How do I insulate and finish a garage converted into a bedroom?

Question

I have a garage that has been finished with pressed wood on all 4 sides and the ceiling, and then painted. There is no insulation under the pressed wood.

Answer 1

Both one and two offer a valid clue in that you should remove the "pressed Wood"

The issue with "Blown in" is that you may not be able, due to the beams at the top of the exterior walls.

Insulate with anything in the R-30 range if possible, and you can reinstall the pressedwood, but I'd add drywall, and finish that way. The pressed wood will give you another 1/2 inch? of insulating properties.

Depending on the height of the ceiling I'd also include a raised floor. 2 x 4 framing and 3/4 ply or whatever as the substrate, You certainly can use Construction foam between those floor beams as well. In a garage, especially if it won't be heated by a Central unit, I'd also put carpet and padding down.

Steven Wolf

Answer 2

Tear that press board down and go buy some insulation (in rolls) look at the R rating on the insulation (ask for help in finding the correct rated insulation). You will need a staple gun and a box of staples and a box cutter knife). Measure the length and cut the insulation in strips (easier to do all the cutting first). Take your staple gun and staple the insulation strips. You'll also want to insulate the ceiling (different R rated insulation then for walls).
Measure the garage before you get drywall. You'll need a screwgun and drywall screws to hang dry wall. You move on to the mudding the drywall, you can do this yourself but....sanding the mud is a BIG job......

Answer 3

I have done such a conversion from a garage to a family room. You are going to have to remove the pressed wood and insulate or you will not be happy with the result. It will remain cold in the winter and costly to heat. You didn't say where you live so I don't know your climate. You are going to need and additional heater if required. I used a wall unit supplied by gas. And you are going to have to run electricity for your lighting. If you have a Home Depot or Lowe's or some other hardware store they carry Instruction books of all kinds and you should be able to find one that fits your needs. Have fun.

Answer 4

Well, I must say that padding and carpeting would have been a lot warmer. If the new flooring hadn't been put down I would have suggested insulating under the raised floor. Was the floor interlocking? So you could possibly remove it put down the rubber surface to insulate between the Pergo and the concrete. I think it is used for warming the floor and a sound barrier. If the wood floor is raised, perhaps you could find a way to pump in the pressurized foam insulation. Otherwise you could loose lay a bound carpet remnant and a piece of padding for the winter. That should make it much more comfortable.

Answer 5

What they all said. BUT, check with your local county as well for building codes. I lived in San Bernardino County (CA) and was in getting a permit for something else.

A guy was asking about a converting a garage into a family room. They told him that if a house has a garage when purchased, it must have a garage when sold. So he either needed to build a new garage when he sold it, or convert the room back to a garage. Just check to be sure there are no restrictions on what you want to do.

Answer 6

With walls and ceilings already in it won't be easy. I would suggest you remove the press board. Insulate with fiberglass/rock wool bats and hen drywall the area. Without removing the walls your only option is to blow in insulation. This will require drilling large holes, either through the press board, or the garage siding.

Answer 7

You can rip out the wood and put roll insulation in and then seal it back up. You can also try to get into the crawl space above it and use blow-in insulation down the walls.

Answer 8

Steven W has the right answer