at low cost, and after completion of work the gates will have an attractive appearance. For cladding, it is recommended to use OSB-3 or OSB-4 boards, the thickness of which should be 10 mm. Such material is intended for rooms whose conditions are characterized by a high level of humidity.
After you determine the size of the gate, you should calculate the number of plates. Each of them has standard dimensions of 1250x2500 mm. As a rule, the master manages with two canvases, and after the work, trimmings remain that can be used for other purposes. The insulation of the garage doors is accompanied by the installation of the battens, on which the facing materials will be fastened. For the frame system, it is recommended to use wooden blocks of square cross-section with a side of 4 cm. They are fixed on the bearing part of the gate, in the role of which metal corners act, sometimes a profile pipe. Be that as it may, the crate must be installed around the perimeter and in the area of the canvas. The distance between the elements of the crate should be 40 cm.
More about preparation
If the insulation of the garage door with polystyrene or expanded polystyrene will be accompanied by a further installation of the finish, then before starting the installation of the frame system, the wooden blocks must be treated with an antiseptic. Depending on the composition to be used, one or two coats may be required. It is necessary to produce work data using a regular brush. During the drying of the bars, you can start preparing the inner surface of the gate, for this the rust is cleaned to metal, making it more convenient with a brush-nozzle on the drill. It is important to clean all lagging paint, in hard-to-reach places it is more convenient to use a brush with metal bristles. Sometimes experts advise resorting to the use of sandpaper, which the master must walk across the entire surface, this will improve the quality of adhesion of the primer to the metal.
At the next stage, the surface is treated with an anti-corrosion primer, it is applied in 2 layers. The direction of the second should be perpendicular to the first. As soon as you wait for the surface to completely dry, you should take care of the waterproofing, which is relevant in tandem with ordinary polystyrene foam. If extruded polystyrene foam is used , then this operation is not performed. Waterproofing can be done using bitumen mastic, sometimes vapor barrier membranes are glued to the surface.
Crate Installation Tips
When the garage doors are insulated with their own hands, it is recommended to consider the photo before starting work, which will allow you to eliminate many errors. At the next stage, the installation of the crate is carried out, according to the size of the wicket, the bars of the desired length are cut, they must be solid. In those places where there are locks and bolts, as well as ventilation grilles, it is necessary to make a frame from the bars, installing them around the perimeter. To fix these elements, several holes are drilled with an electric drill, the distance between which should be 25 cm. For this, a 4-mm drill is used. In those places where the bars will be installed in the end, the holes should be 5 mm. Before drilling, it is recommended to mark and place places so that the drill does not heat up.
For reference
When the garage doors are insulated with their own hands, the lathing is sometimes required without installing the facing material. At the same time, installation of the lower row of horizontal bars can be accompanied by some difficulties, which are that it is not possible to get the instrument to hard-to-reach places. If you remove the gate, then this work can be done without problems, if not, then you need to attach the bar at the end, because the rest of the crate will take on most of the load from the facing material.
Nuances of installing insulation
Warming of metal garage doors is usually carried out with polystyrene foam, it should be cut only after measuring the space between the bars. Approximately 3 mm of material is left on each side so that the foam fits tightly between the bars. When cutting, it is necessary to ensure that the blade enters the thermal insulation vertically, if the blade is flexible, then it can lead to the side, which will certainly violate the cut line.
Sometimes the insulation of a garage door with polystyrene is not at all accompanied by a mechanical fixation of the material, because it will be pressed to the base by the lining. You can use liquid nails, sometimes foam is used, which will be useful in the future when sealing joints.
Recommendations of a specialist in insulation
When the garage doors are insulated with polystyrene foam, it is recommended to use 40 mm boards, which can have different sizes. When buying material, it is necessary to take into account the location of the crate, so that the cutting of the foam is not accompanied by the formation of a large number of scraps. If possible, try to strengthen the whole sheets of material. Experts recommend purchasing extruded polystyrene foam, since its water absorption rate is minimal, there is almost no need to protect such material from moisture, but such thermal insulation is more expensive. As practice shows, working with extruded polystyrene foam is much easier, it does not crumble during cutting.
Installation of a lathing for a heater
For the installation of bars, galvanized self-tapping screws should be used for working with wood, their size should be equal to 3.5x30 mm, as for fixing the side surfaces, then they are fixed using self-tapping screws with dimensions of 4.5x70 mm, they are installed in the end. If the door frame is made of a profile pipe, then the length of the screws must be increased by adding the pipe section. The fasteners should go into the bar to a depth of 1/2 section, when installing the facing material, it is better to use screws with a press washer with dimensions of 4.2x32 mm.
Padding
Garage door insulation is usually carried out only after applying a primer to a metal surface. To do this, use an anti-corrosion agent, which eliminates the formation of rust with high humidity. The primer can be any, based on alkyd or synthetic resins. It should be intended for use over a wide temperature range. In order to degrease the surface, a solvent must be purchased together with the primer.
Foam insulation
Warming of garage doors with mounting foam is accompanied by the use of polystyrene or expanded polystyrene. As soon as the insulation boards are installed to the metal surface, all joints must be filled with foam. It is better to purchase a professional version of it, which involves the use of a pistol. This composition expands less in volume, and the gun allows you to conveniently apply the mixture to the right place and in any quantity. In order to prevent rotting of the bars, an antiseptic agent should be used, it can be made on an oil or water basis, sometimes such mixtures are paint with antiseptic properties. If you decide to use regular foam, then it should be protected from moisture. This can be done with the help of a vapor barrier membrane, Isolon self-adhesive insulation or bituminous mastic.
Sectional insulation
Sectional garage doors are insulated using almost the same technology as described above. Before you start, you need to choose the material, which can be foam, its installation is carried out using plastic dowels. This material is resistant to mold and mildew. If you want to ensure fire safety, you should choose a foam that was manufactured using flame retardants, in the event of a fire, the material will exhibit properties as self-extinguishing.
If it is possible to use special equipment, then polyurethane foam can be used for insulation. Work will cost more if they are carried out by a team of professional builders, but the efficiency will be at its best. At the first stage, the gates are measured, as well as individual sections. This will allow you to cut the material according to the parameters. The insulation is glued to the surface, and mounting foam is applied to the joints.
When the insulation of the joints of the garage doors was completed, you can proceed to waterproofing. To do this, use Isolon, which sometimes becomes an additional means of thermal insulation. In some cases, this material is used as the main layer of insulation.
Conclusion
Insulation of the garage door slots is no less important than the insulation of the canvas itself. To do this, use mounting foam, which has excellent adhesion with a huge amount of materials. However, before installation, the surface is moistened, because hardening occurs upon contact with moisture.