by Joshua Thomas
For most people, the garage door is responsible for heat loss during winter and heat gain during summer. This is because most garage doors are made from metal that conducts heat better than the rest of the garage.
Therefore, during a hot summer day, your garage's temperature will quickly rise because it absorbs heat from the outside.
The same scenario happens during winter time as your garage door will lose heat quicker. Thus, you will need more power to heat up your garage which translates to a bigger electricity bill.
Luckily, the solution is quite simple!
As its name suggests, the garage door insulation kit insulates your metal garage door to help reduce your cooling or heating costs.
Suppose you have been struggling with electrical costs lately because of your garage door. In that case, our garage door insulation kit review below contains some quality models that will help you make significant savings almost immediately.
In fact, some of the main advantages of this kit are:
Contents
IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES |
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1. Matador SGDIK001 (Best Overall) |
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2. Owens Corning 500824 |
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3. US Energy Products USEP |
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4. Anco DIY |
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5. Cellofoam North America |
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6. Reach Barrier 3009 |
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The Matador is a popular garage door insulation kit that is ideal for both hot and cold kinds of weather. It has an R-value of 4.8, so this model is not the best model when it comes to insulation.
However, it still delivers decent insulation and will comfortably fit a standard garage door of 8 feet x 9 feet. It is made from a high-impact polystyrene laminate that is quite durable, and as its name suggests, it is resistant to impacts.
In addition, you do not need any special tools to install this insulation kit, and it can be done by absolute beginners. But best, but we really like about this model is that its build construction material makes it very easy to wash.
Notes
You can easily paint this insulation kit with either water or oil-based paint. Also note that this product is able to cover only a small surface area. Additionally, it has an R-value of 4.8 so it doesn't provide the best insulation.
Pros
Cons
The Owens Corning is a top-rated garage door insulation kit that you will find in many garages around the world. The reason for its popularity is quite simple. It is very competitively priced and provide you with superb insulation in any type of season.
Also, this model has a high R-value of 8 which means that it provides you with excellent insulation.
You do not have to worry about very cold winter temperatures with this unit as it will simply keep your garage warm and help diminish your heating costs.
The same is true during summer, and it will prevent heat from entering the garage.
Furthermore, the price of this model is very competitive, and it will fit a standard 9 feet x 7 feet garage door with ease. Again, you do not need any complex tools for the installation. A utility knife, a straight edge, and a marker are all the tools that you will need.
Notes: This insulation kit requires more DIY work than others. You do not get enough clips for the installation, and you may need to apply glue to secure the edges to your garage door
Pros
Cons
If there is one department where this garage door insulation kit is unbeatable, then it is in its ease of installation. Indeed, since it is made from a reflective foam that is flexible and relatively thin, it is very easy to cut to size.
Moreover, it has a double-sided tape at the back which makes it very easy to stick to your garage door.
Out of the box, you get enough insulation kit to cover a surface area of 16 feet x 8 feet which comes as a standard size. Of course, if you need a bigger surface area, then you can purchase another box.
In addition, this is a high-quality insulation kit that is made in the USA and has a high R-value of 7.5. This means that it will provide you with excellent insulation both during summer as well as in winter.
All in all, this product by US Energy Products is a true DIY garage door insulation kit that you absolutely must buy if want easy installation and excellent insulation for your garage.
Notes: You may need to purchase stronger double-sided tape because the backside tape that comes with this insulation kit is not strong enough.
Pros
Cons
Let's face it; most garage door insulation kits come in standard sizes. And often if you made a mistake and ordered the wrong size, you end up getting a garage door insulation kit that is unusable and difficult to install.
This is not a problem with this Anco model because it has a height of only 1.75 feet but a large length of 36.6 feet which means that regardless of the size of your garage door, you can simply cut it to size and make it fit.
In addition, it is made from a very tough and durable fiberglass material that also has an excellent R-value of 9.
In fact, based on efficiency alone, this model by Anco is the best garage door insulation kit that you will find in this review.
Notes: Just adjust your expectancy to what you are getting here. This installation kit is shipped in a plain box and the instruction has small text that is hard to read.
Pros
Cons
The Cellofoam is a special type of garage door insulation kit that is made from cellulose Styrofoam. It comes as a pack of 8, and it will easily cover a large garage door measuring 36 feet x 13.6 feet.
Of course, since it is made from a Styrofoam material, you can easily cut it with a knife or a pair of scissors. While this insulation kit does not provide the best insulation for the garage door during winter, it does an exceptional job during summer.
Indeed, where this insulation kit absolutely shines is in helping to insulate your garage from hot outside temperatures. If you need protection against hot temperatures, then the Cellofoam is an excellent choice.
Notes: This model does not provide the best insulation for cold temperatures. Rather, we recommended it to those living in hot climates
Pros
Cons
The Reach Barrier prides itself in its ease-of-use and ease of installation. Indeed, you do not need any special tools to install this insulation kit. But best, this kit is double layered which means that it will provide decent insulation in both hot and cold climates.
This model comes in 8 insulation panels so you can easily cut them to size, so they fit perfectly to your garage door.
Moreover, since it uses a special reflective polyethylene material, it will provide your garage with excellent insulation both during winter as well as in summer.
It can provide you with such excellent insulation because it is a double layered insulation kit that traps air between the 2 layers for the insulation.
Notes: Due to the material used on its surface, paint does not hold well on this installation kit.
Pros
Cons
Before finding the best garage door insulation kit for the money, there are some important aspects that you need to consider.
Here are some guidelines you can follow when purchasing this kit so that you do not make an expensive mistake.
The size and the shape of both the garage door insulation kit as well as your garage door are important factors to consider.
This is because it is often difficult to cut the insulation kit to shape so you must make sure that it fits your garage door right away.
In addition, most garage doors use standard sizes. So, if you pick the right model of your insulation kit, you will have no difficulty installing it on your garage door.
The garage door insulation kit is made from many different materials. Therefore, they have different prices as well as different levels of effectiveness.
Here are some common build construction materials that you will find in your garage door insulation kit:
Fiberglass : Fiberglass is a common construction material used in the garage insulation kit. It is very durable and has a high R-value of usually more than 7 which means that it will offer you with excellent insulation.
However, the main caveat with a fiberglass garage insulation kit is that it is difficult and messy to cut to size so you must make sure that you get the right size from the get-go.
Spray foam : As its name suggests, the spray foam is simply a foam that you spray on your garage door. Once applied, and cured, the spray foam will act as an insulation between the outside and your garage door.
This type of insulation is not the best insulation for the garage door, but it gets the job done and is one of the most affordable.
Rigid foam : The rigid foam is usually made from Styrofoam. Styrofoam is a very lightweight material that offers excellent insulation.
But one of the biggest advantages of rigid foam is its ease-of-use and ease of installation.
Even if you get the size wrong with a rigid foam insulation kit, you will have no difficulty cutting it to size and placing it on your garage door. You can use a regular adhesive to stick it to your garage door.
Cellulose : Cellulose is a low thermal material made from organic plants. Some experts argue that it is better than fiberglass as an insulator and easier to manipulate and install as well.
However, the main caveat with a cellulose garage insulation kit is that it is usually more expensive when compared to other types. Especially if you have a large garage door, then it can quickly become costly.
The effectiveness of the garage door insulation kit is measured in its R-value. A model that has a higher R-value is usually more effective than a model that has a lower R-value.
For most people, the garage door insulation kit with an effectiveness of 7 or more is more than enough and will provide your garage with adequate insulation from both heat as well as cold.
Of course, since installing the garage door insulation kit is usually a DIY job, you do not want it to be very difficult to install.
Luckily, most garage door insulation kits are quite easy to install, and you will need only basic tools to do so. Not to mention that you also do not need a lot of experience to install this kit.
Reach Barrier 3009 Garage Door Insulation Kit - Walmart Link
Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation: (48 in X 10 Ft Roll) Commercial Grade, No Tear, - Walmart Link
NASA TECH White Reflective Foam Core 2 Car Garage Door Insulation Kit 18FT (WIDE) x 8FT - Walmart Link
Reflectix BP24050 24-Inch-by-50-Foot Bubble Pack Insulation - Walmart Link
Matador SGDIK001 Garage Door Insulation, Large, White - Walmart Link
US Energy NASATECH (Pre-Cut for 16 Panel) 2 Car Garage Door Reflective Insulation Kit - Walmart Link
Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation Kit - Walmart Link
Garage Door Insulation Kit - 8 Foam Panels - Walmart Link
SmartGARAGE- Reflective Garage Door Insulation Kit 2 car - 18'W x 7'H - Walmart Link
Reach Barrier 3009 Garage Door Insulation Kit - eBay Link
Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation: (48 in X 10 Ft Roll) Commercial Grade, No Tear, - eBay Link
NASA TECH White Reflective Foam Core 2 Car Garage Door Insulation Kit 18FT (WIDE) x 8FT - eBay Link
Reflectix BP24050 24-Inch-by-50-Foot Bubble Pack Insulation - eBay Link
Matador SGDIK001 Garage Door Insulation, Large, White - eBay Link
US Energy NASATECH (Pre-Cut for 16 Panel) 2 Car Garage Door Reflective Insulation Kit - eBay Link
Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation Kit - eBay Link
Garage Door Insulation Kit - 8 Foam Panels - eBay Link
SmartGARAGE- Reflective Garage Door Insulation Kit 2 car - 18'W x 7'H - eBay Link
The garage door insulation kit really does a good job insulating your garage, both during the winter as well as in the summer.
But best, this kit is very easy to install, and you do not need advanced tools to do it. You can easily install it over your garage door in a few hours.
It is also relatively affordable, and anyone can purchase a garage door insulation kit without much trouble.
About Joshua Thomas
Joshua Thomas just simply loves cars and willing to work on them whenever there's chance... sometimes for free.
He started CarCareTotal back in 2017 from the advices of total strangers who witnessed his amazing skills in car repairs here and there.
His goal with this creation is to help car owners better learn how to maintain and repair their cars; as such, the site would cover alot of areas: troubleshooting, product recommendations, tips & tricks.
Joshua received Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University.
Just Car Care