Some garage owners believe that it is not necessary to insulate the building intended for storing their car. After all, the walls and roof protect the body from corrosion and rust.
However, this opinion is not entirely correct. After all, sudden changes in weather, as well as low air temperatures, have a negative impact not only on the condition of the entire car, but also on its heart - the engine. According to experts, the temperature in this building during the cold season should be within 5-10 degrees. To create such conditions, one cannot do without warming the garage from the inside.
The ongoing measures aimed at creating the necessary heat and humidity regime will extend the life of the machine. In addition, after the garage is insulated from the inside, the conditions for staying in it will become more comfortable for a person.
Selection of the required work option
Insulation of the garage from the inside is possible using various technologies. The choice of the necessary option will depend on many reasons, including the material from which the structure itself was built. The owner will also have to clarify the price of various insulation materials in order to try them on to their financial capabilities.
Insulation of the garage from the inside is impossible without a heat engineering calculation that takes into account the climatic conditions of the region, as well as the material and thickness of the enclosing structures. For example, insulation of a concrete garage from the inside will require less thorough than metal frame buildings.
There are three options for such work. Garage insulation can be:
- external;
- internal;- combined, which is the most effective and at the same time expensive.
Facade insulation is simply necessary for those buildings that tend to accumulate moisture. These include wooden frame garages, as well as those for the construction of which porous concrete blocks were used. It is also desirable to insulate the outside and metal boxes. After all, their dew point can always be found on the inner surface. However, doing this work on your own is a very difficult task. That is why this option is most often considered as an exception to the general rule.
Concrete and brick structures are also recommended to be protected from the facade. However, interior insulation is much less expensive and is therefore generally used by garage owners.
Roof insulation
A separate issue is the thermal insulation of the roof. It is also relevant due to the large heat loss in this part of the structure. When deciding whether to carry out work on roof insulation, the selection of the mostThe best option will depend on its design. You should also consider the presence or absence of an attic. Do-it-yourself insulation of the garage roof from the inside with different roof configurations can be done in various ways:
1. With a flat or slightly sloping roof, it is allowed to lay insulation from above. For this, rigid plates of extruded polystyrene foam, as well as polystyrene, are most suitable. In such cases, waterproofing is laid on top using roll materials.
2. With a pitched roof, mineral wool or polystyrene is used, which are laid between the rafters. The first version of the material is more preferable due to the absence of the need to fit it in size and use additional fasteners.
3. If there is a cold attic in the garage, you can line the floor with rolled glass wool. Such thermal insulation will be not only reliable, but also budgetary. The main thing is to ensure good ventilation in the attic to remove accumulated moisture.
There is another version of such work. It provides for the insulation of the ceiling in the garage from the inside. In this case, it is recommended to use mineral wool or polymer rigid boards. Such a solution leads to the creation of a continuous rigid contour that does not have gaps, as well as cold bridges. However, this will require laying on top of a layer of additional waterproofing and creating a vapor barrier from the side of the room to cut off moist air.
After the technology for insulating the interior space of the garage is finally selected,you will need to determine the appropriate material for the work. What could he be?
Styrofoam and Styrofoam
These two heaters are considered related. The differences between them are in some of their characteristics, as well as the price. At the same time, the technology for the production of work with both polymers remains unchanged. In the building materials market, there is also such a name for insulation as penoplex. It is a trademark of a Russian manufacturer of extruded polystyrene foam. But it's the same stuff.
Styrofoam is sold in flat sheets of various thicknesses. That is why, to calculate its required amount, you will need to calculate the surface area, adding 10% to the result for waste. Insulation of the garage with polystyrene from the inside is recommended to be done in 2 layers. In this case, the protection of the structure will be more reliable.
The required amount of mounting foam used to seal the seams will directly depend on how tightly the insulation panels are laid, and on the number of resulting edges. It should also be noted that such a composition is suitable for correcting inaccuracies after laying the insulating layer. That is why you need to buy it a little more than calculated.
Mineral wool
This category includes both cheap fiberglass and bas alt slabs. However, it is worth considering that the density of fiberglass is small. In addition, under load, it quickly loses its volume. That is why the insulation of the garage with mineralcotton wool from the inside is used only in cases where it is freely located in a special frame. Bas alt slabs are presented in a wider assortment in retail outlets. This material can be used on all surfaces. The main thing is to choose it correctly:
1. If the roof of the garage is insulated from the inside, then light, inexpensive rolls are used with a density of 30 kilograms per cubic meter.
2. When sheathing internal walls, mats are used, the weight of which is in the range from 45 to 60 kilograms per cubic meter.
Be aware that mineral wool insulation is not the cheapest option. However, if the garage is adjacent to a residential building, then for greater fire safety it is necessary to use it.
Just like when using foam, the cotton wool should be laid in two layers. With this in mind, the calculation of the material is also made. In addition to these plates, you will need to buy a waterproofing film with a thickness of 200 microns. You also need a vapor barrier. Their size should be larger than the insulated area, as it will be necessary to overlap 10-15 cm.
Do-it-yourself insulation of the garage from the inside using mineral wool does not require the use of fasteners. The plates are simply inserted into a frame made of timber or a metal profile. In this regard, you will need to purchase the necessary material. The length of the beam or profile will be determined by the height of the walls, as well as the length of the roof slopes.
Narrow focus content
Insulation of the garage from the inside can be done not only with mineral wool or foam. There are other thermal insulation materials on the modern market. However, their use is not so widespread due to the existing shortcomings. Only in some cases the use of these alternative materials is justified:
1. Expanded clay. Do-it-yourself insulation of the garage from the inside using this material can be done by filling it into the inter-wall gaps, as well as for arranging a “warm” floor screed. Expanded clay has high water absorption and good thermal conductivity.
2. Blocks made from foam glass. This thermal insulation material is quite good and at the same time it is resistant to many environmental influences. But it should be borne in mind that such blocks are very expensive. In addition, they are afraid of alkaline solutions based on cement (such as plaster and glue).
3. Arbolit and fibrolit. These materials have good thermal insulation characteristics, but are more related to construction materials. That is why their use is best provided for at the stage of building a garage.
Tools
How to make a garage insulation with your own hands? After purchasing the materials, you will need to prepare the necessary set of tools. Their specific list will directly depend on the heater chosen by the owner. But special attention will have to be paid to cutting tools. For example, it is good to cut mineral wool with a construction knife. But if the garage is insulated from the inside with foam orfoam, then to give them the right size, the easiest way is to use a homemade "hacksaw" made of steel wire mounted on wooden handles. Of course, a jigsaw can be used in this case. However, the sheets will crumble from it, and the work will go much slower.
Insulation of the walls of the garage from the inside should be carried out only after preliminary preparation of the surfaces. For this you will need:
- a synthetic brush with stiff bristles, and in some cases a cord brush for angle grinders or manual brushing;
- a grinder, with which bulging reinforcement is removed, as well as large protrusions present on the main surface;- narrow spatula for filling cracks.
In addition, if work is planned that will allow the insulation of the walls of the garage from the inside, as well as its floor, ceiling or gate, then for fixing the prepared heat-insulating material will be needed:
- construction stapler;
- screwdriver or drill;- mounting gun or notched trowel for adhesives.
If the insulation layer is provided with laying in the crate, then you will need a tool to make the frame, namely:
- jigsaw to give the desired size to a wooden beam;
- hacksaw;- scissors or angle grinder in case of using a metal profile.
Ceiling insulation
After selecting a suitable option for thermal insulation material, you will need to decide on the technology of work. Do-it-yourself insulation of the garage ceiling from the inside should be done in a way that directly depends on whatoverlap completed.
For example, if the ceiling is concrete, the garage is insulated from the inside with its own hands with foam plastic or extruded polystyrene foam. There is no need for prior preparation. The tiles are glued directly to the concrete ceiling.
How is it done? An adhesive specially produced for this purpose is applied to the surface of the insulation using a comb. After that, the plates are pressed against the ceiling and held in this way for some time. The seams are sealed with the same adhesive.
However, insulating the garage with foam plastic from the inside will require additional fixing of the material. For this purpose, plastic dowel-umbrellas with a wide hat are used. Each slab must have at least five of these fasteners - one at each edge and in the center. If a more rigid extruded polystyrene foam is chosen as the material for insulation, then two dowels per slab will suffice. Such insulation ends with plastering.
Before the mortar is applied to the surface, it should be reinforced with a reinforcing fiberglass mesh attached to the adhesive.
There is also a second way to install insulation on the ceiling. It is more time-consuming and costly, and will also require pre-assembly of a frame made of timber or a galvanized profile.
How are these works made? They include several steps:
1. Marking the surface for attaching a profile or beam.
2. Drilling holes for fasteners and fixing the base of the crate parts to the ceiling.
3. Laying foam or mineral wool between the beams or profile, supporting them from below with a jumper.
4. Finishing with plastic panels.
It should be borne in mind that the first of these two methods of insulation is preferable, as it is simpler and can provide better thermal insulation without compromising the integrity of the ceiling by drilling.
Wall insulation
These works are performed in the following order. The first step is surface preparation. To do this, the wall is cleaned and a frame is made using standard guides and profiles.
The last facing layer will be drywall. Asbestos fiber can also be used for sheathing the walls of the garage. Moreover, this option is preferable to drywall, as it has a higher fire resistance. However, when the walls of the garage are insulated from the inside with their own hands using asbestos fiber, it should be noted that this material is quite fragile, which will require the frame to be stepped more often.
For such work, as a rule, use cotton wool insulation. Styrofoam work is more labor intensive.
Mineral and glass wool are inserted into the middle of the made partitions. Further, the material is attached to the walls with special fasteners. At the next stage, a vapor barrier is laid on top of the crate. For the production of such works, it is recommended to use a membrane that is laid end-to-end toinsulation wool.
Metal garage insulation
Such structures have the lowest thermal conductivity. That is why many owners carry out the insulation of a metal garage from the inside. The most effective method in this case is the application of foamed polyurethane, which is a liquid thermal insulation. Insulation paints are also used.
Liquid Styrofoam is a foamy mass produced directly at the work site. For this, special equipment in the form of foam generators is used. The material applied to the walls of the garage hardens and turns into a hard surface with excellent adhesion.
But the easiest and most inexpensive way to insulate the walls of a metal garage is to glue the foam boards onto the glue. Before carrying out these works, it is important to thoroughly clean and then degrease the iron surface. This will allow the sheets of thermal insulation material to quickly adhere and then hold securely. There are inevitably gaps between the foam plates. They must be carefully covered with mounting foam. At the end of the work performed, the surface of the insulation can be painted. It is worth bearing in mind that the above materials are highly flammable, and in the event of a fire, they release many toxic elements.
Gate insulation
It is not enough to cover only the walls and ceiling with heat-insulating material in the garage. When planning work, you should pay attention to the gate. They are very bigwhich leads to the loss of a considerable amount of heat through them. Do-it-yourself insulation of the garage door from the inside is necessary because otherwise it will be quite difficult to heat the structure.
At the initial stage, a small door is made in one of the gate leaves. This will allow you not to constantly open the gate, which will also save heat. A curtain made of dense fabric or plastic can be fixed between the opening doors and the room. Such a device will also keep the heat in the room. In this case, it is recommended to take transparent plastic, which will allow the driver leaving the garage to navigate well. For this, a thick plastic film with a thickness of more than 0.8 millimeters is suitable. The material is cut into strips. Their length should be almost equal to the height of the room, not reaching the floor by one centimeter. The width of such strips is 20-30 cm. If the film is cut narrower, then it will cling to the exterior mirrors and other protruding parts of the car. It will be very inconvenient.
A wooden lath is nailed to the ceiling to fasten the strips. And then you need a stapler. With it, the strips are attached to the rail with an overlap of 1.5-2 cm or a little more. Under the weight of its weight, the film should hang evenly, and after deflection, return to its place again.
Insulation of garage door panels is recommended to be made with polystyrene foam. To carry out the work, you will need to make a crate. At the next stage, all its gaps are filled with heat-insulating material. In order to prevent the penetration of cold air masses into the garage, you shouldto process with adhesive tape the gaps that are formed at the junction of the gate.
The elimination of drafts becomes possible with the use of rubber seals. On the door leaf after insulation, in places where the insulation and metal come into contact, condensation begins to form. In this regard, the drop-down sashes are covered with anti-corrosion protection. Frame parts should also be primed. This will protect them from fungus and warpage. For this, heated drying oil is used. The foam layer located on the gate is covered with a durable material. Such sheathing can be made of thin board or OSB. The use of moisture-resistant material is not recommended.
Above, the nuances of the selection and further self-installation of heaters in the garage were considered. The described technologies are optimal for most owners of such structures, since they do not require significant financial investments and allow solving the problem. The main thing that is required in this case is compliance with the instructions and the prevention of gaps and cracks in the heat-insulating layer. This is the only way to eliminate the penetration of cold air into the garage and ensure a normal temperature regime in it, which will delight the owners of the building not only in winter, but also in summer.
