The Smartest Way to Insulate Your Garage Door: A Complete DIY Guide

[@Mike_Hunt-k7c]

The production quality is excellent for a channel with less than 200 subs. Carlos, you are doing great work!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you James! Really appreciate your kind words.

[@artesran]

This was amazing. I work on a computer from home in my garage. It was getting in the 90's inside. This was a life saver.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @artesran! I am glad you liked it :) Thank you for your comment!

[@jsides1006]

When the girls start helping you clean, it's adorable! I love it when my kids want to help me.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @jsides1006, thank you for your comment :) The way I see it is that maybe one day in the future, we will be able to see back and compare with them, " hey!, that's you when you were younger! look you were helping me out" .... something like that. Good memories I suppose. Thank you for taking the time :) really appreciate it.

[@quantumleap-oq9mw]

​@@CarlosWorkshopHavenpriceless moments 🫶

[@Max-hq2jm]

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to make it easy to follow, but chock full of useful information.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you @Max-hq2jm! I am glad it was helpful. Thank you for your comment.

[@angelicdunce]

Maybe it was just me but I found the background music a bit distracting/loud. Other than that great video, best of luck.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @angelicdunce thank you for the feedback. That is good information for me to know, really appreciate you took the time to let me know. Thank you.

[@Max-hq2jm]

Not just you. Great video, but hard to focus on his voice. I don't know why every DIY video has to have annoying music. Carlos did a great job with this, but the music made it un-watchable.

[@pedrogalindo9324]

I’ll definitely look into applying this solution in my own garage. Seeing the difference in temperature from inside and outside was crazy! More comfortable garage temperature = more time working on all the home projects!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

I'm glad you found the video helpful. It's amazing how a more comfortable garage temperature can make such a big difference. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask.

[@kimsalazar2746]

Thank you carlos. This is the exact thing I wanted to do to my garage.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

You are welcome Kim! I am glad you found it helpful!

[@ashihtaka]

Great video, I appreciate that you showed the mistakes like garage bracing, and what you would have changed like the tape. Subscribed!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @ashihtaka, thank you for the subscription. I know that my case was very particular, and that not everyone will have to go through those kinks, but I bet there is someone out there with the same garage door as mine and will have to consider those things. Thank you for comment and feedback, I really appreciate it.

[@quantumleap-oq9mw]

OMG, that is very harsh heat 🥵 Scorching! There is no way we can have over here that 🌞 Regards form London 🇬🇧 🙂

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thanks for your message! 🌞 Yes, the Texas heat can be pretty intense, especially in the summer! 🥵 Hope you’re staying cool over there in London! Regards from Texas 🇺🇸🙂

[@robertmckay7943]

I just finished my garage makeover. Insulation on the garage door. It’s 105 outside now but with portable ac going it’s keeping the inside around 79 The ac unit cycles off from time to time

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Nice @robertmckay7943! I am also adding AC in the garage! The video is coming up soon. Thank you for your comment.

[@jhors7777]

Thank you for posting this helpful video

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hello @jhors7777! I am glad it was helpful. Thank you for your comment! :)

[@Oki-kq1iq]

Great video. But remember the insulation affects the weight of the garage door. You may need to adjust your spring to assist the garage door motor.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @Oki-kq1iq, I did rebalance the garage door by adjusting the torsion spring because exactly of what you are mentioning. Thank you for your comment. :)

[@bum-bumbigelow3825]

I have done about the same installation, but instead white styrofoam I have been using Pro Select R-Matte Plus-3, 1.5 in. x 48 in. x 8 ft. R-9.6 Foam Insulation Board. Same amount of time and efforts, much more outcome. As a first layer I used the same Radiant barrier with air pockets. For Houston heat I got just shy of 40 degree difference. Just my advice.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @bum-bumbigelow3825, that is a great option! Thank you for sharing that.

[@EnriqueHerrera-w4g]

Great video Carlos! I appreciate the detail explanation for heat transfer. Thanks

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @EnriqueHerrera-w4g, I am glad it was a little helpful, thank you for your comment.

[@SandraPatriciaBañuelosC]

Looks so easy with your explanation . Very good info. Thanks

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you Sandra! :)

[@robkingsley7123]

Great video Carlos! I got lots of good info from it for my identical project and the ways you shared your thoughts for “future Carlos” and after you slept were quite enjoyable and entertaining! Appreciate your level of detail and the fun you and your family put into this video. Keep up the great work! Many thanks, Rob

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey Rob! I am glad you got some ideas from the video. Thank you for your kind words, it is very appreciated.

[@SolRC]

5 years ago I did a radiant reflective barrier with an air gap, no foam on my garage door. There is a 20 to 30 degree F difference from the outside of the garage door and the inside temp. I did the same for my ceiling. Now when it's 110 outside it's about 85 to 90 degrees in the garage. That is about as hot as it gets here. So I am happy, I guess when it gets into the 120s in a few more years I will need to foam board up as well.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @SolRC, I will need to insulate my attic/ceiling at some point as well. I think I will do the same thing you did with the radiant barrier... at least to begin with, but money and time are always the issue. Thank you for taking the time and leaving me a comment!

[@JW-rv1mw]

How did you create the 1" air gap?

[@TheRPhelps24]

The approach that I've used in 3 houses in blazing Florida is: Buy the 2 inch 4×8 sheets of rigid insulation with the radiant foil on one side (shiny foil goes toward the door). Cut to fit on my table saw with rabbet joints to help it fit into the channels. Its a snug friction fit thatnis slightly fatter than the door. So once you add the stiffener braces, it just snugs everything up! The door barely rattles now as the styrofoam adds a lot of stiffness and deadens the sound a LOT. I also installed an oversized ductless mini split in there as well. So it's quite comfy!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Blazing Florida! hahaha know what you mean. I really like the approach of all in one, the foil in one face of the foam. I also noticed as you mentioned that the rattling went away. In the next video, due to natural sequence of events I will be installing a mini split, but that video will be a little bit delayed due to work travel. Thank you @TheRPhelps24 for your comment.

[@martiruda]

cheers for the advice Carlos

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you @martiruda! Cheers back!

[@JekyllInside]

I'm surprised with the quality and edition of the video, for a channel that young. Definitely worth a subscription and looking forward to see more content. I aggre on the background music thing, maybe turning down 2 notches will be better to focus on the content...

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @JekyllInside, thank you for your feedback, this is another comment I get with regards to the background music, I will make those changes for the next video. Thank you for taking the time to help me improve.

[@lrita7179]

I have a several question but most importantly - THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I've been scouring YT on and off for a few years looking for someone to explain the best way to insulate my garage door and why - you hit the nail on the head. Few questions: does any of this vary if the garage door is wood (I have a wood door)? what about foam thickness? I noticed you had pink in the background but used white - density difference? Last question, with regards to the reflect aluminum barrier, on mine one side is the "aluminum" reflective side and the other side is white. For wood doors, you're supposed to have the white side facing the inside of the garage. Do you know why? Thanks again for video!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @Irita7179, I am glad I was able to help out. I am more than happy to help you out answering your questions. I will try to put everything in simple terms. First, wood itself is a great insulator. If you think about it, wood could be burning literally and you could be holding the other side of a torch without burning your hand. Having said that, having a garage door made out of wood is a great start, much better than steel, .....maybe? Like anything else, pros and cons. Steel is strong and could potentially be lighter than wood (will depend on wood species). Wood could be lighter or heavier depending of the species, great natural insulator, but if not treated, could rot, so constant maintenance is required. Regarding the foam thickness, the thicker the better since you are providing more volume for the heat to dissipate through. The pink foam has a higher density than the white Styrofoam, the denser the heavier. I chose, the white foam for its lighter weight and aesthetics. You want the aluminum looking reflective film/panel on the outer side since it will reflect back most of the infrared electromagnetic radiation (infrared light). Some energy (radiation) will be absorbed regardless, another portion will go through, but what we want to do is to try to bounce back as much energy (radiation) as possible. The reasoning behind using white panels pointing inside the house, or on some roofs is again more physics based. In terms of the visible spectrum of light, white light is made out of all colors, Black, is the absence of colors. When our eyes see a red object, that """RED""" object basically absorbed all colors from the light except red, it bounces back the corresponding wavelength to the color red, hence why we see a red object. So a black objects absorb all colors and reflect none, hence why we perceive them as black, absence of colors. White objects absorb none and reflect all colors at once, hence why perceive them as white. So with that on mind, roofs are painted white when they want to bounce out all visible light. Except that infrared light (our real heat) doesn't care and simply wants to go through everything. :D Sorry for the long essay. I hope it helps out even a little. :)

[@kevenc]

IR temperature guns cannot read shiny surfaces. The shiny surface could be 1000 degrees, and it will still read your temperature (or whatever is in reflection). Black electrical tape is a great way to read temps on shiny surfaces with IR temperature guns.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

You are right @kevenc, I could have used some none reflective material right on top of the panel to get a more accurate measurement. Thanks for pointing that out. :)

[@brianmurphy836]

Great video and loads of excellent detail Carlos, thank you. I take it you are not opening the garage door since you sealed the outside edge?

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @brianmurphy836, I just sealed the edges to lower the amount of air leak, but I open the garage whenever I need to, like bring stuff in and out for more projects. I do try not to open it because of the heat though. Thank you for your comment. :)

[@rcats848]

Don't forget about the influence of paint colors, especially in very hot climates! A dark paint garage can absorb 60%+ more heat than a light paint, and the best insulation money can buy is to just never absorb the heat in the first place. If you've got a dark garage door (and you can choose a different color), you're just fighting physics if the first thing you reach for is insulation. Great video, you did a solid job of covering reflecting radiation but I think you might have taken it for granted that you already made the best choice in paint colors 😆.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @rcats848! You are absolutely right regarding the color of paints. That would have been a nice touch to add somewhere in the video. In my case, I just bought the house as is, so I was lucky I didn't have to paint the garage door from the beginning. Thank you for your comment. :)

[@OnTVaustralia]

Nice work Carlos! (Subscribed now) I have a double garage door that copes full afternoon heat for the entire afternoon. Maybe 8hrs in summer. Question I have is: what is the temp of the metal door that is inside facing, compared to the outside.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hello @OnTVaustralia! Thank you for your subscription! For me the temperature of the metal door was about the same for the inside and outside. I measured 101.8 F inside and 102.2 F outside. These numbers will vary with the day and weather of course, if you are in a windy area this could help out with the cooling of the garage door in the outside. Your metal garage door will act as a huge heat sink. I hope this information helps :)

[@OnTVaustralia]

​@CarlosWorkshopHaven I have access to a foam board that has a foil cover. Do you think this will yield a similar result?

[@tomasvillarreal3430]

Bro that Zelda tune!!!! hahahahahah Subscribing for more Zelda tunes, 3D prints like Majora's Mask... oh yes and the DIY content! Great work dude

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @tomasvillarreal3430! Thanks man! I am glad you liked it.

[@siulanainad]

Carlos Dios bendiga a tus preciosas hijitas y a tu familia ❤

[@gdelohi1]

Great video and tips. Love you had your little helpers in there too.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you very much @gdelohi1 :) they are the best helpers one could have.

[@evabanueloscovarrubias9895]

Me anima a la instalación del aislante!!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

De volada! :)

[@afpitbull60]

Awesome!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @afpitbull60, thanks for your support!

[@evabanueloscovarrubias9895]

Muy bien explicado!!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Gracias Eva! :)

[@momisiveet]

Awsome, I really enjoyed your video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you @momisiveet! :)

[@adolfofontalvomerlano1603]

Great Video…

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you Adolfo, I am glad you liked it.

[@ElegalvicnLa]

When u take measurements they should be about the same distance to get the most accurate results.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @ElegalvicnLa, you are correct, consistency and repeatable measurements are key. Thank you for your comment. :)

[@WisdomTree2024]

Very thorough and precise informative, appreciate you for sharing.. I had just bough a similar type of radiant barrier foil, and going gradually install them very soon. Sub and follow :)

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @WisdomTree2024! thanks for sharing that and thank you for your Sub :D

[@kevenc]

Since you already have metal doors, and they already reflect some heat, I'm not sure how effective the reflective barrier will be, but otherwise a great video!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @kevenc! Thank you for your comment!

[@chrisbry3226]

Nice video sir. Keep it up

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you @chrisbry3226! I appreciate it.

[@bob8ize]

Removing long things like those braces, you leave that first screw in to hold the end, then remove all the others

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Ahhh!! That is actually a great idea @bob8ize!, You are absolutely right!!!! Thank you for the feedback, will keep it in mind for the future.

[@joefranceschino3131]

Great video. Thanks. I know it’s not much weight but did it affect you door balance at all?

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @joefranceschino3131, to be honest, I do not know because my garage door was not balanced to begin with. I added the insulation and then balanced the door via the torsion spring. I did not covered that process in the video since it was not the focus, and it will have taken a while to cover it right. Sorry I could not answer your question. If I had to guess, it will have barely affected the weight. That foam is pretty light.

[@joefranceschino3131]

@@CarlosWorkshopHaven thanks for the update

[@omikurita]

thank you for the awesome video sub earned.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Thank you @omikurita! :)

[@justinmilla]

Throw a little portable AC and heater combo in there and you will be working in luxury conditions

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @justinmilla, that is actually my next step, I will do a mini split install in order to make the shop more enjoyable to work there and be able to do actual projects without all the heat. I hope you stick around. Thank you for your comment!

[@justinmilla]

@@CarlosWorkshopHaven sounds great! I have a portable AC which is just hooked up to my window. I bought it used so it was a very cheap way to cool down the shop and garage

[@jessea.9268]

I didn't see you add a foam spacer in the video. Did you decide not to include that in the install?

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @jessea.9268, you're right! There’s just enough wiggle room to maneuver the insulation panels into the cavities, so I decided not to add them at the end. There's still some air trapped in between, though. Thank you for reaching out.

[@dinkyshopYT]

Seems like adjusting the torsion spring is a harder job. Or maybe you can show how to do that safely. That seems like the hardest part of the project. Good job. The background music isn’t needed while you’re talking. Good start to the channel though. Looks like you have a nice shop.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @dinkyshopYT, thank you for your comment. In regards to the torsion spring adjustment, it is like you said, is a tricky task which could be its own project/video. I could explain what I did and found in a future video for that job specifically. Regarding of the background music, I think that is the conclusion I am arriving at after getting constructive feedback from everyone. I will be implementing those changes in the next video. Thank you for taking the time in providing me some feedback to get better at this.

[@frostweave1]

love the zelda reference.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @frostweave1, thank you! thank you!!! thank you!!!!, I knew someone was going to get it hahaha. It is for people like you that I threw that in there. Thank you for your comment!

[@george9710]

It's a nice effort but there is something fairly obvious that you are missing called thermal bridging. The metal frame that extends from the outside of the garage to the inside will still allow a substantial amount of heat transfer and you will still have issues with the garage heating up. It would take a much longer period of time to do so but it's definitely there and you have essentially installed the insulation incorrectly. What you are aiming for is a continuous surface of insulation with virtually no breaks in it. To do so, you will need to install the insulation over the internal surface of the garage door and you likely don't need to remove any of the parts of the door. You are clearly not going to be able to attach the Festool tracks the way you currently do and you may have a problem with the door mechanism which is why this isn't often done. To be perfectly honest, you likely want a door that was built as an insulated product as retrofitting is not always possible and is always hard. As to radiation, I think you might be over engineering this whole thing. Your garage door is metal and that reduces radiation substantially Having your door painted in a light color also reflects a lot of the radiant heat back so the foil insulation is great but it mostly works because of the air pockets and not the foil.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @george9710, Thank you for your comment. I am surprised you were able to catch those things, you have great attention. You are correct about the thermal bridging, but also, the whole outer side of the garage door steel panel acts as a huge heat sink that gets cool off as air blows on it, which will help (depending on the day of course) delay the heating up during the day, and since the idea is to improve the past existing conditions ...well we do what we can, and it did improve. Then again, as you mentioned, the best way to go about it will be to have one of those insulated garage doors from factory. Great comments @george9710, thank you for your insights!

[@tullgutten]

How do you not sweat like a pig an that heat!? I struggle when it goes over 18°C while working or 24°C while completely still in a chair 😅

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @tullgutten! Haha, you’re right, I sweat like crazy in there! 😅 I have to take a lot of breaks and run in and out of the house just to cool down! One of my next videos is the mini split install, ...coming soon. Thank you for your comment.

[@will1498]

what was the change in ambient temp?

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @will1498, That is a great question. I am not going to lie to you, I do not have a specific number since the temperature has been oscillating due to changes in the weather, rain, wind, temperature itself, the time of the day, etc. But I can provide you with a range of what I have noticed. Keep in mind that the thermometer that I used for the room temperature is a really cheap one. Before it was oscillating somewhere between 95-97 F more less. Now, is somewhere between 89-93F depending on the day.

[@MrHisitech]

Great video but please stop the background music!!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

Hey @MrHisitech, thank you for your feedback.

[@aelfswith]

That extra weight won't be an issue surely....ask me how I know.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

I am afraid to ask hehe, but I will frame my question differently. How long did the motor last? All information is good to know. I had to rebalance my torsion spring with 3 additional 3/4 turns to compensate the additional weight.

[@aelfswith]

@@CarlosWorkshopHaven to be fair, I insulated a manual door. 10x14. got 6 panels insulated and the current spring tension would no longer allow me to lift the door. spring broke after 1.5 yrs, even after removing some of the panels. Thinking about the operator, it may be fine. I may have missed if you added tension to the spring, but it may be worth a little.

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

@@aelfswith I am starting to wonder now about the torsion spring itself. I re-adjusted the torsion spring to rebalance the door in order to alleviate the load on the motor, but I don't know the effect on the torsion spring itself. I will need to look into that. Thank you for your insights @aelfswith.

[@aelfswith]

@@CarlosWorkshopHaven normally, a door with an operator is tensioned less than one without so you may be fine. Especially if the spring is not pretty old.

[@josephhfry]

Your garage door opener (even if it's you manually lifting it) should notice zero difference because you should have the spring retentioned to handle the heavier door. Probably cost $100 or so if you don't want to do it yourself (scary stuff if you don't know what your doing).

[@mvguy4792]

This is a payoff project!

[@CarlosWorkshopHaven]

That's right! ;)