If you have an attached garage, basement or are planning to convert your garage into a living space, adding insulation to the concrete floor is ideal. It helps to hold heat, can help lower your energy bill and add value to your home. That’s why the team at Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Tampa, Florida created this guide on how to insulate your garage floor.
Prepping the Slab
The key to a successful insulation and flooring install is in the proper preparation of the concrete floor it will go on. Insulating your floor requires a level slab, no excess moisture and be free of damage.
We recommend you follow these steps and we are sure your new floor will last for years:
- Do a visual check for cracks, collapsed or degraded areas and any weak spots in the floor. Any structural damage you find would be best handled by a professional contractor.
- Search for any uneven spots. Fill any gaps, gouges or dips with floor patch. We recommend using a cementitious leveling compound.
- Using a moisture meter, make sure the floor meets the manufacturer recommended moisture content level. If the concrete flooring is new construction, let it cure for 30 to 60 days. This gives the concrete time to settle and the moisture to redistribute allowing for a correct reading.
Once completed, you have now prepared the concrete and it is ready for insulation and new finish flooring.
What You Need to Insulate Your Floors
- 6-mil polyethylene sheeting. This is your moisture barrier. It is available in rolls at most hardware stores.
- Construction grade, heavy-duty tape.
- Utility knife, hacksaw blade or drywall blade
- Circular Saw
- ½ inch plywood
- Compression grade rigid-foam insulation. Ask your supplier for advice on the best R-Value and thickness you should use.
- ⅞ inch screws or staples.
Directions For Insulating The Floor
Now that you prepped the concrete and you have your materials laid out, you’re ready to get to work.
Step One
Cover the entire floor with 6-mil polyethylene sheeting. Overlap the edges 6 to 8 inches and run the sheeting up the walls at least 3 to 4 inches.
Step Two
Lay sheets of the insulation over the polyethylene sheeting. Use the utility knife, hacksaw or drywall blade to cut the rigid-foam to size leaving a gap at least ¼ inch around the perimeter. Secure the seams with the heavy-duty construction tape.
Step Three
Layer the plywood perpendicular to the long dimension of the foam insulation. Space each panel ¼ inch apart and leave ½ inch gap around the perimeter.
Step Four
Place the second layer of plywood perpendicular to the first layer and secure them together using the ⅞ inch screws or staples.
Step Five
Finally, you have insulated your concrete floor. All you have to do now is install your last layer of finish flooring.
Looking Good
Time to show off all of your hard work. You did a great job insulating your concrete floor and the new flooring looks even better. You’re now ready to move in furniture and dig your toes into that plush carpeting or slide across the new tile in your socks!
Upgrade Your Door
Now that you know how to insulate your garage floor, you want to make sure you have a well-insulated door! Call the professionals at Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Tampa, FL for an estimate on insulating your door. We can also talk to you about an all-new door as well.
