Any motorist knows that insulating a garage is not a whim, but a real necessity. If you value your iron horse, then you definitely cannot do without such a procedure. But the way our world works is that there is not always enough money for expensive insulation, not to mention hiring professionals. This article was written for those ordinary motorists who, for a number of reasons, are forced to install inexpensive garage insulation from the inside with their own hands, and in it I will talk about 3 available options insulation and about the materials that are suitable for this.
Owners choose insulation from the inside according to various reasons. For example, in a garage cooperative, people simply have no other choice, the boxes are lined up with a united front, but there is not always any food on the sides good neighbors with warm garages.
It is practically impossible to install metal structures outside at all. And finally, the most banal reason, internal insulation it's simply cheaper. In addition, it is simply physically impossible to insulate the roof and floor from the outside.
Naturally, before you pick up the tool and get to work, you still need to decide how to insulate the house for your car. After all, each material has its own installation subtleties, and most importantly, the cost of all these materials is different.
It’s no secret that each person has their own concept of inexpensive; for one, a hundred thousand is not money, but for another, ten thousand is happiness. Therefore, I will briefly go through the entire assortment, and you can decide.
| A short list of thermal insulation materials used for insulating garages | |
| Thermal insulation material | General characteristics |
| Dense mineral wool slabs | Relatively inexpensive material, which has enviable thermal conductivity parameters and excellent vapor permeability. For garages, cotton slabs are suitable for their absolute fire safety. Although cotton slabs are capable of absorbing moisture, this indicator is not so high. |
| Glass wool and other types of soft mineral-based mats | In terms of cost, soft mats are one of the most affordable insulation materials. But that's where all its advantages end. Although on the Internet you will find a lot of photos and videos of material where the advantages of such mats are described in vivid colors. Let me tell you briefly, such insulation cannot be installed in a garage. These mats quickly gain moisture and are no longer restored; after 2-3 years they will look like an old flannelette blanket, so think about whether you need such savings. |
| Styrofoam | I am deeply convinced that among inexpensive insulation materials, foam boards are the best option, especially for the garage. Its price is more than affordable, it does not let or absorb water. Relying on personal experience, I can assure you that installing polystyrene foam with your own hands is the easiest way. Plus, this material is suitable for both block and metal structures. |
| Extruded polystyrene foam or Penoplex | Extruded polystyrene foam is made from the same raw material as polystyrene foam. But these slabs are much stronger, more stable and durable. In almost all characteristics, extruded polystyrene foam and Penoplex, as one of the representatives of this line, are many times ahead of the old foam plastic. The only bad thing is that such material will cost at least 2 times more than polystyrene foam. |
| Soft roll insulation with foil coating | As a rule, the basis here is foamed polyethylene, better known as penofol. The foil can be applied to one or both sides of such a “blanket”. On average, the thickness of the canvas ranges from 3 – 4 to 20 mm. The material is good, but I’ll tell you honestly, as an independent insulation material, it is not very suitable in our climate, only as an addition. |
| Warm plaster | Varieties warm plaster several, but the principle of arrangement is the same everywhere. Some loose porous material, for example, expanded clay sand, perlite or foam balls, is mixed in the solution as the main filler and the walls are plastered with this solution. Such insulation is not expensive, but you cannot do it without the skills of a plasterer, so not everyone is able to do it with their own hands. |
| Expanded clay | Expanded clay is porous clay balls obtained by firing special types of clay. The price of such insulation is small, but in a garage it can only be used to insulate the floor. |
| Sawdust | This insulating material can safely be called practically free. There are two options for using sawdust for garage work. This cement slabs based on sawdust and the so-called sawdust concrete. I will go into more detail about production technology and installation later. |
| Penoizol | If you understand chemical composition, then penoizol is actually liquid foam. Since the material is liquid, it is easier to work with, but such insulation will cost several times more than installing foam plastic. |
| Polyurethane foam | I specifically left the polyurethane foam for “dessert”. The fact is that in our case it is less suitable than others. Not only this liquid insulation itself is expensive, so you still have to hire specialists for application. It is impossible to manage here on your own; you need expensive special equipment. |
If we analyze all the above options for price/quality/ease of arrangement, then foam plastic is in the lead, followed by mineral wool slabs and materials made from sawdust close this honorable top three.
As if out of competition, we have expanded clay; among inexpensive insulation materials, it is best suited for arranging floors.
We decided on the top three, and since we had foam plastic that turned out to be almost universal insulation, then I’ll start my story about how to insulate a garage with my own hands using foam plastic as an example.
Insulating a garage from the inside with your own hands can be roughly divided into 4 stages. You will need to insulate the floor, walls, roof and garage doors, and the sequence of actions of great importance does not have.
Since the walls of the garage have the largest square footage, this means that more attention needs to be paid to them.
There is a small nuance here, the arrangement of block and metal structures is different, and in order to avoid confusion in my head, I will talk about each technique separately and we will start with metal garages.
Foam boards are classified by density. Not only strength, but also price directly depends on it. So, the cheapest foam plastic has a density of 15 kg/m³, but it is not suitable for insulation. Remember, you need PSB-S25, it has a density of 25 kg/m³. You can take it denser, but it will cost more.
Walls block garages it can also be covered with polystyrene foam, but this technology is more used for insulating the outside, since the insulation is additionally plastered. And from the inside in block structures, foam plastic is mounted under the sheathing.
Walls covered with foam plastic, and even covered with foil foam, are inexpensive and very effective. But every motorist knows that a decent garage should have a lot of shelves, hooks and other attachments. And in order, figuratively speaking, to hammer a nail into the wall, it must be strong and here you cannot do without the above-mentioned lathing.
Foam plastic is best suited for insulating ceilings from the inside metal roofs, as well as in block structures where iron serves as a roof concrete plates ceilings
In both cases the technology will be approximately the same. I already described how to prepare metal for installing foam plastic in the previous chapter. As for reinforced concrete floor slabs, the preparation here is a little different.
First, you will need to seal the seams between the floor slabs, as well as various kinds of defects and chips, if any. It is usually recommended to use cement-based putty for this.
But I prefer to simply blow out all large defects in the ceiling with polyurethane foam. Naturally, the excess foam after hardening will need to be carefully cut off. After that reinforced concrete slabs the floors should be covered with deep penetration soil. There are now many such compositions, but in most cases concrete contact is used.
Next, the ceiling is insulated in much the same way as we insulated the walls of the garage. That is, the foam is glued to the metal ceiling using Liquid Nails glue or polyurethane foam. But if it was more convenient to work with foam on the walls, then “Liquid Nails” would be more suitable here.
Foam glues to reinforced concrete floor slabs just as well as to metal sheets. Although if you plan to sheathe the ceiling with any kind of finishing material, then you will need to attach a wooden sheathing to the ceiling, lay foam plastic between the guides and then sew on the cladding you have chosen.
Since then we're talking about about how to insulate a garage inexpensively, the most the best option The ceiling will be covered with polystyrene foam and glued foil penofol onto the foam plastic. After all, you don’t need to hang shelves on the ceiling or hammer nails into it, and foil penofol, firstly, looks good, and secondly, it is an additional layer of insulation, plus it creates the effect of a thermos and reflects heat rays inside.
Polystyrene foam as floor insulation is only suitable if you plan to lay wooden floors. You cannot put foam plastic into the screed, because it will not withstand such weight and will simply collapse.
Of all the currently existing slab insulation materials, only extruded polystyrene foam is suitable for laying into a reinforced concrete screed. Roads and even runways at modern airfields are insulated with this material, so it will certainly withstand your car.
In order for insulated wooden floors to stand firmly and not sag on the ground, you will have to pour a reinforced concrete screed. Naturally, if reinforced concrete floor slabs are laid on the floor, then no screed is needed.
To install a reinforced concrete screed, you will need to remove about 25 - 30 cm of soil from inside the garage. The bottom of the pit should be well compacted and covered with geotextile or technical polyethylene.
Next, a sand and gravel cushion 50 - 100 mm thick is filled in, leveled and compacted well. According to the technology, you need to lay another layer of technical polyethylene on the sand and gravel cushion.
But, based on experience, in in this case You can deviate from this rule and immediately knit a reinforcement cage on the pillow. For reinforcement, a reinforcing rod with a diameter of about 10 mm (±2 mm) is used. The frame is knitted in 2 layers with a gap of about 30 - 50 mm between layers.
To keep the frame in this position before pouring concrete, I lay out pieces on a sand and gravel cushion in a checkerboard pattern. broken bricks and on it I knit the first layer of mesh.
I again ensure the gap between the first and second layers of the reinforcement frame by laying broken bricks on pieces. Particular precision in maintaining the gaps is not required here, the main thing is that the mesh is completely “sunk” in the concrete layer and at the same time there are gaps between the first and second layers, as well as between the cushion and the lower grid.
The thickness of such a concrete slab must be at least 100 mm. Concrete hardens within 28 days. After this, a continuous layer of waterproofing is laid on the concrete screed. It is cheapest to use technical polyethylene.
For insulation wooden floors, foam plastic 50 mm thick will be quite enough. This means that we use as load-bearing logs wooden beam OK 50x50 mm. Floor joists are installed in increments of 30–40 cm and no more.
Foam plastic is placed between the lags as tightly as possible, and all gaps are filled with polyurethane foam. In the garage, a tongue-and-groove or simply planed board with a thickness of at least 40 mm is laid on the floor.
All wood used for arranging any structures in the garage must be treated with protective impregnations. There are now a lot of different universal impregnations sold on the market, so there will be no problems with the choice.
The top of the wooden floor in the garage can simply be painted. But in such cases I recommend laying linoleum. You shouldn’t buy expensive linoleum based material, our task is to protect upper layer wood from abrasion, moisture and mechanical damage.
In the economical version, polystyrene foam is perhaps the only material that can be used to properly insulate garage doors. We will talk about insulating standard metal double doors garage doors, which are currently used by at least 70 - 80% of motorists in our great homeland.
Such gates are often welded from a metal sheet with a thickness of 3 to 5 mm, which is based on a frame made of angle or profiled pipe. As a rule, a corner is taken with a 45 mm wing, and a square or profiled pipe is used rectangular cross-section not less than 40 mm.
Of course, foam plastic boards are similar to insulation metal ceiling and the walls can simply be glued from the inside of the gate. But the gate is not a ceiling; it is constantly in motion, plus there is a high probability of mechanical damage to the insulation.
Therefore, it is better to fasten a wooden sheathing made of a 50x50 mm block on the gate, put polystyrene foam into the sheathing, blow out the gaps with polyurethane foam and sew everything up, for example, with OSB sheets.
In this case, the wooden sheathing is attached not to the main surface of the garage door, but to the load-bearing metal frame. A series of holes are drilled on the side in a corner or in a profiled pipe and a wooden block is fastened through them with wood screws.
A curtain hung at the top of the garage door opening is sometimes used as an additional heat shield. On the Internet, I often came across advice to make such a curtain with your own hands from cut strips of technical polyethylene. People simply saw something similar at car washes and decided that such a transparent curtain could be made from polyethylene.
So, if you love your car, then I don’t advise you to do this. At car washes, such curtains are made of soft transparent plastic and they are quite expensive.
Polyethylene is not suitable for this. One of my neighbors made himself such a plastic curtain and he was happy with it for no more than a month. No matter how strange it may sound, it turns out that polyethylene strips are left on car paint micro scratches. A month later, the car had to be polished again, and the plastic curtain went to the trash.
If you really want an inexpensive curtain, then install a metal pipe on top or stretch a string and hang sliding curtains made of ordinary tarpaulin on it. Naturally, you will have to move them apart and close them with your own hands, but the car will be intact and the garage will be warmer.
As you probably already understand, polystyrene foam is perhaps the best option for inexpensive insulation of a garage from the inside. But he's certainly not perfect. Polystyrene foam has 2 serious drawbacks: firstly, it burns, and secondly, mice breed in it.
Therefore, many owners prefer to use dense slabs of mineral wool for insulation. The best representative of this family is now considered basalt wool. To prevent changes in humidity from causing shrinkage, slabs must be taken with a density of at least 180 kg/m³.
I’ll say right away that such slabs will cost more than polystyrene foam. Plus, not every garage can be insulated with cotton wool. Thus, it is strictly not recommended to insulate metal structures with cotton wool.
The fact is that the thermal conductivity of metal is quite high and if you cover your metal garage from the inside, then the so-called dew point will be inside the cotton slabs, which means that condensation will settle there and waterproofing here will be useless.
Every novice builder knows that cotton wool in any form is afraid of moisture, so such insulation will very quickly become unusable.
As for block structures, they can be insulated from the inside with cotton wool, and the technology for such insulation is not much different from the installation of foam plastic described above. But there are still some differences.
The vapor barrier membrane allows steam to pass in only one direction and this must be taken into account when installing it; the vapor-permeable side is marked on the membrane itself. Remember, steam must escape from the garage to the street.
First, a vapor barrier membrane is attached, then the slabs are inserted and the whole thing is covered with another layer of vapor barrier. Only between the second layer of vapor barrier and any finishing cladding should there be a ventilation gap; for this purpose, the load-bearing sheathing is made 20 - 30 mm above the insulation.
Sawdust is practically a free material and our ancestors have used it to insulate houses since time immemorial. But in the case of a garage there are a number of restrictions. So in metal garages, only the floor can be insulated with sawdust. In block buildings, sawdust slabs can be installed almost anywhere, but only under the sheathing.
To install it in the lathing, you will need to make slabs of sawdust with your own hands. The sawdust is taken clean, without inclusions of bark or other debris. Fresh sawdust cannot be taken; it must sit for at least a year in a dry room.
To form the slabs you will have to knock down several wooden forms. Usually slabs are made with a thickness of 100 - 150 mm. The solution is mixed in the proportion of 10 parts sawdust, 1 part M500 cement and one part slaked lime. All this is mixed in a concrete mixer and only after that water is gradually added.
To determine readiness, you need to squeeze the solution in your hand. The solution should stick together, but water should not leak out of it. To protect against mice, add 2 - 3% to the solution. boric acid, and for the elasticity of the blocks, 1 - 2% gelatin is dissolved in water.
The solution must be poured into the molds, lightly tamped and wait until it dries. After which such briquettes are placed in the sheathing. Only here it’s quite expensive vapor barrier membrane can be replaced with cheap glassine.
As you can see, there is much more hassle with sawdust than with polystyrene foam or mineral wool. Therefore, when it comes to sawdust, I recommend insulating only the floor with it. To do this, you will need to mix sawdust concrete.
Below in the table I have written out the composition of such sawdust concrete.
I have already described the technology for constructing a reinforced concrete screed above. Here it is the same, with the only difference being that the thickness of such a reinforced screed is made at least 150 - 200 mm.
Expanded clay is strong, durable, and most importantly inexpensive insulation.
The technology for insulating a garage floor with expanded clay is somewhat reminiscent of installing a regular concrete screed, only the thickness of the layers will be slightly different.
As you can see, inexpensive insulation of a garage from the inside with your own hands is possible; the main thing here is not to get hung up on one thing, but to approach this process creatively. The photos and videos in this article show the nuances of insulating a garage yourself. If after studying the material you have any questions, welcome to the comments, we’ll talk.
To make it more comfortable to work in the garage, and to make your car serve you much longer, it is worth insulating the garage.
Sudden changes in temperature outside can lead to the formation of rust, as condensation can form on the car as a result of temperature fluctuations. This cannot happen in a warm garage.
If you have a heated garage, it should be insulated even more so that heat retention is more effective. This will save you money that you spend on heating.
There are many ways to insulate a garage. Whatever you choose, you need to remember to leave some ventilation. The garage should receive 190 cubic meters of air per hour, provided that there is only one car in the garage. It is advisable that the temperature in the garage does not fall below +5... +10 degrees.
When insulating your garage, you shouldn’t make it too hot. The point is that if in the garage there is room temperature, and it’s below zero outside, you’ll expose your car to a sharp temperature change if you drive from the street into a warm garage. Moisture will appear on the car, which greatly contributes to the formation of rust.
To insulate a garage, you need to use materials that have low thermal conductivity. Such materials include polystyrene foam, mineral wool and similar materials.
Please also pay attention to the fact that your insulation is a non-flammable material, since in the garage there is often a risk of fire. Good insulation must also be waterproof.
You need to approach the insulation of a metal garage in stages. It is necessary to cover the doors, walls and ceiling with insulation. The most convenient insulation for a metal garage is mineral wool.
It is quite easy to install, it does not burn, it gives good insulation and is inexpensive compared to its analogues. Glass wool is not much cheaper than mineral wool, but it is highly flammable and deteriorates from moisture. You can also use polystyrene foam to insulate a garage. This material provides good insulation, is capable of sound insulation, and is resistant to moisture. Ordinary polystyrene melts, but there is foam impregnated with the PBS-S composition, which will go out when in contact with fire. Only this type of foam is suitable for insulating a garage. Another undoubted advantage of polystyrene foam is that it is easy to install.
Liquid foam insulation or other similar materials can be used.
Before starting work, the garage must be emptied of all items in it. After that you can start.
If the walls of your garage are dented, it is advisable to straighten them. Be sure to wash off all the dirt from the walls so that there are no stains of oil, paint or other components on them.
To install foam sheets, you will need to attach an L-shaped profile to the top and bottom of the wall. It is metal and will serve as a limiter for the foam sheets. The foam is attached to the walls using special glue. The glue is spread along the wall pointwise or spread with a spatula. It is most convenient to start work from the bottom of the wall. Each row must be laid, tying the seams. The glue will dry completely after three days. For beauty, you can paste over sheets of foam plastic plaster mesh and paint it with facade paint.
If you plan to use mineral wool, you will have to make a sheathing. It can be made from wood or metal profiles. If wooden beams are used, it must be pre-treated with a fire retardant compound.
The sheathing is nailed down or assembled using self-tapping screws. Can be pulled off metal elements bolts. You should get square cells with a pitch of no more than 60 cm. The lathing is attached to the wall. Mineral wool is inserted into the cells, after which the frame is covered with sheets of plasterboard.
It is most convenient to use polystyrene foam, since it does not require lathing, and doing it on the ceiling is extremely inconvenient and is generally not recommended. The method of fixing foam plastic is the same as for insulating walls.
When insulating a garage, it is important to pay attention to the insulation of its doors. The gate takes up enough large space, and since the garage is metal, the cold comes from them. Moisture can penetrate through the gate and cold air can blow in.
Expanded polystyrene is traditionally used for gates. It has an advantage over mineral wool, since the latter deteriorates when exposed to moisture and requires the installation of sheathing. Expanded polystyrene can burn, however, having treated it with a special compound, you don’t have to worry about this.
Expanded polystyrene boards can be fixed assembly adhesive. The sheets must be arranged offset. The gaps between them will be filled with polyurethane foam, then the whole thing will be covered with foil and fixed with glue. Don't forget to leave a gap for ventilation. The top of the structure is sheathed with a molding. You can replace it with a plastic analogue. Plastic for interior decoration is easier to install and, unlike wooden elements, it does not burn. It is not recommended to use corrugated sheets for this purpose, as they are metal and will reduce the quality of thermal insulation.
Many people believe that a cold garage is a perfectly suitable home for a car. And they are very wrong. In order for the car body to remain untouched by rust for as long as possible, it is necessary warm room. When there are no sudden changes in air temperature, it means there are no conditions for condensation to form.
A properly insulated garage will protect your car from rust.
The temperature in the garage where the car is parked should not be lower than +5°, otherwise after a while the iron will begin to deteriorate and rot. Let's look at how to insulate iron garage and what insulation materials can be used for this. and walls in the garage, you will save on heating the car, and at the same time create decent conditions for yourself if you need to work here.
The use of insulation allows not only to insulate the garage, but also to solve the issue of sound insulation. Currently known insulation materials come in several types:
When choosing an insulating material to insulate an iron garage, adhere to the following position:
Let's consider positive sides and disadvantages of heat insulators used most often. The well-known mineral wool is good for everyone, but it requires additional protection from dampness; its use is possible only if there is a protective layer of waterproofing.
Glass wool is more affordable than mineral wool, but it is also very susceptible to moisture and is also highly flammable.
The most convenient heat insulator for garages can be considered polystyrene foam, which is no worse than mineral wool in its properties.
This material is cheap and lightweight, it is easy to work with, which makes it possible to use it for thermal insulation of garages. A special brand of polystyrene foam marked “PBS-S” has been developed and contains a fire retardant that reduces its flammability; this is what professionals recommend using to insulate an iron garage.
There are also liquid insulation materials, for example, penoizol or liquid foam, which can quickly and at the proper level insulate any outbuilding. It does not burn, is vapor permeable, resistant to fungi and mold, does not harbor insects and mice, retains heat well, is better than foam plastic and glass wool, and has a long service life - more than 40 years. When sprayed, the foam fills the empty spaces of the insulated structure and hardens, creating a seamless thermal insulation layer.
Another liquid heat insulator is astratek, which looks like paint white. It is applied to any insulated surface using a brush. Astrateka spraying 1 mm thick is equivalent in properties to a layer of mineral wool 50 mm thick. It can be applied to any construction material, as well as metal and plastic. So it can be used for a metal garage.
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Thermal insulation of walls and garage doors
All work on thermal insulation of a car garage is carried out in several stages:
- installation of lathing for thermal insulation;
- laying a heat insulator;
- sheathing inner surface decorating material.
Wood sheathing is needed to create a space between the walls of the garage and the trim, which will then be filled with insulation. It can be attached to the surface of the walls of a metal garage using bolts.
When making the lathing, the dimensions of its niches are adjusted to the dimensions of the plates of the purchased material: glass wool, mineral wool or expanded polystyrene. When the sheathing is ready, place the thermal insulator material, placing it in the niches of the sheathing.
It is possible to insulate a garage without sheathing. This option involves simply gluing foam sheets to a metal surface. After completing this work, you can do decorative finishing, applying facing materials. Typically, PVC boards, fiberboard or lining are used for this.
You can also insulate your garage by simply spraying liquid insulation onto the surfaces of the walls, gates and roofing. Among liquid insulation materials applied to metal, the most popular are astratek and penoizol. After hardening, they create a small but quite effective thermal layer on the plane.
Insulation begins with garage doors. Foam plastic or mineral wool is suitable for this, and sheets of corrugated sheets are suitable for sheathing. Often the design of the gate is such that thermal insulation can be carried out quickly and without problems. For a conventional framed metal structure sheathed with front side iron, they make a lathing from the inside, with the help of which the insulation is installed. Then it is sheathed with clapboard or corrugated board.
You can do it simpler: attach the insulation to the door with glue or foam, then, using rubber, seal the gaps between the opening and the door leaf. It happens that the insulation of the gate is enough to keep the temperature in the garage above zero. This depends on the location of the garage.
The location of the garage also affects. They can be insulated both externally and internally. If there are a large number of shelves and racks inside, it is better to do this outside.
But most often the walls of the garage are thermally insulated from the inside. For this, the same polystyrene foam is used. Its sheets are simply pasted directly onto the walls of the garage, and then covered with clapboard. Promptly and inexpensively.
A metal garage is a reliable shelter for a car not only from the encroachment of unscrupulous persons, but also from weather factors unfavorable for this vehicle, such as snow or rain. But a poorly equipped garage made of metal profiles by itself is not able to fully protect the car from the effects of harsh climatic conditions.
The temperature in the garage should be comfortable for the safety of the car, that is, it should be stable, without changes and higher than outside. Such conditions can be achieved in a metal garage by insulating the gates, ceilings and walls.
The two main enemies of a car when it is idle are frost and moisture. Frost can cause corrosion of the car body, cracking of various fuel and oil lines, etc. And moisture is the main cause of rust, mold and similar formations.
Good to know: optimal temperature in the garage it should be in the range from -5 in winter to +25 in summer.
In the summer it is not difficult to influence this indicator - install an air conditioner or a couple of fans and the problem is solved. It's a different matter in winter. Of course, you can install a heating system in the garage. However, this is not always convenient and profitable.
Firstly, these are extra costs for electricity or other resources spent on heating. Secondly, the garage is not always located in close proximity to the car owner’s home, and leaving a garage with the heating system on without proper supervision is not always prudent and safe.
The way out of this situation is to insulate a metal garage with your own hands. By insulating the garage, you can, in fact, solve not one, but two problems at once:
This is very important, since the summer heat also does not have a very favorable effect on the car.
Before carrying out insulation work, all surfaces must be cleaned of dirt, dust, rust, etc.
It is possible (and even recommended) to treat the metal of the gate, walls and ceiling with anti-corrosion agents, seal all existing cracks and cracks with sealants, and, if possible, get rid of any irregularities, bulges, etc.
The answer would seem obvious: everything needs to be insulated - the floor, ceiling and walls. However, if everything is very clear with the walls and ceiling, then with the garage floor, not everything is so obvious.
Since a garage is a place to park a car, the floor in this room has its own specifics. Firstly, it is constantly subject to increased mechanical stress. This includes the weight of the car, and the installation of any equipment (various winches, workbenches, boxes for spare parts and tools), and so on. Therefore, insulation must be performed with materials with increased strength. Secondly, quite often quite aggressive substances such as gasoline, various oils, diesel fuel, solvents and others get on the surface of the garage floor. This must also be taken into account when choosing insulation materials, adhesives, sealants, etc.
Note: If your garage has an inspection hole, then the process of insulating the floor becomes quite complicated. In this case, it will not be possible to use a continuous layer of insulation, and you will have to choose: either abandon floor insulation at all, or at the same time insulate and inspection hole. Otherwise, insulation work will not give any tangible effect.
Before you insulate a garage, you need to answer the questions: how to insulate an iron garage from the inside? What's the best way to do this? What material should I use? This will help you find the answer to the question: how to properly insulate your garage?
Let's look at a few of the most suitable materials for these purposes.
Mineral wool. Possessing high thermal insulation properties, this material is very good for insulating a garage. However, mineral wool is very vapor permeable. Therefore, when using mineral wool as insulation, you definitely need to take care of high-quality vapor and waterproofing.
Penoplex. It is highly undesirable to insulate a metal garage from the inside with penoplex. The reason for this is that in the garage work is often carried out with materials, devices and tools that are easily flammable. Penoplex burns well, and is also capable of emitting acrid smoke.
Glass wool. This material costs less than mineral wool and is more fire-resistant than penoplex. However, these indicators are not so good as to make glass wool the optimal insulation for a garage. Glass wool insulation also requires additional hydro- and vapor barrier.
Astratek. Modern liquid insulation, which is applied with a conventional spray gun, like paint. This material is reliable protection metal walls garage. The insulation of an iron garage with Astratek is no worse in terms of performance than the thermal insulation of a similar room with a 5-centimeter layer of mineral wool.
Penoizol. This is the same polystyrene foam, only in liquid form. It is durable, waterproof and, unlike conventional polystyrene and penoplex, penoizol is fire resistant. And the cost of this material lower than that of the same foam.
Polyurethane foam. One of the most reliable and most durable insulation materials. Its service life can last up to 70 years. The only downside to this material is that it is quite high cost, yes, the installation of polyurethane foam requires special equipment.
Each of the above materials has both its pros and cons. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive. Some things are easier to work with, some things are more difficult. There are plenty of options on how to insulate a metal garage from the inside, and much depends on the financial capabilities of the owner, his enthusiasm, taste, and so on.
In this article, we tried to provide basic information on how to insulate a metal garage with your own hands. This will help you clearly imagine what you will have to face when carrying out insulation. garage space. We will provide more detailed information about insulating a garage from a professional metal sheet in other articles from this category.
And another short video about insulating a garage with foam
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A warm garage is the longed-for dream of any motorist. At one time, I was as happy as a child when I managed to acquire a good, as it seemed to me at that time, metal garage. But it soon became clear that in the off-season it becomes damp, and in winter it only protects from the wind. Therefore, the question of insulation quickly arose. I decided to devote this material to how to insulate a metal garage with my own hands. In it I will tell about own experience and I’ll tell you what advice different experts gave me.
According to SNiP 21.02-99, for comfortable storage of cars and trucks and starting the engine without preliminary preparation, the temperature in the box (garage) should not fall below +5ºС, and this figure should be used as a starting point.
Naturally, the insulation of an unheated metal garage for any normal owner begins with the choice of material. And if previously it was mainly only foam plastic, now the market provides many options.
Penoplex is strong enough to pour a screed over it and place a car on this screed. In terms of thermal insulation, it is about a third better; polystyrene foam, 30 mm thick, easily replaces a 50 mm sheet of foam plastic.
If the foam plastic is partially breathable, then Penoplex is considered a reliable waterproofing material and can be installed even under water. Everything about it is good, but the price is almost 2 times higher than that of foam plastic, and for most owners of metal garages this is important.
Here I will immediately disappoint you. Whatever the density of fiber boards or mats, they are all subject to the same misfortune. These materials do not tolerate moisture even in small doses. When wet by 1%, the thermal insulation properties of any of these insulation materials drop by 7 - 9%.
Metal sheets cannot be insulated with cotton wool. In the confined space of a garage, the dew point will be in close proximity to the sheet. And if you apply hygroscopic insulation to the metal, then even with polyethylene waterproofing or a regular layer it will very quickly become saturated with moisture and become useless. There is one trick here, but I will tell you about it later.
Polyurethane foam should not be used as the main insulation; it was invented for completely different purposes. Plus, as far as I know, insulating just the gates exclusively with polyurethane foam will require at least 5 - 7 cylinders, and if you calculate the total square footage with all the nooks and crannies, the garage will come out “golden”.
We’ve kind of figured out the basic material, now it’s time to tell you how to properly insulate an unheated metal garage. I think you yourself know how to use a brush and paint, so there is no point in stopping at liquid polymer insulation. But we can talk about other options.
As is known, in theory, such work is carried out both inside and outside the premises. But to be honest, I have never seen such metal structures sheathed with anything on the outside, so further we will only talk about how to insulate an iron garage from the inside.
Whatever you decide to decorate the walls with from the inside, first of all you need to prepare any base. If you skip this step, then either the metal sheet will rust over time, or the insulation will fall off.
It's no secret that main enemy Most ferrous metals are corroded, so the sheet must, first of all, be protected from banal rust. If the metal is clean, that is, not painted, you need to walk over the surface with an iron cord brush. Things will go faster if you take the appropriate attachment for an angle grinder or drill. Old paint can also be easily scraped off with a cord brush.
If the sheet is painted with good quality paint, then there is little point in removing it; under a thick layer of insulation nothing will happen to it. Separately, I would like to say about the so-called “shells” (garages made of galvanized corrugated sheets on a frame made of profiled pipes or angles). The professional sheet initially has high-quality coating and you don't need to touch it.
The final stage of preparation is degreasing with acetone or some similar composition.
Then you need to act according to the situation. For polyurethane foam or penoizol this is enough. But it’s better to paint the iron underneath the foam plastic again. In my garage I used Kuzbasslak; it is not expensive and of high quality.
In my opinion, if the walls of your garage are welded from a smooth, even sheet, then polystyrene foam will be the best option. In this case, when buying Penoplex, you are actually overpaying 2 times for 3–4 cm of space savings. On walls and ceilings, the strength of the coating does not play a big role, especially if you are going to sheathe them later.
For those who are short on funds, there is economical option cladding. It should be noted here that in regions where the temperature in winter drops to -20 - 25ºС, the thickness of the foam plastic is taken to be at least 100 mm, otherwise there is little point in undertaking all this; for foam plastic, 70 mm is enough. Although there is one trick, I will tell you about it a little later.
The instructions themselves are extremely simple. You need to take the required number of sheets, cut them so that they completely cover the walls and glue them. You can use any construction adhesive; I personally used Liquid Nails. Small cracks and gaps that you will inevitably have need to be filled with foam.
By the way, the same mounting foam can be used instead of glue. Apply several stripes and apply the sheet to the wall. Only in this case you need to press several times over the course of an hour, since the foam expands and the sheet will come off in the first couple of days.
In principle, we can stop there. But as I promised, there is one trick. In order not to buy too thick foam, you can take thinner material.
Only here you will need foil-coated isolon on both sides. The base of this soft fabric is made of polyethylene foam, which is covered with foil on both sides.
So, this same isolon is glued on top of your polystyrene foam. As a result, we get the effect of a thermos, plus a pretty decent silver wall covering. As for thermal insulation, this is enough. But, as you know, polystyrene foam is a soft material and it is impossible to put nails with hooks on it or hang shelves, and you must admit, without this it is difficult in the garage.
A foam coating with isolon is perfect for arranging the ceiling in an iron garage. You won’t put anything on it, but there’s enough beauty as it is.
In order to make a major, warm cladding from the inside with our own hands, we will have to install wooden sheathing on the walls and gates. Any metal garage has a reinforcing frame, so we will attach our wooden blocks to it. It is not so important what exactly the garage is reinforced with, be it a corner or, we simply drill a series of holes on the side and, at intervals of about 20 - 30 cm, fasten the wooden block with self-tapping screws.
There is one nuance here: the height of the block should not be lower than the level of foam insulation. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient for you to attach the internal finishing lining.
When the wooden sheathing is secured, we proceed according to the scheme described above. That is, clearly according to the dimensions of the openings, we cut them closely slab insulation, glue it to the base and fill the gaps with foam. Next, you can stuff the clapboard onto the sheathing.
For more simple option Sheathing made of OSB panels or thick plywood is suitable; they will withstand any reasonable load. I’ll add on my own behalf that in any case it’s worth sticking isolon or at least just a layer of foil on top of the foam, such a layer increases the heat-reflecting effect many times over.
Especially if you are going to use the currently fashionable UFO radiators for heating. Ultra-violet rays they are reflected much better from the foil coating, even if this coating is under wooden cladding.
According to building codes, an uninsulated foundation in a private house takes up to 20% of the energy spent on heating. The garage in this case is practically no different from a residential building. From experience I can say that an insulated floor blocks dampness from the concrete screed.
True, I decided not to skimp on floor insulation. I have a metal garage box on a small, shallow strip foundation. Inside previous owners They didn’t bother and simply covered the floor with dump slag. Those who know what waste slag from steel-smelting furnaces is can imagine how much dust there is in such a garage, so it had to be changed in any case.
First, I removed about 150 mm of soil along with slag, after which I leveled and compacted the base a little. The first layer of the “pie” is 50 mm sand; if possible, it needs to be leveled and compacted along the horizon. Next, I laid a layer of penoplex 50 mm thick. If the base is flat, then joining it is not difficult; there are special grooves there.
There is no need to waterproof Penoplex; as I already said, it itself is a good waterproofing agent. I poured a couple of centimeters of sand onto the insulation, tied a two-layer reinforcement frame from ten-millimeter reinforcement and poured a concrete screed on top of about 50 - 70 mm.
But that is not all. In order for the floor to be truly warm, you need to make an inclined blind area around the garage, just like when arranging the foundation of a house.
According to the rules, in order for the soil under the building not to freeze, the width of the blind area must be equal to the freezing level in a given region. But in practice, the tape is usually about a meter wide. The technology for laying the blind area is the same, only the insulation and concrete screed are installed at an angle of at least 3 cm.
I was assured that instead of penoplex, you can put sheets of foam plastic with a density of about 37 kg/m³ in the screed. Allegedly, such a pillow can withstand any a car down to the bead, plus it comes out cheaper. This may be true, but I believe that in such structures a margin of safety has never been superfluous.
Many now prefer, instead of a shallow concrete foundation strip, to install slab foundation. Simply put, they make a small sand and gravel pad and lay concrete floor slabs on it. So, if you are just going to build a garage, then under the slabs, right on the fill, you need to lay a layer of penoplex, it will withstand the load.
If the garage is already built on slabs, then it can only be insulated from below by constructing an overlay floor made of wood. As you know, concrete floor slabs are hollow, so first you need to plug the holes in the ends with something.
The arrangement itself is not complicated. To prevent wood from drawing moisture from concrete, the base must be waterproofed. Spend money on expensive roll waterproofing It’s not worth it, roofing felt or technical polyethylene is enough.
Now we lay joists across the garage, insert foam plastic between them and cover everything with floor covering on top. 50x50 mm bars are used as lags, respectively, foam plastic slabs with a thickness of 50 mm are used.
In order for your floor to be guaranteed to withstand the car, the distance between the lags should be no more than 40 cm.
For flooring there are 2 options. Floor tongue and groove board with a thickness of 40 mm or more, or two layers of FSF plywood, each with a thickness of at least 16 mm. To make the floor wear less easily, you can lay linoleum on top.
It is most difficult for owners of “shells” to insulate their garages. As you know, the corrugated sheet itself is wavy and it is difficult to cover it completely with polystyrene foam. In theory, of course, you can build a wooden sheathing based on the frame and pack it with polystyrene foam; in essence, you get a box within a box.
But the problem is that, as a rule, the dimensions of the “shells” are already more than modest; if you add another 150–200 mm for insulation, this will be very noticeable. Apart from insulating paint, there is only one way out, using foam.
In conditions middle zone In Russia, the layer of polyurethane foam or penoizol should be at least 50 - 70 mm. This is subject to additional installation wooden finishing cladding or foil isolon.
The cross-section of profiled pipes or frame corners in such structures often does not exceed 35 - 40 mm. This is not enough, the coating is corrugated, which means more foam will be needed to fill the depressions. While the layer thickness in narrow places will be less than 40 mm. As a result, you will pay money, and the garage will freeze.
I told all this to mean that a wooden hanging frame, even if not so voluminous, in the case of “shells” still needs to be mounted. To some extent, you will be able to save money only if you make this frame yourself and prepare the surface of the corrugated sheet (degrease it). Then you will only pay for the material and a couple of hours of specialist work; 1 – 2 hours is enough for a professional to blow foam into a garage.
At the beginning of the article, I promised to talk about a trick with which you can insulate an unheated metal garage with mineral wool. We will talk specifically about dense, basalt cotton slabs. Such slabs do not shrink with slight moisture. While in case of wetness, soft mineral mats, as well as glass wool, immediately lose volume and are no longer restored after drying.
Often the dew point on the walls of a heated garage is almost on the surface of the metal, so drops of condensation settle on the iron walls. I saw how one of my friends, in order to cope with this problem, filled a wooden sheathing and on top of it completely covered the entire garage with about 5 - 7 mm thick, foil-coated isolon.
After which I inserted them into the niches basalt slabs, covered it all with another layer of isolon and sewed it up with clapboard. As a result, the hygroscopic basalt wool ended up in an isolated cocoon. And most importantly, at a distance of several millimeters from cold iron. The result turned out to be quite decent; the garage has been reliably keeping warm and not getting wet for several years now.
I would also like to say a few words about auxiliary things when insulating garages. Naturally, when the garage door is opened wide when leaving or entering the garage, all the precious heat instantly evaporates. As far as I have seen, this can only really be combated with the help of a thermal curtain.
That is, a special fan heater is mounted above the gate, which separates the outside cold with a powerful flow of warm air. But the price of such a fan is not small, plus its power consumption is substantial, at least 3 - 4 kW. Although if you use it only when the doors are fully open, you won’t spend much.
Things like clear plastic petal curtains, like the ones you find in car washes, should only be hung if you don't mind scratching your car. Even if you make them from soft polyethylene, after several trips, scratches will remain on the roof.
Now you have an idea of how to insulate a metal garage yourself. In the photo and video in this article there is Additional Information on this topic. If you know other ways to insulate such structures or you still have questions, write in the comments, we will discuss it all.
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