Garages – Doors & Walls

Garage Door Foam Board Method

If your garage is catching direct sunlight, then you definitely stand to gain from adding a radiant barrier inside the garage on the door and/or any other walls that are catching direct sunlight from the exterior.

Keep in mind that a garage is typically not conditioned (being heated or cooled) so the results are more about tempering the heat gain in the summer. To really maximize results in the garage, you want to address any and all surfaces catching direct sunlight. If your garage door does not catch direct sunlight, then adding the radiant barrier to the door is not going to make a difference in cooling the garage. Radiant barrier is effective when there is radiant heat, so address any and all walls/surfaces that get sunlight.

A radiant barrier in a garage application is primarily used to keep the garage cool. If you want to keep the garage warm, you should use traditional insulation on the garage door to add R-value and then seal up the garage air tight.

The Easiest Method to Cool the Garage: Add it to the Garage Door!

The simplest and fastest way to cool the garage is to add radiant barrier to a garage door using foam board with foil attached to one side. This allows for the air gap to be between the foil and the garage door. It’s an easy, no-mess alternative to other options: no glue, tape etc. You can make a foil-faced foam board, or purchase pre-made ones at the home improvement store, to make this application super easy.

This application works best when you cut the foiled foam board into rectangular pieces slightly larger than the opening in the garage panels, this allows you to pop them in under the metal frames. Be sure there is an air space between foil and garage door.

Add Ventilation Too!

Speaking of ventilation in the garage, in addition to adding a radiant barrier, you should consider adjusting the proximity switch on the garage opener to allow a 1-2 inch gap at the bottom of the garage door. Then create an opening at the top of the garage to create a ventilation channel. If you have attic stairs in the garage area, then we suggest propping them open a couple inches to allow the hot air to come in from outside, flow up toward the attic stairs and go out the attic. This ventilation path will allow the air temp in the garage to stabilize and become close to ambient (outside) air temperature.

If you do not have attic stairs or an opening in the garage that vents to the attic, then you can create one yourself. Simply cut a hole in the ceiling of the garage to vent some hot air out. To make it look nicer, you can attach a return air grill (like the ones you see in your home for your A/C to cover the hole in the garage, but still allow for air flow.

Can’t Find Foil-faced Foam Board? Make Your Own!

Most big box retailers sell a foil-faced foam board (we show Perma-R® but it’s also sold under different names/brands); even if a retailer sells a different brand, that’s ok! You’re basically looking for a foam board that has aluminum adhered to one side.

If you’re still not able to locate any in your area, don’t worry – you can make your own! All you need to do it purchase some sheets of foam and then attach AtticFoil™ on to one side using a spray on adhesive or even thumbtack-like fasteners. The single-sided AtticFoil™ works really well for this type of project, but if you only need a small amount of foil, you can purchase the mini roll (250 sq ft) of the 48″ wide double-sided instead.

Once the foil is attached, you’re ready to continue with the installation as shown above.

Alternative Method to Install Radiant Barrier on the Garage Door

An alternate option for adding radiant barrier to your garage door is to use our foil product and attach it to the garage door panel frames with magnets and/or adhesive.

radiant barrier on a garage door

Start by measuring a panel for length and height. Then trim the foil to fit the panel, allowing for at least ½” to 1″ overhang on all 4 sides. You will use this extra foil to attach it to the frame, and you can easily trim off any unnecessary overage.
Then take the sheet of foil to the panel and prepare to attach it. Use the rare earth (neodymium) magnets to hold the top of the piece to the top of the frame. Then add another to the bottom of the frame. Make sure you are keeping the foil and magnet on the frame and don’t block the seam where the door needs to fold to open up. Now use small pieces of foil tape to attach the corners and edges down flat onto the frame. You can remove the magnets if you want, or you can leave them there for extra hold.
Repeat this process for each panel until you’re all done. Tip: Take the time to measure each panel, because they may not all be identical. This extra check will save you headache and wasted material later.
When you have covered every panel, you’re all done! Test the door and it should open and close normally.
Q: Can I use the Foil + White product on my garage door and will it work the same?
A: Yes, if your garage door has these framed panels and the foil will face the air gap within the panel, then you can use our Foil + White product for a brighter, white interior finish on the inside of the garage.

Installing Radiant Barrier on Garage Walls

If your garage walls also catch direct sunlight, then you should add a radiant barrier inside the garage on the walls that are catching direct sunlight from the exterior. If your walls are already finished with drywall you can add the foil over the drywall, but you may not like how that looks. An alternative would be to add some furring strips to the tops and bottom of the walls and use our Foil + White radiant barrier product on the walls. The furring strips create the air space the foil needs in order to reflect the heat back out and the white side faces inside your garage for a prettier finish than the foil alone.

In some colder areas, customers want to help keep heat inside their garage. If you’re regularly heating your garage, then you may want to consider insulating the cavities, if possible, and then adding your foil layer to face inside the garage. In the photo you see here, the customer was mostly concerned about keeping the heat inside the garage, which is why the foil is closest to the inside of the garage space.

This customer did not use sheetrock over the foil, just insulation and AtticFoil™. If he wanted to cover with sheetrock he would have needed to create airspace between the foil and sheetrock with furring strips. Alternatively, if you want the white finish facing in, you can use the furring strip method here and do the same thing.

*Note: if keeping heat out of the garage is your goal, you’d ideally want the foil closest to the outside (i.e. in between the walls studs), followed by some r-value (optional) if you’re using it.

View Photos of Garage Installations

To see more garage door and garage wall installations, check out our DIY Project Gallery.

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