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Is an insulated garage door worth it in Naperville?
Short answer
An insulated garage door is worth it on most attached Naperville garages, especially one under a bedroom: Angi puts insulated steel doors at about $650 to $3,200, and the insulation also stiffens the door and quiets it. Polyurethane-filled doors insulate better than polystyrene panels of the same thickness.
The job
What insulation changes about a garage door
An uninsulated steel door is a single sheet of steel between the garage and the outdoors. An insulated door adds a layer of foam, either polystyrene panels behind the steel or polyurethane foamed between two steel skins. The foam slows heat loss, and it also makes the door stiffer, quieter and harder to dent.
Insulation only works if the door seals. A well-insulated door with a torn bottom seal and gaps at the jambs still leaks cold air. Every insulated door we install gets new weatherstripping, and the springs are sized for the extra weight.
Cost
What an insulated garage door costs
Angi puts insulated steel doors at about this range. Size and insulation type move it most. It is a planning figure, not our quote.
- Single or double door
- Polystyrene or polyurethane insulation
- Steel thickness and back skin
- Windows and style
- New opener or reuse of the old one
Compare the options
Uninsulated, polystyrene or polyurethane
The same door style can be built three ways.
| Uninsulated steel | Polystyrene | Polyurethane | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulating value | Lowest | Good | Best for thickness |
| Stiffness and dents | Dents easily | Better | Best |
| Noise | Loud | Quieter | Quietest |
| Best for | Detached, unheated garages | Most attached garages | Heated garages, rooms above |
What is included
What an insulated door install includes
- Measuring the opening and checking the jambs
- Choosing insulation type, style and windows
- Removing the old door, springs and tracks
- Springs sized to the heavier insulated door
- New bottom seal and perimeter weatherstripping
- Opener reset, photo eyes and safety reverse test
Polystyrene-insulated steel
Polystyrene-insulated steel doors
Polystyrene doors use rigid foam panels set into or bonded to the steel. They are a solid step up from an uninsulated door, at a lower price than polyurethane. With a steel back skin over the foam, they are also tougher and quieter than single-layer doors.
Polyurethane-insulated steel
Polyurethane-insulated steel doors
Polyurethane is injected between the steel skins and bonds to them as it expands, filling every void. For the same thickness it insulates better than polystyrene and makes a stiffer, quieter door. It is the choice for heated garages and for garages under living space.
Garages under a bedroom
Garages under a bedroom
A room above or beside the garage is usually the coldest in the house in winter. An insulated door, new seals and an insulated access door can make a noticeable difference, though the garage ceiling and walls matter as well. If the door is sound, a lower-cost option is a retrofit insulation kit.
Around Naperville
Insulating 1980s garages in Naperville
About a quarter of Naperville's homes were built in the 1980s, and in neighborhoods like Brighton Ridge, built between 1983 and 1993, many attached garages still have doors from that era. Upgrading one of those to an insulated door is one of the most noticeable changes a homeowner can make to the garage, especially where a bedroom sits above it, and we seal the opening at the same time so the insulation actually does its job.
How the visit runs
How an insulated door install runs
- 1
Measure and choose
Opening, insulation type, style and windows.
- 2
Order the door
Built to size; springs sized to its weight.
- 3
Remove the old door
Tension released safely, old door and tracks out.
- 4
Install and seal
Sections, tracks, springs, new seals all around.
- 5
Balance and test
Opener reset, photo eyes and safety reverse.
Time
How long an insulated door install takes
Doors are built to order, so the first visit measures. The install is usually a single visit, with the old door out and the new one hung, sealed, balanced and tested the same day.
We install and service doors from Clopay, Amarr, Wayne Dalton, C.H.I. and Raynor, among other makers.
- LiftMaster
- Chamberlain
- Genie
- Clopay
- Amarr
- Wayne Dalton
- C.H.I.
- Raynor
- Haas Door
- Overhead Door
- Windsor Door
- Marantec
Answers
Questions about insulated garage doors
On an attached garage, yes. It slows heat loss, quiets the door and stiffens it against dents.
Polyurethane insulates better for the same thickness and makes a stiffer door. Polystyrene costs less and is still a big step up from no insulation.
Yes. Insulated doors are heavier, and the springs are sized for the new door's weight.
If the door is sound, a retrofit kit is a lower-cost option. A new insulated door seals and performs better.
Yes. The foam and second steel skin make the door noticeably quieter, especially polyurethane doors.
Same group
Related door work we handle
Garage Door Replacement
Old doors out and new ones in, with springs sized and the opener reset.
Carriage House Garage Doors
The swing-door look on a door that still rolls up overhead.
Steel Garage Doors
Raised, long and flush panel steel doors in the gauges that hold up.
Wood Garage Doors
Real wood doors and wood-look composites, with the upkeep explained.