If you’re considering buying a new garage door with insulation, you may have heard of the term “R-value.” But what exactly is garage door R-value, and how can you determine which value you need?
Precision Garage Door is here to help out our homeowners in Delaware and Maryland get down to the bottom of choosing the right level of insulation for their new garage door. Learn all about garag door R-value in the post below.
Garage Door R-Value Defined
In construction, R-value measures the thermal performance of a building material, or how much heat or cold can pass through it. Numerically, the higher the R-value, the higher the insulating properties of the building material (in this case, your garage door).
That means a door with a high R-value has a thicker level of insulation, is more impenetrable to extreme heat or cold, and can better maintain the temperature inside the garage.
Garage Door R-Values & Insulation Types
There are two main types of materials used to insulate a garage door. They are:
- Polystyrene: Rigid sheet layers of insulation that are sandwiched between door layers. Polystyrene is a popular, affordable, easily installed choice for insulation with an R-value range of R-2 to R-10.
- Polyurethane: A dense foam that’s injected in between the door’s layers that expands to fill any gaps or crevices. Polyurethane is a more expensive insulation type, but it’s also a stronger insulator and provides a big boost to the door’s structural durability. Polyurethane has an R-value range of R-10 to R-17.
What Insulation R-Value Is Right for Your Home?
When determining the right R-value for your home, the general rule of thumb is to select an R-value that is greater than or equal to the walls around it.
Check out these approximate R-value recommendations for a garage that’s attached to the home, and one that stands alone as its own unit…
- Attached garage: minimum of R-7 to R-12, based on rule above.
- Detached garage (that you’d like to keep heated): minimum of R-10.
What Precision Recommends
We hope this post helped you learn a lot about R-value! As a key aspect of garage door insulation, figuring out the R-value level you need will help you get the most out of insulating your door, helping you save on your home’s energy costs and transforming your garage into a usable space year-round. Our recommendation for Delaware and Maryland homeowners is that insulation is a must!
While choosing R-value may seem confusing, when you have a professional’s guidance, it doesn’t have to be. To get an expert’s advice on the level of insulation your door needs, as well as guidance on the best door for your home, simply sign up for a complimentary consultation with a Precision Garage Door specialist.
One of our certified garage door experts will come out to your home or business, answer any questions you may have, and help you get your garage door search on the right track, free of charge.