Methods for insulating metal garages + thermal insulation materials used for this

It is believed that if the temperature inside the garage does not drop below +3C, then the car engine can be started, as they say, “half a turn”. Therefore, owners today pay special attention to the insulation of metal garages. Moreover, there are thermal insulation materials on the market today, with the help of which the insulation process is carried out simply and quickly, plus the costs for this event are not very large. Therefore, in the article we will consider all the methods of insulating garages built from a metal profile sheathed with sheet iron or corrugated board.

How to properly insulate a metal garage Source gallery.ykt.ru

Why insulate walls

The enclosing structures of buildings for cars are made of large-block materials, for example, cinder block or gas block, less often of brick.
Depending on the method of laying the products, the thickness of such walls will range from 12 to 30 centimeters. This width is not enough to protect the room from the penetration of cold air. Even when installing a heating system, the difference between the air temperature outside and inside the building will lead to condensation. There is no need to artificially increase the temperature in the garage to high levels. After a car enters a warm room from a cold street, condensation will certainly appear on its surface, which will lead to corrosion of the metal. Thermal insulation of the garage should be selected and installed in such a way that the difference in temperature in the room and outside the window is minimal. The optimal performance for a car is considered to be +5 degrees.

Note! When insulating building envelopes, motorists seal all cracks, including ventilation holes. It is prohibited to clog exhaust pipes; they are used to remove accumulated moisture and help remove carbon monoxide from the room.

What material to use for this?

In fact, the question here will be solely in the budget allocated for the event. If savings are needed, then there is only one option - polystyrene foam. If you have a little more money, then mineral wool is the optimal solution. Exotic sprayed polyurethane foam will surpass the main types of thermal insulators in properties and efficiency, but it will be the most expensive option and, besides, you won’t be able to create such thermal protection with your own hands; you need to have certain knowledge of the technology, as well as special equipment. Therefore, there are few options:

The last option, as already mentioned, is too expensive and it is not easy to implement such insulation, even with the necessary knowledge and tools. Therefore, we will consider the most affordable and simple types of thermal insulation.

What materials are suitable for insulating a garage?

Mineral wool

An important advantage of using mineral wool to insulate a garage with your own hands is the ability to create a “breathable” insulation layer. The fibrous structure of the cotton wool does not interfere with the natural circulation of air inside the garage; exhaust gases, evaporation of fuel and other technical liquids, which are always stored in abundance on the shelves, will quickly erode outside without stagnating or poisoning the air. An additional argument in favor of cotton wool can be its non-flammability. In a garage where there is a lot of flammable stuff, this can be a deciding factor.

Among all the variety, it is recommended to choose basalt or stone wool. It has the best thermal conductivity of 0.03-0.1 W/m °C and at the same time serves as excellent sound insulation.

The easiest way to lay mineral wool is in the form of semi-rigid mats. The mats fit tightly into the spacer of the frame mounted from timber or galvanized profile on the internal surfaces of the garage: walls, ceiling, gates

And don’t forget that in order for mineral wool to preserve its thermal insulation properties, it is important to use a vapor barrier membrane that will remove excess condensation and prevent moisture from accumulating inside the insulation

Styrofoam

Polystyrene foam is perhaps the most popular material for do-it-yourself garage insulation. It can be cut and processed without problems using simple tools, such as a knife. It has extremely low thermal conductivity - only 0.03-0.04 W/m °C. And it's cheap.

Although there were some downsides. Polystyrene foam noticeably “eats” the internal space and is also flammable; it is better to keep a fire extinguisher in a visible place.

You can mount foam sheets on internal surfaces using polystyrene glue, polyurethane foam or plastic dowels (they will require sheathing). The optimal thickness of the insulating layer is 50-100 mm. The joints must be sealed with polyurethane foam.

Thermal insulation plaster

In addition to the binder element, gypsum or cement, such plaster contains porous materials - quartz sand, vermiculite or expanded polystyrene, which provide heat-insulating properties. Thermal conductivity coefficient of “warm” plaster: 0.065 to 0.13 W/m °C.

Heat-insulating plaster is applied to the walls and ceiling using standard technology: installing beacons, preparing the mixture, applying the mixture to the surface, leveling. It is recommended to apply one or two layers up to 50 mm thick on the walls, and one layer of 5-30 mm on the ceiling.

It is best to use insulating plaster for garages made of brick or cinder blocks. It will insulate the room and allow you to level the walls and ceiling.

Thermal insulation paint

Thermal insulation paint is a new word in room insulation. It is a polymer composite filled with hollow ceramic microspheres.

Read more about the structure and features of thermal insulation paint in the article All about ultra-thin ceramic thermal insulation

The thermal conductivity of the paint is about 0.065 W/m °C, which is approximately comparable to “warm” plaster. Only the insulation layer will be only 2-4 mm. What a saving of internal space.

In its finished form, the insulation is a liquid consistency, which is applied like regular paint, using a brush, roller or spray gun. This method of application will be especially appreciated by owners of metal garages. After all, the internal surfaces of such garages have a complex profile due to various corners, beams and protruding fasteners, and it is quite difficult to attach a tight-fitting layer of insulation to them. But painting the surface of any profile, no matter how complex, is not difficult.

However, it would be a mistake to assume that a thin layer of heat-insulating paint will create the desired microclimate in the garage. Yes, it can replace a fairly thick layer of traditional insulation. But for the desired result - +5°C inside the garage - you will still need to supplement it with a layer of another insulation, mineral wool or polystyrene foam.

Foam insulation

Foam insulation has the structure of polyurethane foam:

• Manufacturers of the material assure that the service life of the insulation is up to 50 years or longer. Very durable insulating material. The foam is durable and slightly inferior in thermal insulation properties to penoplex;
• This method has its disadvantages - the high cost of the material. To install thermal insulation, you need a specialist with expensive equipment for distributing foam;
• In principle, it is the same polystyrene foam, only in a cylinder. It has the advantage of seamless installation.

Polyurethane foam is not used as the main insulation due to its high cost; it is used to treat joints of tile insulation (foam plastic, polystyrene foam)

Why do you need to insulate your garage?

The temperature regime that has a positive effect on the condition of the car differs significantly from the one in which a person is comfortable. If in residential premises the standard is to maintain the air temperature at +20-22 degrees Celsius, then for storing a car +5 degrees is considered the most optimal. At this temperature, almost no condensation forms on metal parts, causing destructive corrosion.

Therefore, to create a microclimate suitable for technology in the garage, other approaches to insulation are used. After all, the desire to recreate room conditions in the garage using insulation and heating devices will harm the vehicle. For example, in winter, when entering a heated room from the cold, the car will instantly fog up, the air humidity will increase, and the car will sit in such a warm-humid fog all night.

How to properly insulate a garage? Let's figure it out.

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Based on real events! Construction of a workshop in -20 degrees Celsius. Perhaps these two sentences best describe the experience of a FORUMHOUSE user with the nickname VMG. Background - a portal member builds custom boats. The owner of the premises raised the rent for the workshop three times in winter. VMG had to make room and, with all the tools, go to their site. But we need to work. Time is running out. A standard cabin will not do. It will not fit oversized parts. Exit? Quickly build an inexpensive workshop measuring 7000x3800 mm. Let's tell you how VMG succeeded.

• Which foundation to choose for a workshop
• How to build a workshop on a metal frame
• How to make a floor in a workshop
• How to bring materials to the site
• How to cover the walls of a workshop
• How to insulate a workshop
• How to heat a workshop in winter
• How much did it cost to build a workshop from metal pipes and corrugated sheets?

Types of thermal insulation materials for garage walls

In the modern construction market there is a huge selection of insulation materials. Let's consider the characteristics of the most popular thermal insulation materials:

1. Mineral wool is supplied to stores in the form of rigid mats with a density of up to 240 kg/m3. Such products are characterized by high resistance to fire and allow water vapor to pass through their structure (breathe). The only disadvantage of using basalt wool is the need to install a vapor barrier film, which will protect the product from getting wet. When exposed to moisture, the insulation loses its properties.
2. Glass wool is considered a cheaper analogue of mineral wool. Such products consist of hard and prickly fibers, so you need to wear glasses and gloves when working with insulation. After getting wet, the mats clump and become heavy, so glass wool needs to be protected from moisture penetration by laying special films or foil.
3. Polystyrene foam is considered the most convenient thermal insulation material to use. The products are not afraid of dampness, can be easily cut into pieces with a regular hacksaw, and are affordable. Insulation of a garage can be done using an analogue of polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, which will last up to 40 years. The main disadvantages of the products in question are considered to be flammability and low resistance to sunlight. Foam plastic unprotected by plaster turns yellow and crumbles.
4. Another insulation for the garage, warm plaster consists of vermiculite or foam balls. Such materials have good heat-insulating qualities, but to obtain maximum effect, a thick layer of mortar must be applied to the walls.

Polyurethane foam for garage insulation

And a few words about polyurethane foam, the thermal conductivity of which is 0.019 W/m K. That is, it is better than polystyrene foam. But it is more expensive and requires special equipment to apply it. Until recently, such equipment consisted of huge containers and a compressor. Today, manufacturers offer compact devices whose weight does not exceed 30 kg.

These are two cylinders and a mini-compressor with hoses and nozzles. The cylinders contain two components that are connected and supplied through hoses under pressure

The applied layer is thin (15-20 mm), please note - it is continuous, without seams or joints, and is more effective than many modern thermal insulation materials used for insulating garages. But if we compare the cost, then it is inferior to the same polystyrene foam

Although good insulation cannot be cheap.

Insulation of a metal garage with polyurethane foam

There are several effective and inexpensive technologies for insulating iron garages. But, as practice shows, polystyrene foam is most often used if the conversation turns to DIY processes. There are no restrictions or contraindications in the use of this material. At the same time, the insulation has a number of good technical characteristics, plus the low price of the product itself.

How to insulate garage doors

Not everyone knows how to properly insulate a garage from the inside. Effective and reliable thermal insulation of walls will not be enough, because a significant amount of heat escapes through the gate. The lack of insulation in this design will not allow the garage to warm up to the required temperature levels. At the initial stage of work, a hole is made in one of the doors and the doors are inserted. To reduce heat loss, a curtain made of thick fabric is fixed in this place.

A transparent polyethylene film with a minimum thickness of 0.8 millimeters will help to insulate the entire plane of the gate. This material is cut into strips 20-30 centimeters wide and fixed above the opening, so that the lower edge does not reach the floor surface by 1-2 centimeters. The strips are secured to a wooden beam using staplers. This insulation is very effective - when entering the garage, the driver will see the surrounding space. In addition, narrow strips of polyethylene will smoothly flow around the car and return to their original position.

Some car enthusiasts insulate the inside of their garage doors with polystyrene foam. To do this, a sheathing of wooden blocks is installed on the inside of the structure and the voids are filled with polystyrene foam slabs. To prevent cold air from penetrating through the gaps, the joints of the thermal insulation are taped with tape.

To eliminate drafts entering through the gates, it is necessary to replace the rubber seals. Condensation forms where the thermal insulation comes into contact with the metal surface. To prevent destruction, the steel is treated with paint or other anti-corrosion compound. Waterproofing substances are also applied to other surfaces.

The wooden guide elements of the frame are coated with a primer or heated drying oil, which will protect the material from rotting and exposure to fungus. After laying the foam, the surface is cleaned. Garage doors are finished with OSB boards or thin boards. It is not advisable to use moisture-resistant products for this, for example, gypsum board.

Preparatory stage

When lining metal structures, it is paramount to take care of anti-corrosion treatment. To do this, you need to clean off any rust that is present on the surfaces with a metal brush, carry out patch repairs (of a specific small area) if necessary, and then paint the surface with a special anti-corrosion solution.

Sometimes the right question arises - how to insulate a metal garage for a long time if the surface is treated? The second important factor in ensuring comfortable conditions inside the garage is the creation of ventilation. It should remove air from the garage, replacing it with fresh air. Otherwise, the accumulation of gases will cause condensation, which will negatively affect the supporting structure of the garage, car or stored food.

After waiting for 1-2 days for the applied anti-corrosion solution to completely dry, the insulation of the metal box from the inside begins. It is advisable to carry out the work in the following sequence - insulate the walls, then the ceiling, the gate with a wicket, and, if necessary, the floor.

Insulation of walls from the inside

The choice of insulation, as well as the technology for insulating enclosing structures, will depend on the material from which the enclosing structures are made. Many car enthusiasts are interested in the question of how to insulate a brick garage. First you need to clean the surface from dust and dirt, mount a frame into which the thermal insulation will be installed.

The sheathing is made from a plasterboard profile. The guides are fixed to the wall with dowels, which are driven in every 30 centimeters. The distance between the guides must correspond to the width of the insulation boards. To finish the walls, you can use sheets of plasterboard or asbestos fiber. It is better to use the latest products, because they have a high degree of fire resistance compared to similar materials.

Advice! Asbestos fiber is quite fragile; to prevent its destruction as a result of various mechanical influences, reduce the pitch between the frame guides.

Insulation of garage walls from the inside is carried out using mineral wool or other products made in the form of slabs. In this case, the mats are inserted between the guides, their position is fixed using special hooks. After this, they begin to install the vapor barrier membrane, which should be connected to the cotton wool insulation.

We also insulate the garage from the outside, using warm plaster or special paint. Carrying out such work shifts the dew point, which will protect the walls from moisture penetration and further freezing. The owner of the building must install forced ventilation. This system is designed for intensive air exchange.

Insulating a garage with foam plastic is suitable for insulating metal walls. Expanded polystyrene boards are fixed to the base surface using an adhesive mixture. To securely fix the thermal insulation, it is necessary to first clean and degrease the metal. The sheets are fixed to the walls with the seams aligned, and polyurethane foam is poured into the gaps. Polystyrene foam is subject to combustion, so a thin layer of plaster must be applied to its surface.

Metal garage walls are often insulated with polyurethane foam or special paint. If there are voids between the frame, insulation is carried out using penoizol. The liquid mass penetrates into the wall through special holes. The foam clings well to surrounding surfaces, hardens, turning into high-quality and reliable thermal insulation.

Required Tools

It is advisable to insulate the garage in the warm season, but sometimes the situation forces you to carry out work at sub-zero temperatures. Here there is a need to insulate the box quickly and reliably. To use time efficiently, the following equipment is prepared in advance:

• electric drill;
• mask and gloves (protective);
• welding machine;
• building level;
• screwdriver;
• self-tapping screws;
• metal scissors;
• tape measure from 5 m;
• staples and furniture stapler;
• wooden blocks for the horizontal crossbars of the sheathing;
• steel profile.

If all of the above is present, it’s time to start insulating the garage from the inside.

Design features of the garage that affect the insulation process

The main feature of the garage, which directly affects the insulation technology, is the thin walls and roof. Even garages built from brick or cinder blocks rarely have a wall thickness of more than 25 cm. And the thickness of metal garages is measured in millimeters. Such walls are not able to provide the necessary thermal insulation and require proper insulation.

For comparison, in residential premises the thickness of external brick walls ranges from 51 cm (two-brick masonry) to 64 cm (two-and-a-half brick masonry).

When choosing future insulation and calculating the thickness of its layer, you need to strive to ensure that the temperature inside the garage is maintained just above zero.

Moreover, if installed correctly, the insulating layer will work for the desired result at any time of the year: in winter it will retain heat inside the garage, and in summer it will prevent heating outside. This is achieved due to the so-called thermal inertia, which occurs due to a decrease in the thermal conductivity of surfaces in the direction from outside to inside.

You can create the desired direction of thermal inertia by insulating the garage from the inside. Then, outside in relation to the external atmosphere, there will be a material with higher thermal conductivity - cinder blocks, brickwork or metal, and inside - thermal insulation with low thermal conductivity.

How to insulate a cellar in a garage

Insulating a cellar in a garage is technologically not much different from insulating premises for other purposes, but has several important nuances. The main one is increased humidity due to direct contact of the walls and floor of the cellar with the soil. Therefore, waterproofing becomes a key step.

Ideally, it is better to apply a layer of waterproofing to the outer surfaces of the walls, creating an airtight capsule around the cellar. However, in an already built garage or a garage located in a cooperative, it is sometimes impossible to reach the outer surface. In this case, waterproofing is done from the inside.

Polymer films, roll insulation or bitumen mastics can be used as a waterproofing material. The result should be a complete layer of waterproofing. A special vapor-waterproofing membrane is suitable for insulating the ceiling.

Then, insulation is laid on the walls, floor and ceiling: mineral wool, polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam. For mineral wool, you will need to build a frame, and sheets of polystyrene foam are glued to surfaces or secured with plastic dowels with a mushroom cap.

A wooden frame for installing mineral wool must be treated with protective compounds.

The top layer of insulation is covered with a vapor barrier. After which you can begin covering it with decorative materials, for example, plastic panels.

Do I need to insulate the floor in the garage?

Whether to insulate the garage floor or not is up to everyone to decide for themselves. From the point of view of complete thermal insulation of the internal space, it is of course better to insulate. After all, through a floor laid directly on the ground, cold will always enter in late autumn and winter, disturbing the balance of the microclimate.

On the other hand, insulating the floor of an already built garage can be quite a difficult task. After all, after installing the insulation, the floor level will rise to a height of 10 to 20 cm. At a minimum, this will create problems when driving the car. And at the very least, it will make it impossible to park your car in the garage due to the fact that it will no longer fit through the gate.

Therefore, before you start insulating the floor, you need to carefully measure everything and find out whether there is enough headroom.

Among the options for do-it-yourself garage floor insulation, two main approaches can be distinguished:

1. Quick modification of the floor to reduce heat loss.
2. Installation of a full layer of insulation.

For the first option, when time, and most importantly finances, are limited, you can cover the garage floor with boards or OSB boards. Of course, this cannot be called serious insulation, but a noticeable effect will still appear. The floor will no longer be cold, and an additional air layer will appear under the flooring, holding back the cold from the base of the floor.

The second option is to fully insulate the floor by creating a multi-layer thermal insulation cake.

Taking into account the fact that the car puts a significant load on the garage floor, extruded polystyrene foam would be the best insulation option.

Pile-screw foundation for a workshop

So, VMG began construction of the workshop in the winter. The task is to quickly put up the “box”. How to do this if:

1. It's frosty outside
2. Time is short
3. Concreting is no longer necessary

The solution is to put the workshop on “all-weather” screw piles.

I bought four piles. They turned it themselves. I used a jackhammer to remove the frozen soil to a depth of 0.3 - 0.4 m. Next came ordinary soil. The piles were screwed in without any problems. It turned out that one side of the workshop stands on stilts, and the other side rests on a concrete platform - the base of the canopy in front of the house.

Floor insulation

If the garage has a cellar for storing canned goods, vegetables and fruits, there is no need for floor insulation. In the absence of such an underground room, insulation is mandatory. The easiest way to insulate the floor is with foam boards. The whole workflow boils down to the following:

• vacuum the base and remove dirt;
• lay roofing material or plastic film on the base;
• we fix sheets of polystyrene foam of maximum density (the thickness of the cake is at least 10 centimeters);
• we lay waterproofing material and reinforcing mesh;
• We install the beacons and fill in the leveling screed.

By following the recommendations given, you can quickly insulate all structural elements of the garage. At the final stage of work, surfaces are painted or finished with the selected material.

Workshop frame made of metal profiles

When building a workshop, everyone chooses a material and technology familiar to them. For some it is a wooden frame. For others - gas or foam concrete. VMG works with metal, so he chose a metal profile.

I welded the base for the workshop from scraps of the 12th channel. Logs made of profile pipe with a cross section of 10x5 cm, wall thickness 3 mm. I also had to buy a profile pipe 50x50x2 mm. The profile was welded on the base of the “platform”. It was -20°C outside. The pipes are covered with snow and ice. Therefore, it was not possible to paint them. I think it’s not a problem, there will be enough for my lifetime and there will be some left for my children.

Source

Foam plastic and all its analogues

The insulation technology in this case is incredibly simple. It is first necessary to carry out several measures to prepare the work front - treat the walls with antiseptics and prime them. If necessary, degreasing is carried out - for metal surfaces. Next, the foam boards are simply glued to the plane without gaps or cracks. If they do form, then after finishing the work, all existing flaws are filled with polyurethane foam. There is a more complex method for assembling wood sheathing, the same as for mineral wool. The principle of its assembly will be the same in both cases, so you can simply consider it further.

Entrance trim

Insulating walls will not be beneficial if cold air enters through the cracks of the entrance gate or wicket. The situation is easily solved by using rigid insulation such as polystyrene foam. First, the gates are insulated, then the small entrance door to them is insulated. The sequence is:

1. The metal surface is treated with protective mastic. Expanded polystyrene is not afraid of moisture, however, when opening the gate, raindrops or snow can get into the cracks between the material and the iron sheet. This should not be allowed.
2. Attach lathing profiles along the perimeter of the gate.
3. Fix the polystyrene plates to the mounting adhesive; it is advisable to apply penofol (a foil-based material) on top of them.
4. Make a wooden sheathing for installation of the cladding. Provide a distance of about 30 mm between the future lining/plasterboard/other cladding material and polystyrene foam, so that there is an air gap.
5. Fix the cladding to the sheathing.
6. Perform similar actions with the gate.

Mineral wool

Preparation of the base for insulation is carried out similarly to the previous option, but insulation of the garage walls from the inside in this case will differ in technology. First, you should assemble the sheathing from wood or metal parts. Usually, these are familiar profiles intended for installation of gypsum plasterboard structures. The installation step of the elements almost corresponds to the width of a roll of mineral wool or a hard mat made of the same material, but slightly smaller. This way the insulation will be securely fixed in the cells of the frame.

Next, you should take care to protect the insulator from moisture and lay a layer of waterproofing. Rigid mats of cotton wool insulation are placed inside the cells or pieces of rolled wool cut to size are inserted. The resulting structure is covered with a layer of vapor barrier and decorated to your liking. It should be taken into account that mineral wool will completely lose its properties when it gets wet and protect it as best as possible from water.