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Shop comfort (not looks)

DaleB

Well Known Member
My shop (AKA the garage) is still cluttered and will never win any awards or make it into a magazine photo spread, but it should at least be comfortable to work in. Last winter it was COLD out there; even the kerosene and electric heaters couldn't keep up. Some evenings I never got the temperature above 50, even after a couple of hours of working with the heaters on full blast. I did some work I'm not thrilled with just because I was freezing my you-know-what off. It's tough to concentrate and take your time when you're miserable.

We're having new siding installed. The crew started work yesterday with the outer walls of the garage. They tore off the old siding and I had them remove the sheathing as well. That left the studs and "dead space" attic, which is not connected to the rest of the attic, exposed. Leave it until tomorrow, guys... I ran out and bought fiberglass for the walls and blown-in cellulose for the attic space. Three hours or so later, and the garage is fully insulated. There's new OSB sheathing and a Tyvek wrap under the new siding, and the garage doors will get all new seals and weatherstripping. I'm looking forward to burning less Jet A and keeping it a little warmer this winter.
 
Being in south Alabama, my shop is air conditioned, but the garage door problem is the same. The "insulation" on the panels was pretty thin, so I cut foam panel to fit in the door sections, glued them in, then closed in each panel by covering them with aircraft fabric (Poly Tack at the edges), shrinking, then brushing on a heavy coat of latex house paint. The additional weight wasn't much, and easily compensated with a spring adjustment.
 
Dan, at least you could insulate your doors-----------my hangar has roll up/drum style doors, and for the life of me, I can not get any insulation to stay in place for more than a couple months-------------the rolling action just peels it off after a bit of time.

steel-drum-doors-8x8-10x120-12x12-tuscaloosa-areas-americanlisted_21320337.jpg


Anybody out there know the secret to adding insulation to an existing door of this kind???

Dale, sorry for the drift----------but your post inspired me to seek assistance from the brain trust.
 
Yeah, we replaced the old wood garage doors with insulated steel about 10 years ago. I have been thinking of adding a layer of foam on the inside, especially if I can get them sealed up around the edges a little better.

Mike, I see they do sell insulated roll-up doors like yours. Each slat has foam insulation with a strip of metal on the back side to keep it attached and protected.

If I were doing it I'd think about strips of foam cut to fit each slat, with maybe some AL flashing or thin LDPE sheet on the back side to protect it. A lot depends on whether you can drill & rivet or if it all has to be removable without modifying the door.
 
Insulated

Dale
You're goi g to love the insulated shop.
My garage is insulated. I can get up to 60 pretty quick with just my Big Buddy mounted on the wall. One 25lb bottle will get me through most of the season and no CO issues.
 
Mike,
I have one of those doors. I didn't figure out a way to insulate the sides but looking at it from the top there is a huge gap between the roller and the door frame. I attached a thick rubber (similar to baffle material) flapper over the gap. It doesn't interfere with the roll up action and blocks a significant amount of air which would otherwise escape.
 
When I was building, my basement had exposed stud walls on three sides. Even in Charlotte, NC it would get below freezing down there in the winger, or very close to it.

I spent one weekend insulating and drywalling the place, which made it livable for the remaining three years of the project.

Having a comfortable place to work, a place you want to spend time in, is key to completing your project. (At one point I moved a comfortable chair and reading lamp to the basement so my wife could come down and read/hang out, while I was chipping away on the project.)
 
I added electric overhead radiant heaters since I had 220 available for them. They are on thermostats. Makes a big difference, but the shop stays within a range of 40 F to 80 F without them, since it's decently insulated.

The heaters came from McMaster. Mine are the 3 kw size, about four feet or so long. I've got four and only use two.

Dave
 
Dan, at least you could insulate your doors-----------my hangar has roll up/drum style doors, and for the life of me, I can not get any insulation to stay in place for more than a couple months-------------the rolling action just peels it off after a bit of time.

steel-drum-doors-8x8-10x120-12x12-tuscaloosa-areas-americanlisted_21320337.jpg


Anybody out there know the secret to adding insulation to an existing door of this kind???

Dale, sorry for the drift----------but your post inspired me to seek assistance from the brain trust.

Mike,

Instead of trying to insulate that door, how about an insulating curtain on the interior side that can be pulled across like a shower curtain? Edges could be held shut with some well-placed magnets.
 
Jim, that idea might be worth perusing-------thanks for the suggestion.

Shower curtain setup most likely wont work, as these are my hangar doors and the center mullion is removable.
 
I lived in this house for many years before it became my RV workshop. It had bare stud walls in the garage all that time. It was freezing cold out there all winter, dark and dingy. Before starting on my RV, I took the time to insulate and sheetrock these walls. It was cheap and easy to do. I also took the time at that point to run some electrical wiring and install additional 120-volt outlets around the shop, which have proven to be very handy. It was the smartest decision I've ever made regarding my shop. Even in the dead of winter, it never gets below about 45? inside, and the white paint really brightens up the place as well.

I have a kerosene heater that I start up if it's below 50?, and it warms the place up in about 15 minutes. I have a page here that describes my experience with shop heaters: Shop Heaters - a Discussion and Pictures

I don't have an insulated door, but in the picture below you can see it is a wood door which is better than metal for insulation. I have also gone around the outside of the door late in the fall and taped it up with duct tape. This very effectively stops the drafts and leaks, and it makes a big difference inside, especially if any wind is blowing. I often don't open the door until spring, anyway. All of these little improvements made a huge difference in my comfort level, and working in winter an enjoyable experience.

GarageWall1.jpg


GarageWall2.jpg
 
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