Should You Spring for an Insulated Garage Door?

If you are building a new home or replacing an older garage door, one question you will face is whether or not to opt for an insulated garage door. You won’t be surprised to learn that an insulated garage door is going to cost a couple hundred dollars more than the non-insulated variety, but we’re here to tell you: especially in the Chicagoland area, that couple hundred bucks up front is going to save you money in the long run. Here are the three main reasons we encourage all of our customers to purchase insulated garage doors for their Chicago-area homes.

1. An insulated garage door will help your energy costs in winter and summer. The exterior walls and roof of your home are insulated – so why shouldn’t your garage door be as well? After all, the garage door makes up a large portion of many homes’ facades. An insulated garage door will buffer your home from outside extreme temperatures – both hot and cold – and, as a result, will help keep your energy bills lower. As an added benefit, the vehicles you keep in the garage will be easier to warm up on those particularly icy mornings.
2. An insulated garage door is quieter than the non-insulated option. This is especially pertinent if there are living spaces – even possibly a bedroom – over the garage. The insulation absorbs sound, making for less racket as the door goes up and down.
3. An insulated door is sturdier than a non-insulated one. If anyone in your house might be tempted to, say, toss a tennis ball against the garage door or use it as a backdrop for goalie practice, we definitely recommend an insulated door. They stand up to dings and dents better and just aren’t as fragile as uninsulated doors.

So now that we’ve gone over the pros of an insulated garage door, the next question is whether you should go with a pan-style polystyrene, and sandwich-style polystyrene, or a sandwich-style polyurethane insulated garage door.

Pan-Style Polystyrene

Polystyrene is the same material that cheap coffee cups or disposable coolers are made from. The polystyrene is cut in blocks and secured to the interior of the garage door. It provides some insulation of both heat and sound and gives a slight bump to durability. The downside of pan-style polystyrene doors is that polystyrene itself is not the most durable substance.

Sandwich-Style Polystyrene

These garage doors are made with the same material as those in the “Pan-Style” category, but the polystyrene is “sandwiched” between two steel doors, providing greater insulation, stability, and protection for the polystyrene itself. These doors are a great middle-of-the-road choice.

Sandwich-Style Polyurethane

There’s no question about it: if you want optimal temperature and sound insulation and the sturdiest door possible, you want to go with polyurethane insulation. Polyurethane is a foam that is sprayed between the two outer layers of the garage door. The foam expands to fill the available space. It hardens, sticking to the shell of the door. Unlike the sheets of polystyrene that are cut to fit into place, the polyurethane foam fills every nook and cranny between the steel doors, providing exceptional insulation and greatly increased stability.

Whichever Option You Prefer…

We are thrilled to offer a Winter-long (2016/17) deal of $50 off your replacement or brand new garage door!

At AR-BE, we have a variety of stylish insulated garage doors of all three types: pan-style polystyrene, sandwich-style polystyrene, and sandwich-style polyurethane, as well as non-insulated pan-style doors. You can browse our style options on our website. Alternately, feel free to give us a call today and chat about how we can help you beautify your home, while also enhancing its functionality and value with a new garage door.