Here at Garage Door Repair Chicago, we deal with a ton of different type of metallic garage doors. You might be wondering what the difference is between insulated and uninsulated garage doors. Many garage doors available today are built of galvanized steel, and many others are made with aluminium panels or glazed aluminium extrusions; ranging from between one and two inches, and coming with or without insulation. 

Single or Double Layer Metal Garage Doors

• Garage doors without insulation are created from sheets of molded steel at around two inch thickness in order to make it more solid.
• Many makers of garage doors insulate it with styrofoam covered with rigid styrene in order to prevent it from catching aflame.

Three Layer Metal Garage Doors

• Built of steel sheets with interior insulation made of polyurethane or styrofoam.
• Styrofoam insulated doors are between 1 and 3/8ths, 1 and ¾, or 2 inch thicknesses.
• Polyurethane insulated doors are between 1 and ⅜ and 2 inch thickness.

What’s the better choice between polystyrene and polyurethane?

Polystyrene

• This is better known as styrofoam.
• It’s expanded with heat from tiny beads to fit a particular mold and shape.
• It’s not as good as insulation as polyurethane.

Polyurethane

• This is a mixture of a few different compounds to create a hybrid insulation with closed cells – which provides high levels of thermal insulation.
• It’s used inside chairs and car bumpers.
• The higher the density of this foam, the more insulation it has. It’s important to use the correct ratio of insulation to structure of the door in order to maximize the insulation’s rigidity and effectiveness.
• It’s used in front doors of 1 and ¾ of an inch thickness.

Strength of Insulated Garage Doors

• Tensile strength management basically how much pressure can be placed on the panel before it breaks open. This is helpful to know if your garage door is placed in an area where it may undergo strong winds.
• Polyurethane sticks right to the door and offers twice the amount of resistance as a door insulated with styrofoam.

Soundproof Aspect

• Uninsulated doors are much less soundproof than insulated doors, especially those with polyurethane insulation.
• Non insulated doors can work fine for sheds or garages that are not heated. However, if your garage is connected with your home and you want to reduce noise, we highly recommend a garage door with polyurethane foam insulation.