Home & Garden

Floors above garage

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  • Jan 12th, 2021 12:51 am
Jr. Member
Mar 21, 2015
186 posts
110 upvotes
Toronto

Floors above garage

Hi All,

Recent home owner here. One of the rooms lie directly above my garage and it feels like Night Kings room there days (sorry for GoT joke)
I was thinking of laying down some sort of carpet on top (currently it has laminates) of it to avoid me stepping on the cold room but I dont think it will help.

Do you know of any products / underlays which I can use to reduce the cold so that it feels livable? I have heard about DMX-1 and it advertises about 'no-cold'. do you think I can rip my laminate off, lay down the DMX-1 and put carpet on so that it reduces the coldness in my room.
I know people dont like carpets but I am okay eitheways.

Thanks
K
12 replies
Deal Fanatic
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Sep 27, 2006
5968 posts
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Not so easy there Ma…
Rug is warmer than wood to walk on, how much it depends on the type and texture. Bathroom rugs are way warmer than cold tile as an example.

I never heard of the DMX before, out of curiosity on the home depot website in the Q and A there was this.
Customer Service · 16 days ago
Hello Goodman:

DMX 1-Step 2.0 has an R-Value of 0.56. When completing a separate floor temperature test, our underlayment will make your floors up to 6.5 degrees Celsius warmer. These test results can also be found on our website.

Customer Care
DMX
Deal Expert
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Feb 11, 2007
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Why not add insulation on your garage ceiling? Even air sealing and insulating your garage will help keep it warmer, which will keep the room above warmer.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Deal Fanatic
Aug 29, 2011
9925 posts
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Mississauga
The right way would be to make sure there's proper insulation in the garage ceiling.

I can't believe that we've been building houses with living spaces above garages for years and builders still can insulate properly. :facepalm:
/rant

I guess an area rug/mat would help in the short term.
Deal Guru
Jan 25, 2007
12695 posts
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Paris
mrweather wrote: The right way would be to make sure there's proper insulation in the garage ceiling.

I can't believe that we've been building houses with living spaces above garages for years and builders still can insulate properly. :facepalm:
/rant

I guess an area rug/mat would help in the short term.
Every single builder can insulate it properly. No one is willing to pay for it. Look at every one of these “Just signed for a new build, help me pick upgrades” threads. Not a single thing on that list ever is spray foam, or added insulation volume in the walls or attic. It’s always an upgraded floor, or kitchen, or faucet. The truth is, paying for spray foam from your builder will actually make your house more livable vs the type of kitchen faucet or number of pot lights. And it’s nearly impossible to do after the build is done.
Deal Expert
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Jun 12, 2007
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London
I thought they now build insulated plenums to create a bigger dead air space between the garage ceiling and bedroom floor ?
DMX won't solve the problem if that's the case as the new extra air gap will be tiny compared to what's already there


https://www.markham.ca/wps/wcm/connect/ ... 45-msjDmOk
Deal Addict
Jul 16, 2019
1648 posts
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The correct way would be too :
1) Insulate the garage correctly. Insulation in the walls and spray insulation on the ceiling.
2) Remove the baseboards and use insulation foam (from a can) to fill in any gaps between the floor and wall.
3) Install insulation layer under the laminate.
4) Insulate all electrical fixtures in the garage and in the bedroom. This is a common one that is often missed.
Other than point 2 and 4, all the others can be expensive so depends how warm you want to be. Point 1 will set you back a few thousands specially for the spray foam.
Alternately instead of spray foam you can use the standard pumped insulation. You need enough space in the garage ceiling for them to pump enough insulation to make a difference.
I had the same issue. I had insulation pumped into the garage ceiling. Insulated all the electrical plugs. Made a sizeable difference and we have hardwood in the room over the garage so that would have been too expensive to rip it up.
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Feb 11, 2007
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vernonco wrote: The correct way would be too :
1) Insulate the garage correctly. Insulation in the walls and spray insulation on the ceiling.
2) Remove the baseboards and use insulation foam (from a can) to fill in any gaps between the floor and wall.
3) Install insulation layer under the laminate.
4) Insulate all electrical fixtures in the garage and in the bedroom. This is a common one that is often missed.
Other than point 2 and 4, all the others can be expensive so depends how warm you want to be. Point 1 will set you back a few thousands specially for the spray foam.
Alternately instead of spray foam you can use the standard pumped insulation. You need enough space in the garage ceiling for them to pump enough insulation to make a difference.
I had the same issue. I had insulation pumped into the garage ceiling. Insulated all the electrical plugs. Made a sizeable difference and we have hardwood in the room over the garage so that would have been too expensive to rip it up.
OP could DIY the insulation pretty easily. If already drywalled he'd have to rip it down, but after that he can add batt insulation, then maybe a layer of rigid board foam, then drywall over that.
If he's lazy, he could just add rigid board insulation over the drywall, then drywall again to fireproof it.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Newbie
Mar 6, 2013
92 posts
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Hamilton
vernonco wrote: The correct way would be too :
1) Insulate the garage correctly. Insulation in the walls and spray insulation on the ceiling.
2) Remove the baseboards and use insulation foam (from a can) to fill in any gaps between the floor and wall.
3) Install insulation layer under the laminate.
4) Insulate all electrical fixtures in the garage and in the bedroom. This is a common one that is often missed.
Other than point 2 and 4, all the others can be expensive so depends how warm you want to be. Point 1 will set you back a few thousands specially for the spray foam.
Alternately instead of spray foam you can use the standard pumped insulation. You need enough space in the garage ceiling for them to pump enough insulation to make a difference.
I had the same issue. I had insulation pumped into the garage ceiling. Insulated all the electrical plugs. Made a sizeable difference and we have hardwood in the room over the garage so that would have been too expensive to rip it up.
Did you have cellulose pumped? Any recommendations?

Having a similar issue, but house is 10 yrs old, they spray foamed but I believe open cell, room is about 3 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

Going to DIY the garage outside facing wall and rigid foam the garage door, but the ceiling seems too onerous.
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Jul 16, 2019
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carnut16 wrote: Did you have cellulose pumped? Any recommendations?

Having a similar issue, but house is 10 yrs old, they spray foamed but I believe open cell, room is about 3 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

Going to DIY the garage outside facing wall and rigid foam the garage door, but the ceiling seems too onerous.
Yes I did have cellulose pumped. My bedroom was a lot colder than 3C less than other parts of the house.
I think fixing the coldness in the garage is tough, better to try and stop the cold moving up to the bedroom. If your ceiling is already spray foamed not sure how much cellulose would help. Might try to see where the air is leaking up. Make sure all light fixtures and sockets are insulated or closed. That was a part of my problem as the builders had cut huge holes for the fixtures. You might also want to spray foam (using a can) any gaps behind the baseboards in the bedroom - sometimes gaps between the wall and the flooring.
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Feb 11, 2007
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carnut16 wrote: Did you have cellulose pumped? Any recommendations?

Having a similar issue, but house is 10 yrs old, they spray foamed but I believe open cell, room is about 3 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

Going to DIY the garage outside facing wall and rigid foam the garage door, but the ceiling seems too onerous.
Yes, insulating the garage will help with keeping the room above warm. I did that and it made a noticeable difference. Garage is about 10C, room above is 21C, floor is only 1C colder.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
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Mar 6, 2013
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Hamilton
engineered wrote: Yes, insulating the garage will help with keeping the room above warm. I did that and it made a noticeable difference. Garage is about 10C, room above is 21C, floor is only 1C colder.
Any tips for insulating the garage or insulation preference type?

Rigid foam vs dense packed cellulose vs roxul?

Spray foam is probably the best, however I'm prioritizing cost efficient solutions that also could be done DIY.
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Feb 11, 2007
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carnut16 wrote: Any tips for insulating the garage or insulation preference type?

Rigid foam vs dense packed cellulose vs roxul?

Spray foam is probably the best, however I'm prioritizing cost efficient solutions that also could be done DIY.
Most important is air sealing, especially the door seals.
Depends how much you want to spend, But if cost is a concern, just go with the cheapest. I went with rockwool because I got it on sale, but fiberglass is fine. Rigid foam is expensive unless you really need higher R value.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

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