We may have put in a lot of work to insulate our house but neglected our garage. As a result, our garage gets excruciatingly hot in the summer and bitter cold in the winter. Our tools and things also suffer as the temperature changes may damage them.
You can always install brand-new garage doors with built-in insulations if you have the budget. If you are more budget conscious, fortunately, there are such things called insulation kits. You purchase these kits and stick them to your current garage doors.
If installing insulation kits on your garage door excites you, read on. We will recommend our top 6 picks of the best door insulation kits in the market.
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Our Top Picks
Best Value | Best Price | Best Feature |
Great performance, with a great price. Reflectix BP24050 Bubble Pack Insulation Kit | Most wallet-friendly option. US Energy Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation Roll | Best performance, with prices secondary. Nasatech White Reflective Foam Garage Door Insulation Kit |
How Do We Select The Insulation Kits?
These garage door insulation kits were selected based on factors such as:
- Material
- Performance
- Installation
- Design Matches
- Pricing & Cost
The idea here is to cater to as many requirements as possible, allowing you to choose the best insulation kits for your needs.
We took our jobs seriously when we surveyed the market for suitable garage door insulation kits to recommend in this article. We try our best to cater to as many preferences and requirements as possible.
This means taking into account things such as materials, performance, and design. We know that costs may be an important factor here, so we recommended some affordable but great options for you as well.
We also understand some of you prefer to explore different installation methods, so we try to have several for you to choose from in this list too.
Type
There are many types of insulation you may use for your garage doors. There are fiberglass, cellulose, radiant barriers, and foams.
Here, we will only feature foam and radiant barrier insulation kits, as these are more realistic for a DIY-er to install. The rest may either require some serious tool or are too messy to work with in an already-occupied garage.
Within foam insulation kits, there are rigid and batt insulations. They are similarly based on foam but installed differently, so we included both here. Radiant barrier insulation kits may come in rigid or batt insulations as well.
Performance
We understand that you may live in places where the weather is extreme, with bitter cold and scorching heat. You may also live in a milder climate, which does not require very high-performing insulation.
As a result, when we recommended the insulation kits here, we recommended a range of them. Some may be high-performance insulation, which can handle the cold north well. These, however, may be overkill in warmer areas.
As a result, we also recommended insulation kits that are more normal in their range of performance. These are also often cheaper, which may suit your budget too.
Installation Work
Some of us are hardcore DIYers that believe in doing everything ourselves. However, some prefer to have some convenience too.
When it comes to installing garage door insulation, you may prefer to have it more manageable. This means having your garage insulation materials precut; all you have to do is stick them up to the door panels.
However, you may also be those hardcore DIYers. You want the insulations to come in a roll, and you measure, cut, adjust, and stick the insulations up yourself. As a result, we recommended insulation kits that suit both styles of installation work.
Design Matches
For more of us, functionality and performance reign supreme, and design is never a significant consideration. This means as long as the insulation works well, we do not care about the color, how much they shine, etc.
However, some of us have a keen eye for aesthetics and prefer to keep our garages on a set theme of colors. This helps bring color organization to the garage and keeps it looking zen and peaceful.
Taking this in mind, we try to recommend insulation kits that come in several colors. These are also neutral colors, such as white and silver, so they are versatile enough to fit into most garages.
Pricing & Cost
If pricing and cost are not an issue, chances are you would not be doing any DIY. You would have called a professional installer to tear down your old garage doors. Then, you will have a new garage door with built-in insulations set up.
Some of us may be able to splurge a little bit on the garage insulation kits and get better performance out of them. However, not all of us have the funding to do so. Some of us just want something that will do its job at the lowest cost possible.
As a result, we also recommended insulation kits across all budget ranges. We hope you may find one that suits your budgetary needs.
Best Garage Door Insulation Kits
Insulation Kit | Pros | Cons | |
US Energy Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation Roll | -Aluminum Film To Reflect Heat. – Uses Poly-Air inner layers. -Can be stapled. -Fiberglass free. -Humidity and fire-resistant. -Thin and rather lightweight. | -Not garage door-specific insulation. -No adhesion tape and other kits for installation work. -R-value of 4. | Check Prices |
Nasatech Precut Garage Door Reflective Insulation Kit | -Radiant barrier type insulation. -Thin, only 0.31 inches (0.78cm). -No fiberglass. -Precut to fit 16 door panels. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. | -Rolls not cut squarely from the maker. | Check Prices |
Reach Barrier 3009 Kit Garage Door Insulation Kit | -Radiant barrier type insulation. -Pre-cut. -Comes with adhesive strips. -Silver color. -Fiberglass free. -Humidity and fire resistant. | -Pre-cut insulation. -It may not fit longer door panels. | Check Prices |
Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation Kit | -Vinyl and fiberglass insulation. -White color. -Humidity and fire resistant. -Pre-cut. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. | -White vinyl may dirty easily. -Fiberglass may itch the skin. -It may not look finished. | Check Prices |
Nasatech White Reflective Foam Garage Door Insulation Kit | -No fiberglass. -White color. -Textured, natural surface. -Humidity and fire resistant. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. | -The white surface may get dirty easily. | Check Prices |
Reflectix BP24050 Bubble Pack Insulation Kit | -Radiant barrier-type insulation. -Thin, only 0.25 inches (about 0.64cm). -Comes with adhesive strips. -Silver color with bubble finish. -Fiberglass free. | -Not pre-cut for garage doors. -R-value of 6. | Check Prices |
US Energy Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation Roll
You can get this if you want garage door insulation without all the fluff. The insulation comes in a 10-foot roll with a 4 feet width. This means you can cut the insulation in any way you see fit.
The outside layer is a film of aluminum polyester coating designed to help deflect radiant heat away from the garage door and back into the air. Inside are two layers of polyethylene air bubbles to help reduce heat transmission. This should function similarly to a water tumbler.
The manufacturer claims this double-bubble reflective foil can reflect 97% radiant heat. The insulation is also lightweight and durable enough that you can install them in any way you prefer, be it stapling, gluing, or taping.
If we are to complain about this insulation roll, it is that first, it does not come with any installation kit. No ruler, no knives, no tapes, nothing. This can be seen differently. You may like it since no freebies mean the savings can be passed down at a lower price. You may also think you would rather have the tools to make your job easier.
Secondly, it is not garage door-specific insulation. This means the insulation rolls may not be pre-measured and precut for your garage door. If you are to purchase this, you may need to spend more time measuring and cutting the roll up to fit your door panel.
Another issue is performance. Not the best performer on the list, but the price more than justifies it. It only has an R-value of 4. Plus, not all of us need insulation with a super-high R-value.
Why We Like This: This is probably the best no-nonsense, come-as-they-are insulation roll you can get. Is it thin and are humidity and fire-resistant. It comes in a large roll, which means you can ensure the perfect cutting for your door panel. Get this if you do not mind extra measuring work and do not need perfect insulation.
Pros |
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-Aluminum Film To Reflect Heat. -Uses Poly-Air inner layers. -Can be stapled. -Fiberglass free. -Humidity and fire-resistant. -Thin and rather lightweight. |
Cons |
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-Not garage door-specific insulation. -No adhesion tape and other kits for installation -work. -R-value of 4. |
Nasatech Precut Garage Door Reflective Insulation Kit
The Nasatech precut garage door reflective insulation kit is a form of radiant barrier insulation. This means it comes with a reflective layer outside to help deflect heat. The inside layer contains the insulation layer made of foam.
The main point of this insulation kit is its simplicity. As a start, it has been precut to fit into a single garage door. That means 16 panels. If you have a double garage door, get two insulated kits.
The precut insulation means you do not need to perform all the measurements yourself. In most cases, you will only be working on the smaller adjustment-type measurements to ensure a proper fit. This will be way easier than measuring everything from scratch.
The foam insulation is also thin, with a combined thickness of 0.31 inches (0.78cm). This would not add excessive weight to your panels and cause issues with your garage door springs. It also has no fiberglass material, meaning you will spare yourself itches on the skin.
The insulation also performs well. It has an R-value of 8, which means it should insulate your garage well from the extreme temperature outside. Noise should also not be an issue.
Best of all, the insulation kit also comes with kits that help to make your installation job more straightforward. You’ll get a roll of tape, a razor knife, and a squeegee to press the insulation into the door panels.
If we were to try to find issues with this insulation kit, it would be that the cutting was not straight. You may need to cut out a small part of the insulation to square it.
Why We Like This: This insulation kit comes precut, which means you can install them to your garage door panels quickly. It also has an R-value of 8, which means it should perform well in insulating and blocking out sounds from your garage. It is also relatively thin and comes with an installation kit with tape, a knife, and squeegees.
Pros |
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-Radiant barrier type insulation. -Thin, only 0.31 inches (0.78cm). -No fiberglass. -Precut to fit 16 door panels. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. |
Cons |
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Rolls not cut squarely from the maker. |
Reach Barrier 3009 Kit Garage Door Insulation Kit
The Reach Barrier 3009 is a good option to keep your garage warm in the winter and cool in the hot summer days. The radiant insulation barrier in style uses a reflective aluminum layer outside to help deflect heat. On the inside, layers of bubble foam create air-based separation between the garage door panel and the interior.
A box of Reach Barrier 3009 comes with eight precut panels. They measure 4 X 2 feet (about 121 x 61cm), which should be enough to insulate a single-door garage door. The insulation also is given a silver color, which helps to make the insulation look natural. The color should fit most of the garage aesthetically.
Since it comes precut and has an installation kit, your job becomes easy. Before attaching the adhesive squares to the door panels, use the cleaning sponge and clean the door panels. Finally, you stick the insulation to the door panels, pressing down to secure them.
Once installed, the insulation effect is quite remarkable, with reduced temperature protection and sound transfer. The insulation also complies with building safety codes of many regions, being humidity and fire-resistant.
The one issue that may cause issues for you would be the precut size. Not all garage door panels are 4×2 feet, so some cutting may still be required in some situations. Another issue is your garage door panels may be longer than 4 feet. If this is the case, you may be required to patch several of these in a row, which may reduce the aesthetics.
Why We Like This: This is a precut solution, which means you can spare yourself the pain of having to measure and cut everything for your insulation work. The shiny, round silver surface blends well with most garages. It also comes with an installation kit, adhesive tape, and a garage door cleaner sponge.
Pros |
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-Radiant barrier type insulation. -Pre-cut. -Comes with adhesive strips. -Silver color. -Fiberglass free. -Humidity and fire resistant. |
Cons |
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-Pre-cut insulation. -It may not fit longer door panels. |
Owens Corning Garage Door Insulation Kit
The Owens Corning garage door insulation kit made it into this list as it is a different type of insulation. It does not use a shining external layer with foam inside but is a batt-type insulation.
On the top layer, you get a white, soft vinyl surface. The inside contains pinkish, fiberglass-based insulation material, which is fluffy and may remind you of typical batt insulation you have on your home walls.
These insulation are precut into eight pieces, enough to insulate a single-car garage door up to 9 feet wide x 7 feet 8 inches tall. It also has an adhesive tape installation kit, a razor knife, and a unique clip system.
Installation is relatively easy. You first stick the tape on the center of the door panel and then put it in the bottom of the special clip with the insulation kit.
Then you put in the insulation, tucking them into the brackets of your garage door. Once laid in, cut a small incision to reveal the bottom clip. Push in the top clip to secure the insulation kit.
The insulation kit is also humidity and fire-resistant, which means it should comply with many building codes. The performance is also respectable, with an R-value of 8.
There are, however, some issues you need to contend with if you are to install the Owens Corning insulation. First is the top surface if white, which means they may get dirty easily. Considering garage doors slide up and down, the insulation may catch dirt, dust, or worse, oil and grease.
Secondly is fiberglass. You must be in contact with the fiberglass when installing the insulation. If your skin or lungs are sensitive to it, you may get itchy or breathing issues.
Finally, the insulation may not look ‘finished’ once you lay everything in due to the crumpled white vinyl surface. You may consider applying another layer of radiant barrier insulation to give it a more completed and finished look.
Why We Like This: This batt vinyl and fiberglass-based insulation may perform better for places with more extreme temperatures. You may consider additional thin foam insulation on top for a nicer finish. It also comes precut, with an installation kit and a unique fastening system to speed up your installation work.
Pros |
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-Vinyl and fiberglass insulation. -White color. -Humidity and fire resistant. -Pre-cut. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. |
Cons |
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-White vinyl may dirty easily. -Fiberglass may itch the skin. -It may not look finished. |
Nasatech White Reflective Foam Garage Door Insulation Kit
This is another foam insulation from Nasatech, but with a twist. Instead of radiant-barrier style insulation, you instead get a different finish here. Rather than seeing a shiny silver finish, you get a white, textured vinyl surface.
This sort of finishing may remind you of plastered walls. It may actually be more eye-pleasing than the industrial, silvery shine some of the insulations here give. This particular finishing may work very well with garages with white walls and interiors.
The foam insulation does not contain fiberglass, which means you do not have to be worried about skin itches and having to wear a breathing mask. The insulation also comes with an installation kit containing razor knives, adhesive tapes, and squeegees to help with the installation work.
The Nasatech comes precut into 4 rolls of 2 x 18 feet ( about 61 x 548cm) insulation. 2-inch height should fit into most garage door panels, and the long 18 feet width should also fit into two-door garages just fine.
When installing, you can stretch the insulation all along the garage door. Or you can cut into it and fit the insulation into individual door panels. Once installed, the insulation foam should provide great performance, with an R-value of 8.
Our concern with this panel is the white color the panel. This means they may get dirty easily since garage doors move and down. This means the insulation will, at some point, catch dirt, dust, or worse, oil and grease. Fortunately, the surface is vinyl, which hopefully should be easier to clean.
Same kit on Amazon if the first one is not available.
Why We Like This: This foam insulation has a different finish that may appeal to you. The finish is white in color and has a textured surface that may remind you of plastered walls. It contains installation kits such as a razor knife, adhesive tape, and squeegees. The insulation also comes precut to fit into standard garage door panels.
Pros |
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-No fiberglass. -White color. -Textured, natural surface. -Humidity and fire resistant. -Comes with adhesive tape. -R-value of 8. |
Cons |
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-The white surface may get dirty easily. |
Reflectix BP24050 Bubble Pack Insulation Kit
The reflective BP24050 bubble pack installation kit comes in a 2 x 50 feet roll. It is a radiant barrier type insulation, with a shiny metallic surface on the outside and air bubble foams inside.
The insulation form is relatively thin, with a thickness of only 0.25 inches (about 0.64cm). This means it should also be lightweight and not add excessive weight that may pose issues with your garage door springs.
It is also fiberglass free, meaning you need not worry about itchy skin or having to wear a breathing mask. The insulation foam comes with adhesive strips to help with insulation work.
However, the insulation foam does not come precut. This means you will need to do more measurements and perform the cutting work. However, you can also see this as a plus point. Since it comes in a super long roll, you can easily fit it to the length of your garage door panels.
Another issue is the slight underperformance. Users have tested the effectiveness of this insulation and arrived at an R-value of 6. Not the best in this list, but when you compare the score to the thinness of the insulation, and the price, we think it makes sense.
Why We Like This: This is probably insulation rolls in its rawest form. It is thin, provides decent insulation, and, most importantly, cheap and cheerful. It also has a silver, bubble-like finish on the outside, giving it an industrial look. It also comes with adhesive strips to help with installations. Purchase, measure, cut and install.
Pros |
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-Radiant barrier-type insulation. -Thin, only 0.25 inches (about 0.64cm). -Comes with adhesive strips. -Silver color with bubble finish. -Fiberglass free. |
Cons |
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-Not pre-cut for garage doors. -R-value of 6. |
What To Look For When Shopping For Insulation Kits?
When shopping for garage door insulation kits, pay attention to size and fitting. Your garage doors may have a unique shape that requires specific kits. It is also important to balance weight and performance. Finally, pick insulation kits that you are comfortable installing.
When shopping for something, you often have several major aspects you need to think about and decide on. As you weigh in on each of these aspects, you try to make decisions that will eventually help you pick the final product.
If you are to go shopping for garage door insulation kits, you will be looking at aspects such as:
- Size
- Fitting and Compatibility
- Weight
- Performance
- Adhesion
- Installation Method
Here are some of the things for you to think about as you make a decision on each of these aspects:
Size
As a start, garages come in many sizes, which means the door may come in different sizes too. Most garage doors also have panels, which may be in various sizes. This means when shopping for garage door insulation kits, you want to take these in mind.
If you are to shop for precut insulation kits, you must get the measurements right. Use tape and measure the panel sizes, and look for suitable insulations.
In many cases, you will not find the perfect fit. However, you can always get something slightly bigger and cut it down to size before installing them. Also, calculate how many precut panels you need to ensure you get all door panels insulated.
If you are looking for uncut insulations that come in rolls, your job is to ensure you buy at the correct width. Look at the width of the insulation roll, and see how you can fit that width to your garage door panels.
From there, make your calculations to finally settle how many yards or meters of insulation roll you need. Again, the goal is to ensure you buy enough to insulate all door panels.
Fitting & Compatibility
Garage doors may come in multiple sizes and also various designs and mechanics. You must take these in mind when shopping for insulation kits.
Check out different garage door mechanics here.
This is because you do not want to buy insulation kits that do not fit or are incompatible with your door panels. For example, Some insulation kits may require metal channels along the garage door support frame. Without them, the insulation kits cannot be installed properly.
Another example would be the surface of the garage door panels. Suppose your garage door panels have uneven surfaces with valleys and dips. In that case, chances are rigid foam installations will not work well. You will need batt insulation foam instead, as they are soft and can adjust itself to fit into the shapes of the door panel.
Before purchasing any garage door insulation kit, it may be good to look at its installation instructions and the details. This ensures you have the correct fitment and compatibility.
Performance
Regarding the performance of garage door insulation kits, we will look at two significant metrics, the U-factor and the R-value.
U-factor: You may also see this expressed as U-value. It basically measures the garage door’s thermal efficiency and heat transfer rate. It is commonly rated between 0-1. The lower the U-factor, the more efficient the insulation is.
Suppose you live in areas with more extreme temperature fluctuation. In that case, you may want to opt for insulations with a lower U-factor.
R-Value: The R-value matures the thermal efficiency of the garage door insulation material without the door. R-values are commonly expressed between 0 to 16, with higher numbers meaning greater insulation performance. You may see this metric being used more when looking at insulation kits.
Again, this means if you need to insulate your garage from scorching heat and bitter cold, get insulation kits with higher R-value.
Read all about R-Value here.
Weight & Thickness
Understand that if you add insulation materials to your garage door, you will add weight to it. This means the additional weight may affect the operation of your garage doors, regardless if they are automatic or manual.
You may need to first look at the garage door springs and see the weight rating they are designed to hold. Suppose you are going to add thick and heavy insulation materials. In that case, you may likely exceed the weight rating of the spring.
You may need to check out the type of springs before replacing them. In this case, changing the spring and getting heavier ones may make more sense. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to change garage door springs below:
CHECK IT OUT: How To Change Garage Door Torsion Springs
READ MORE: How To Change Garage Door Extension Springs
Another way to approach this issue is to ensure the insulation you plan to install will not cause the garage door’s weight to exceed the spring. This may require you to perform some calculations, but in most cases, using thin/light ones should be able to prevent this issue from happening.
Adhesion
Garage door insulation kits can be installed on the door panels in many ways. You may see some using clips and tape. Some insulation plates may only need to be tucked into the framework of the panels.
Some may come with a double-sided adhesive as well, while you may also see some requiring stapling.
Depending on your comfort level and preference, you may need to consider the suitable adhesion type for your insulation kit. Suppose your panels come with a framework, and you prefer not to leave marks or anything sticky on the door panels. In that case, you probably will be better off with tuck-in insulations.
If you want something more secure and do not mind having to possibly clean the sticky surface in the future, tape or adhesion-style insulation panels may work for you.
Installation Method
Not all of us are hardcore DIY people who can do the most delicate handiwork, and some swear by doing everything possible for the best result. Depending on your skill and preference, selecting the insulation kit with the installation methods you prefer is a good idea.
For example, suppose your garage door panels come with a framework. Suppose you prefer to keep the job easy and straightforward. In that case, you can always look for precut insulation panels that you can tuck into the framework.
This would be the easiest way to insulate your garage doors since you do not need to cut, glue, clip, or mess with any tape.
However, if you want nothing but the best result, leave every possible panel surface insulated. You are better off with a batt insulation roll. You cut the roll out and install the insulation roll to your door panel using your preferred adhesion method.
Read also all about garage door insulation kits in this article!
Also check how to repair garage door panels here.