MikeR
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 11:57 AM |
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Insulating your garage to keep it warm
Been thinking about this for a few days. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
I've got your basic, single detatched from the house tiled roof garage with single skin brick walls. Its blooming freezing. Can't keep it
warm with two heaters so .... got to insulate it.
Thinking about stapling the insulative reflective foil stuff to the bottom of the rafters. With a space in the middle for me to look in the attic
space. Above the foiled areas thinking of laying down hardboard. this will then provide an airgap (improved insulation) and give me something to store
things on. In the gap either going to try to fabricate something or just put the foil on some more hardboard.
For the garage door - no idea, probably more of the foil stuff.
What do people think?
Any better (cheaper / simpler) ideas?
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DarrenW
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 12:30 PM |
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Ive got a large detached single brick and pitched roof garage and manage to heat that enough with 2 little blow heaters. I wear those Sparco overalls
that are a touch thicker than normal and get toasty. It would be easier to wear several thin layers when working t rather than the hassle of
insulating the garage. It might be worth stopping the draughts if you have any. Ive got a good roller door fitted with brush strips either side - i
guess that helps a lot.
If i wanted to insulate id be tempted to use roofing lats on the walls, foil backed polystyrene in between and boards over he front. Line the roof
with boards and fit loft hatch so you can get access. Probs stop the drafts first and see if it is better.
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macnab
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 12:34 PM |
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hi,
Don't know what your budget is but I would recommend you cover the underside of the roof with plasterboard (look in the builder material section
for surplus materials. I got 10 4m x 1.2m sheets for £30. Then glass wool or white polystyrene in between the rafters again look in the classifieds.
Covering the walls with chipboard held away from the brick wall with batons (plastic damp proof sheet) in between the brick and wood. This will make a
huge differance as does plugging all the drafts.
My garrage was the same, I could run a space heater and still it was freezing, a warm garrage makes all the difference. Something you'll never
regret doing.
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RazMan
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 12:41 PM |
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Buy a Thinsulate wooly hat - saves on heating bills  I did all my ally panelling in December / January in an unheated garage and I was toasty warm
in just an old fleece - without the hat I was freezing!
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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Northy
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 12:44 PM |
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Has anyone insulated the door? If so, how?
G
Graham
Website under construction. Help greatfully received as I don't really know what I'm doing! 
"If a man says something in the woods and there are no women there, is he still wrong?"
Built 2L 8 Valve Vx Powered Avon
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brynhamlet
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 01:04 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by CaLviNx
Hi
The only thing i have to fit into my new garage when its built is the Aircon unit to keep it cool...... 
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ecosse
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 01:11 PM |
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How about insulated gyproc (thermaline I think its called?) easy to fix to roof and walls, with additional jablite (polystyrene) in between the
joists.
You could probably do a single garage in a mornings work!
Cheers
Alex
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MG David
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 02:22 PM |
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Floor
No one has mentioned the floor yet. I met someone who put a layer of styrofoam on the floor covered with a layer of 12mm ply wood. This made standing
and lying on the floor much better. It also cuts the draft under the door, but you may need a little ramp when you take the car in and out.
Most of us are short of space in the garage. Insulation on the inside of the wall makes that worse.
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bimbleuk
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 02:31 PM |
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The garage I use is attached to a house which does help. One Christmas when we had a lot of kids round we laid a layer of underlay and two layers of
old carpet to make a romper room. Been there ever since and its great to kneel/crawl around on.
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macnab
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 02:34 PM |
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very good point about the floor. I put wood down as my feet got really cold, just make sure it is replaced if it gets oil or fuel soaked as it can
smolder when welding etc. and might ignite hours later when your in bed...
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 02:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MG David
No one has mentioned the floor yet. I met someone who put a layer of styrofoam on the floor covered with a layer of 12mm ply wood. This made standing
and lying on the floor much better. It also cuts the draft under the door, but you may need a little ramp when you take the car in and out.
Thought about doing something like that to my basement as the original concrete floor is pretty rough and very cold. I was wondering how you could
hold multiple sheets together; suppose you could rout tongue and grooves into it, or at least make a kind of lap joint you could screw into.
Wouldn't the styrofoam make the floor a bit springy with (relatively) thin 12mm plywood?
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MkIndy7
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 04:48 PM |
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For the Floor, ya can't beat good old carpet!
And for insulating the door you can use polystyrene sheets Glued to the back of it.
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ecosse
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 05:09 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MG David
Most of us are short of space in the garage. Insulation on the inside of the wall makes that worse.
Insulated Gyproc comes in 22mm sheets, so you would only be losing 42mm total, not the end of the world I wouldn't have thought?
Cheers
Alex
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hillbillyracer
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:40 PM |
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Tongue & groove chipboaed is commonly used in house floors & is available in a green finish thats moisture resistant.
The bosses house was done with it & we use the offcuts as big set squares in the workshop when fabricating stuff as the corners on this stuff is
spot on 90deg. Apart from the corners getting dog eared they seem to stand up to water, welding sparks & generally being kicked around.
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Johnmor
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 08:44 PM |
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Best efficiency is to insulate the ceiling.
Cheapest option to insulate a garage ceiling:
12.5mm duplex plaster board(foil backed), will also improve the lighting massivly by reflecting light down . Cost about £4.50 for 1.2x2.4.
100mm glasswool 1 large bag = 11m2.
costs around £14 .
6mx4m = 24m2 insulation = £28 plaster board= 9x£4.5= £40
Total around £70 some cheap emusion and your there.
Time, around 4 hours (depending on expierence)
Thats the way to go!!
Many foam backed product cost a fortune.
50mm poly foil backed poly foam can cost around £40/sheet. Great product , but not cheap.
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MikeR
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 08:53 PM |
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why use plasterboard?
Why not hardboard? pound per sheet thats 2.4m by 0.6m or something. Think its a £1.50 if its the white faced stuff.
Ok its not foil lined, but will it make that much difference? My worry about using glasswool is it comes in standard sizes, my garage beam width is
0.8m instead of the more normal 0.6.
Just realised, i could use 2 lots of 0.4 insulation ! Doh.
[Edited on 4/12/06 by MikeR]
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bodger
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 09:27 PM |
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garage insulation
Managed to get some 8x4 sheets of 50mm celotex from someone who'd just done a loft conversion. 7 sheets for £50. Going to get some 30mm to stick
on the garage door. Not cheap to buy new but it is the dogs.
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Phil.J
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 09:50 PM |
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Machine Mart do some quilted overalls that keep you toasty.
ATB Phil
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millenniumtree
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 10:33 PM |
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I would be very worried about mold forming under the floor. If you put down untreated plywood on the floor (or even 2x4s and something over), any
moisture will build up, soak into the wood, and cause bad things to grow.
When finishing a basement, they generally say to put down a moisture barrier on the floor first, then 2x4 lumber, then plywood, then your finish
material (carpet, tile, whatever) but if there's moisture coming from above all the time (dripping from a car, seeping in the garage door, etc),
then you've got a whole other problem...
I'm sure someone makes some plastic or rubberized tiles you could put down that would be moisture proof and mold resistant. Another option
would be pressure treated lumber or even "plastic lumber" (don't know the real name for it), with pressure treated plywood or cement
board on top of that.
I think the best option would be to only put something on the floor where your feet will be, and leave the parking area uncovered.
If you have a really cold slab, it's because you're not heating the space around it enough. If you insulate walls and ceiling, then heat
the bejesus out of the garage, the slab should (slowly) warm up. If you're shutting the heat off every night and let the slab cool down, then
you'll have to expend a lot of energy in heating up the slab again.
No budget limitations? Heat the slab directly with radiant heating. 
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jono_misfit
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 06:12 PM |
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Put in under floor heating 
or do what i do, and just go hacksaw something thick for a few mins. Always warms me up from head to toes and costs bugger all.
[Edited on 5/12/06 by jono_misfit]
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MikeR
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 11:21 PM |
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well decided im going to clear out the attic space, attach white hardboard to the bottom of the rafters (stop drafts, improve lighting) add glass wool
above the hard board then board the top of the rafters to make storeage space.
Should cost about 20 quid a side for the hard board + 20 quid for the glass wool.
(total garage is 2.4m x 5.4m)
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James
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| posted on 6/12/06 at 12:05 PM |
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Some old carpet really makes a massive difference!
Just don't set fire to it!
Cheers,
James
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 6/12/06 at 12:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by millenniumtree
If you have a really cold slab, it's because you're not heating the space around it enough. If you insulate walls and ceiling, then heat
the bejesus out of the garage, the slab should (slowly) warm up. If you're shutting the heat off every night and let the slab cool down, then
you'll have to expend a lot of energy in heating up the slab again.
No budget limitations? Heat the slab directly with radiant heating.
I don't use any heating in the basement at all, it would just be throwing money away. It has sliding doors that are a bit drafty (some brush
strip improved things greatly, but still some draft) and it has air bricks directly to the outside.
I don't mind the cold to be honest, in fact I much prefer working somewhere cold than in sweltering heat, but I don't like kneeling or
lying down on freezing, rough concrete floor.
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NS Dev
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| posted on 6/12/06 at 01:11 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Been thinking about this for a few days. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
I've got your basic, single detatched from the house tiled roof garage with single skin brick walls. Its blooming freezing. Can't keep it
warm with two heaters so .... got to insulate it.
Thinking about stapling the insulative reflective foil stuff to the bottom of the rafters. With a space in the middle for me to look in the attic
space. Above the foiled areas thinking of laying down hardboard. this will then provide an airgap (improved insulation) and give me something to store
things on. In the gap either going to try to fabricate something or just put the foil on some more hardboard.
For the garage door - no idea, probably more of the foil stuff.
What do people think?
Any better (cheaper / simpler) ideas?
Ahhhhhh stop being a BIG WUSSY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You want a great big garage that's too big to insulate, a wooly hat, and a propane eater, just follow my lead on this subject
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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MikeR
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| posted on 6/12/06 at 07:09 PM |
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yeah but ....... i've not got a big garage and if i used your propane heater the thing would be up in flamed in about 30 seconds!
oh and i've lived down south too long, i'm a wuss!!!!!!
(plus its an excuse to tidy up the place)
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