Insulation?

La_Noche · 02-24-2005, 08:35 PM

I plan on cleaning out my garage and being able to get the egg in there. Only problem is, it gets ridiculously cold in there. Any idea what would make a good insulation for a garage? I have a space heater but I dont feel like burning the place down so thats outta the question.

murray · 02-24-2005, 10:03 PM

foam insulation at home depo , it comes in 4x8 sheets 1.5 and 1.75 thick , it has a tin foil on one side . goodluck

back to black · 02-25-2005, 10:15 AM

buy that pink panther stuff like they use to insulate a house with. they come in big pink rolls that fit between the studs in the garage. btw make sure you where gloves long sleeves and some sort of mask just to be save because there are tiny pieces of glass in it and it will itch like hell

t bags · 02-25-2005, 03:43 PM

yeah the pink stuff rocks.its similar to what i used to use when i work outside doing aluminum siding and roofing.plastic gloves and at least wrap a shirt around ur face cause that stuff will make u itch and ur allergies will go crazy.also a portable heater from the depot will make u warm and cozy

Peanuthead · 02-25-2005, 07:40 PM

Where are you installing the insulation at?

Place baby powder aroud your sleeve cuffs and around the back of your neck. This will help keep the fiberglass particles from getting into your shirt. I would also wear a short sleeve short of something followed by a long sleeve shirt over that for protection. Thick leather gloves are the way to go also when installing that stuff.

What can I say...it helps to watch the home improvement channels.

You may want to install the same kind of stuff or double up on the blue styrofoam stuff in between the garage doors cutouts. I think I am going to use the blue stuff on mine but I will see this summer when I start to do it. It will come after I paint it and finish the floor.

Cujo_se-r · 02-26-2005, 11:43 PM

Going to school for architecture, i know a little about this.

If you want to keep it warm look for the highest R value. The higherthe value the more it can keep heat in. Just keep the insulation covered.

R0b_ · 02-27-2005, 04:32 PM

They sell full-body suits at Sherwin Williams, I'd assume they have them at home depot too... it's like a paper outfit, legs, body, arms, and a hood...you'll just need a set of gloves, a respirator, and DON'T FORGET the eye protection!! You don't want fiberglass in your eye.

I did the same thing in my house, used the pink-stuff in rolls.. you'll need a good utility knife with a lot of extra blades - fiberglass dulls them quickly. A respirator is absolutely necessary, think of it like asbestos.. it settles in the lungs like that, so pay the $40 for a good respirator, or at least get one of those little paper masks - but for me, the paper thing totally sucked, I got pissed and paid for a good respirator. If I did it over, I'd bay a few MORE bucks and get the respirator that comes with the full face shield, so you don't have to worry about goggles and all.

The other thing you'll want is a hammer-stapler. It's great, you just cut your strip of pink stuff, shove it between the studs, and then hold the paper edge down and whack it with the hammer-stapler a few times, repeat on the other side and you're done.

If you are doing it over-head, they make (or else I made them, I forgot) little metal sticks that you wedge between the rafters to keep the insulation from eventually sagging and falling down, think of it as little bridges every few feet that hold it up.

La_Noche · 02-27-2005, 08:24 PM

interesting, i know that like they install the insulation between the wooden things behind the walls(right?) well my garage is just walls, where would i put this insulation? lol would i have to tear down the walls?

Cujo_se-r · 02-27-2005, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by La_Noche

interesting, i know that like they install the insulation between the wooden things behind the walls(right?) well my garage is just walls, where would i put this insulation? lol would i have to tear down the walls?

One option without tearing out the walls is drill a hole in between the studs (the wooden things) and use spray insulation. I don't know your budget. I might be a little pricy.

stuofsci02 · 02-27-2005, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cujo_se-r

One option without tearing out the walls is drill a hole in between the studs (the wooden things) and use spray insulation. I don't know your budget. I might be a little pricy.

Get Roxul... Thats what I used and it is flame proof.. YOu can blow torch it and it wont burn...

back to black · 02-27-2005, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by La_Noche

interesting, i know that like they install the insulation between the wooden things behind the walls(right?) well my garage is just walls, where would i put this insulation? lol would i have to tear down the walls?

so what your saying is that there is drywall on the walls inside your garage, did you put the drywall up or was it there when you moved in cause if it was there maybe you'll get lucky and already have insulation up

Cujo_se-r · 02-28-2005, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by back to black

so what your saying is that there is drywall on the walls inside your garage, did you put the drywall up or was it there when you moved in cause if it was there maybe you'll get lucky and already have insulation up

highly doubt it. Garages are not normally insulated. Plus if he says that it already gets cold in there, there is propably no insulation in the walls.

Toolapcfan · 03-01-2005, 10:50 AM

If they rocked the walls they probalby insulated first. I'd poke a hole and see, or if you've got an outlet or switch on one of those outside walls, you could take the plate of and use a flashlight to peek in between the electrical box and the drywall to see if you can see anything. Insulation doesn't matter if the garage isn't heated. His garage door is a huge place where any heat in the garage would be lost very quickly. Using a heater in the garage is really the only option. Insulating a cold garage basically makes it no different than a cooler, it's just going to keep the cold in. And foam board insulation is usually crap for R value. The thin, foil back stuff has alsmost no R value to beging with, and it requires a 1" air space to even get the rating they claim for it. 1.5" White bead board is still $12 a sheet and doesn't have all that great an R value either. The best is the blue 2" closed cell "Scoreboard" but that sh*t is $24 a sheet. If you find that the walls aren't insulated, then cut holes in the drywall at the top of the wall, just below the top plate, buy some blow in insulation and rent the machine to blow it in. That'll be the most economical and easiest way to insulate them.

tierdrop · 03-01-2005, 07:01 PM

just get any insulation make sure the r-15 sound deadning. this will sound deaden the garage and hold heat and ac better.

R0b_ · 03-02-2005, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by La_Noche

interesting, i know that like they install the insulation between the wooden things behind the walls(right?) well my garage is just walls, where would i put this insulation? lol would i have to tear down the walls?

Ah, it's already drywalled? They make "blow in" stuff - you'd just pour it in at the top, or they cut in holes in the drywall and pump in stuff that looks like crumbled up cardboard fibers or white fluffy fiberglass-type stuff.

Other than that, if it is already insulated and you are still getting super-cold, you can actually buy insulated garage doors, they are made like those hollow-core interior doors, and filled with styrofoam. You could also get the 1" thick styrofoam board stuff and tack that to the garage door panels, it *might* work at least a little bit.
Make sure your gaskets are good and the door is sealing well along the bottom, and maybe use spray-foam around the sides of the door next to the rail to seal it that way.

Other than that, get yourself a nice propane heater - mine just screws onto a standard gas grill tank. I have the small one, it takes a little while but it will warm the place a bit. I'd recommend getting the dual-panel larger size. If you want something permanent, I'd get a wall or ceiling mounted gas "infrared" style heater. Not the "blue flame" one, but the infrared style - they are a little more efficient. I put one in my finished basement, one medium size one heats up the whole place even on low setting. You'd just have to plumb it into your house's gas line - no big deal, but if you don't know what you are doing, by all means HIRE someone to do it!

La_Noche · 03-02-2005, 01:09 AM

you know, come to think of it, i think i may be able to get behind the walls from above. The attic doesnt have flooring in some parts where the walls of the garage is. Ill take some pics to clear the confusion but its too late now. Maybe tomorrow. THanks for the help so far!

Peter · 03-29-2005, 02:03 AM

For a comparable amount of money to stuffing Owens-Corning
(the pink itchy stuff) in between all your studs/joists, you can
hire a local company to do a 'Blown in blanket' insulation for you.

Typically, hiring an insulation contractor costs less or the same
amount as doing yourself. If you go with the BIB stuff, it's a
little more expensive, but you get an actual R23 in a 2"x6" wall
and they can go as high as R50 in the ceiling.

Conversely, 'the pink stuff' while it's rated R19, the actual
realized R value is really 13-14. The stuff that gets layered
in two layers in the roof/ceiling area is rated at R24 per layer,
but it's not nearly so high as that after installation, either.

Lastly, one of most important things to remember when
insulating is that while keeping the heat in is good, closing
off sources of cold air infiltration will do a lot more for
the overall heat load of the space. Towards that end
you want to go around with cans of 'low-expansion
insulating foam and inject it around the perimeter of
all your window/door rough openings.

Build it tight, vent it right is the current industry
motto in vogue for northern climate HVAC folks.

If you have areas that generate moisture, you vent
the moist air, get rid of the moisture outside after
running it through a heat exchanger, and then recirculate
the warm, not so moist air back into dryer areas of the
house.

For a garage of course, that won't be an issue. Just make
sure it's as tight as possible, and if you need ventilation,
put in some sort of fan down the road.

Peter

Peter · 03-29-2005, 02:05 AM

Ha! I didn't read the entire thread.

Definitely hire a local contractor to blow in the short-strand
fiberglass. After doing the walls, they will do the ceiling by
stapling a vapor barrier (thick 6mil plastic) and that will hold
the fiberglass in.

Peter