Insulating your working station is a quite simple DIY project that can help you reduce bills and save on money.
Energy efficiency is one of the biggest benefits that you will get by insulating your garage. However, the biggest challenge is usually how to go about it.
Insulation of your garage is vital as it will help you boost your property value and return, prevent heat loss and reduce noise pollution. If you do not know how to insulate your working station, worry no more; this article will enlighten you.
Continue reading for more insights on how to insulate your garage.
Table of Contents
Basics of Garage Insulation
It’s beneficial to insulate your working station if you are adding heat, whether you do it temporarily or permanently. In case you are not adding heat, then it won’t be necessary for you to insulate it.
Although many woodworking enthusiasts tend to think that insulating adds warmth to their working station, that’s a misconception.
What insulation does is that it slows down the rate of heat transfer via the insulated barriers, including floor, ceiling, and wall. This is ideal for cold and hot climates.
Air Sealing
It is vital that you put into consideration the value of air sealing in relation to insulation. Typically, most garages are not designed to be airtight and thus tend to have lots of spaces to the outdoor surrounding.
You can insulate the ceiling, door, and walls of your working station to the highest possible R-value.
The higher the R-value, the better the effectiveness of the insulating material. The failure to effectively fill up the remaining air gaps will lose a significant amount of heat in the process.
Before proceeding with the insulation process, you should ensure that you first fully seal all the cracks and gaps in your garage.
You could use low-expanding spray foam to seal all the gaps and open spaces in your working area. If you don’t do this, your insulation job will be less efficient and messy.
Now let’s take a look at some of the ways that you could use to insulate your garage:
Fiberglass Insulation
Fiberglass is one of the popular types of insulation that is used in most woodworking working stations. They are primarily come in long blankets and precut batts that fit between ceiling joists and wall studs.
Loose-fill fiberglass is also available in the market and is ideal for blowing into a workshop loft space above a finished ceiling.
In situations where the ceiling and walls remain open that are not covered with plywood or drywall, then it would be ideal to use encapsulated or paper-faced fiberglass bats that are often wrapped in plastic films.
This helps to ensure that your walls have a more finished outlook and that you will not have prickly fibers of the insulation material exposed and ready to attract dust at all times.
Pros
- Less costly
- Easy and convenient to position in framing
- Easy to work with
Cons
- Fiberglass tends to irritate the eyes, skin, and lungs
- It can be easily damaged by moisture
- If not correctly installed, fiberglass is vulnerable to fire hazard
Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose is a loose-fill type of insulation that has been gaining popularity over the recent past. It’s primarily made from newspapers that have been recycled, which are then treated with a fire retardant.
Cellulose is typically blown into the ceiling cavities and wall with a special blowing power tool that aerates the cellulose to fluff it up.
You can easily access the blowers in your local hardware store as they are usually rented at a reasonable fee. Others stores will be willing to loan you a blower for free if you purchase cellulose from them.
Cellulose insulation is only ideal for finished garage ceilings and walls as they are loose-fill. However, Suppose your workshop is uninsulated but already finished.
In that case, it is possible to fit cellulose by cutting holes strategically in the wall material while spraying the insulation into the gaps between the frames, then patching the cracks.
Pros
- Cellulose insulation is resistant to fire
- Resistant to insect
- Friendly to the environment
Cons
- It needs a special power tool to install
- Only ideal on drywall
- It tends to be expensive
- The danger of settling with time
Rigid Foam Insulation
Rigid foams are available in the market in 4 by 8 sheets and thicknesses of between ½ inch and 4 inches. Some of the popular types of materials include extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, which is the same as Styrofoam, and polyisocyanurate.
Rigid foam provides a significant R-value per inch of thickness and thus can be cut to perfectly fit in almost any space in your garage. It’s an ideal choice for insulating garage doors and thin walls.
Pros
- Ideal for noise reduction
- High R-value
- Less costly
Cons
- It can be cut to fit any space
- It’s easy for pests and insects to tunnel through
- It can be hazardous as it’s too airtight.
- Vulnerable to fire
Spray Foam Insulation
Spray foam is perfect for air sealing and R-value. It’s a suitable way of insulating your garage as it’s a high-end material that is popularly used in energy-efficient construction. The type of insulation can be much expensive for a standard garage. However, it may be perfect for commercial-level garages.
This type of insulation is high-end, which is why it’s sold at a higher cost compared to other types of garage insulation.
Pros
- Offer airtight seal
- Ideal for tight spaces in your garage
- Resistant to insects and molds
- High R-value
Cons
- It’s an expensive form of insulation
- It requires the help of experts and may not be ideal for beginners
- Can expand too little or too much
- It tends to shrink as it gets old
Bottom Line
It is essential that you insulate your garage or working station to improve energy efficiency, boost its value, reduce noise pollution, prevent heat, and provide you with an ample environment for undertaking your various woodworking projects. If you are undecided on how to insulate your garage, the above guidelines will be of much help.
