How to Heat a Garage: 11 Tips to Keep Your Garage Warm in Winter (2023)

Most garages are not designed to keep you warm inside when it's cold outside. Garages are typically not insulated, and their concrete floors stay cool year-round. Even with a small parking heater running, the temperature in the garage probably won't rise more than a few degrees.

But when the air in your garage is freezing cold, your tools are freezing cold, paint and glue don't adhere properly, and auto or woodworking repairs can become awkward and awkward. If you're a DIY enthusiast who wants to use your garage workshop in all seasons, not just the warm ones, read on. We share our favorite tips for heating the garage to a comfortable temperature so it can be a productive workspace whatever the weather.

Visit your local hardware store in late fall and you'll find aisles of space heaters, both large and small. However, most of these options are not powerful enough to heat an entire garage. If you're looking for a serious source of heat, consider installing a ceiling-mounted forced-air heater like wiring.dr. 10,000 Watt Infrared Garage Ceiling Heaterand make sure it is the right size for the square footage of your garage. (Be sure to read oursComfort Zone Garage Heater Review(which is another excellent option for ceiling mounting). This type of heater is best placed in a corner of the garage and pointed downward at a 45-degree angle for better heat distribution. Most of today's ceiling heaters come with a remote control and thermostat so you can set the temperature you want and trust the shop heater to do the rest.

The only downside to a ceiling-mounted heater is that the closest inches to the floor can stay cold. If your feet are still cold, try a baseboard heater placed where you're most likely to work; a likely location is under your workbench. Hydraulic baseboard heaters like thatSlant/Fin Fine/Line Hydraulic Baseboard HeaterThey are connected to the boiler of a house. As hot water flows through the heater's pipes, warm air is radiated into the room, keeping things warm at ground level and beyond.

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2. Finish walls with insulation and fiberglass panels.

No matter how many watts your garage heater puts out, you'll have a hard time keeping your garage comfortably warm unless the walls are finished. Many garage walls are just paneled and paneled studs on the outside. Without garage insulation, cold air from outside will quickly move into the garage and hamper your heating efforts.

insulation of a garageIt's a project that's easy enough for most homeowners. To create an insulated barrier, install fiberglass insulation (eg.Johns Manville R-19 Fiberglass Insulation)on each quarter stud and then finish interior walls by installing drywall sheets,plywoodArches or OSB (Oriented Strand Board). Insulated and finished walls help keep the heat in the garage, and yousave heating costs.

3. Insulate the garage door.

Often made of thin metal,garage doorsthey are notoriously cold in winter. If you live in a northern climate, it's not uncommon to find frost on the inside of a metal garage door. Insulating the door prevents cold outside air from entering and cooling the workshop. An insulated garage door can make the room an average of 10 to 12 degrees warmer in the winter, even before you turn on the heaters. And the process isn't nearly as intimidating for DIYers, thanks to kits likeReach Barrier Garage Door Insulation Kit, which contain all the necessary materials. By choosing theThe best insulation kit for garage doors.Please be sure to measure your doors carefully. While the Reach Barrier Kit will insulate a standard garage door, garages with oversized doors (or two or more doors) will require additional kits.

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4. Eliminate draft sources.

Investing in insulation and heaters will help keep your garage cozy in the winter, but you should also close off any gaps that let in cold drafts. First, take a walk around your garage and focus on these three most likely sources of drafts.

• The garage door frame:Garage doors don't fit tightly in their frames - there are small gaps around the door. Fortunately, you can quickly address those spots with a built-in weatherstripping seal.M-D Building Products Vinyl Garage Door Top and Side Seal. Self-adhesive strips help close off gaps to prevent cold drafts from entering.
• the bottom of the door: If your garage door is more than a few years old, it's also a good idea to replace the seal, orgarage door threshold,where the door meets the floor. This gasket is designed to block drafts, but over time it can become brittle and crack, allowing cold air to enter. The gaskets are available in different sizes to fit doors of different sizes. Please measure your door width carefully before choosing a replacement, e.g.DGSL Lower Rubber Seal Kit.
• Ventana: To seal draft windows, apply shrink wrap to the inside of the windows. To install theDuck Interior Window Shrink Film Insulation Kit(or other top picks from ourresearched guide to the best window insulation kits), tape the shrink wrap to the window frame, and then use a hair dryer to heat the wrap until it fits snugly against the frame and seals out drafts.

5. Consider investing in radiant heat for your floors.

If you love working on your car in your garage, you probably dread having to lie down on a cold concrete floor to change the oil or do repairs. A good way to fix this problem is to install aunderfloor heatingSystem. Unfortunately, this is only a viable solution for those building a new garage or planning to remove and replace an existing garage floor. Underfloor heating is installed before the concrete is poured. First, a reflective liner is installed over the fill sand at the bottom of the excavated area, then flexible tubing is laid in loops over the liner. Finally, the concrete is poured. The radiant heating system is connected to the boiler, which circulates hot water through the pipes and radiates heat to the floor and objects above.

If you spend a lot of time in your garage and are considering renovating it, aunderfloor heatingsystem might be right for you. However, remember that this is not a DIY project. You should hire a plumber who specializes in installing underfloor heating systems.The cost of installing underfloor heating.Installation typically costs around $5 to $9 per square foot, plus the cost of the furnace. The resulting system is ideal for heating a shop: it warms the room without blowing wood chips and dust like forced-air heating would, and it keeps your workspace free of particles that could interfere with detailed work.

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6. Consider a portable propane heater.

Many homes are connected to natural gas lines, but garages often are not, leaving homeowners with fewer options for heating their garages.

Electric heat is almost always an option, but electricity is expensive in many regions.electric garage heatersPlus, it draws a lot of juice, which can overload circuitry and trip circuit breakers, especially when using multiple tools at once. Also, relying on electric heat may require additional circuitry. For all these reasons, using a propane garage heater can be an inexpensive alternative. (For our recommended manufacturers and models, see ourresearched guide to the best propane gas heaters.)

A standard 20 pound propane tank can power a small propane heater. If that's not enough heat, you can go for a larger 500 gallon tank and have a plumber connect a gas line to the garage for a larger propane tank.gas garage heating. When venting isn't an option, look for a ventless propane heater that's designed for clean, safe burning.

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7. Heat with a wood stove.

For those looking to spend a lot of time in a garage workshop during the colder months, the comforting warmth is awood stove. A stove not only provides heat, but also gives the room a cozy atmosphere. If you have a source of wood ready, this may be one of the best options for cheap heat. (OurResearched guide to the best wood stoveshighlights high-quality stoves in different price ranges).

When installing a wood stove in a garage, safety considerations are paramount. The stove must be placed on a non-combustible surface, aconcrete garage flooris ideal - and there should be a safe distance from walls, cabinets and other objects. However, models vary, and some of the newer wood stoves have insulated outer covers that don't get dangerously hot.

It is important to note that a wood stove must be properly vented to prevent smoke from settling in the garage. This is where local building codes come into play, and they typically require a triple-walled stovepipe to be installed perpendicularly through the ceiling. Check with your local building authority for additional restrictions.

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8. Concentrate heat with a kerosene heater.

Electric heaters are great for additional heating in cold climates, but if you want a heater to be the only source of heat in a garage, it needs to be a heavy-duty model, and a kerosene heater is for you.

Often referred to as a "torpedo" or "salamander," this type of heater generates a lot of heat and focuses it in a specific direction, allowing a handyman or mechanic to stay warm while working in the garage. Because these heaters often have fans that are powered by electricity, an electrical outlet is still required, but the kerosene itself generates the heat.

A kerosene heater likeHEATFAST Forced Air Kerosene Heater, it can generate up to 215,000 BTUs. When choosing a kerosene heater for a garage, buy one that is designed for indoor use to ensure it does not emit toxic fumes. Kerosene torpedo heaters designed for outdoor use may not burn as cleanly and are not intended for indoor use.

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9. Heat objects, not the air, with radiant heat.

Some types of heaters blow warm air that warms a room, but radiant heat works a little differently and is one of the best options for heating a garage on a cold day.

Radiant heaters use infrared energy that is generated in a variety of ways, through a heating element, an infrared lamp, or even actual flames. However, the way they work is fundamentally different from the heat of the circulating air. Imagine that you are outside on a cold day. When the sun rises, you immediately feel its heat, that is, radiant heat, even though the air temperature has not risen noticeably.

In a garage or workshop, radiant heaters can be installed on the walls or on the ceiling. HeComfort Zone CZQTV5M Ceiling Mounted Quartz HeaterIt uses two quartz bulbs and a reflective base to radiate heat outward, where it warms you and everything around you. You can work comfortably, no matter how cold it is outside, and thanks to the heater's built-in halogen lamp, you can see everything on your workbench.

10. Extend your mini split system setup to the garage.

For owners who already have oneDuctless Mini Split Air ConditionerFor heating and cooling, adding a room air conditioner to your system should be fairly easy, that is, if the compressor you have is large enough to handle the additional "room" heating and cooling. If you don't already have a mini-split system, buying a compressor and indoor unit for your garage is still a great option, but it will cost more than a couple of space heaters.

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11. Reduce heat transfer with a floor covering.

While heaters and insulation will certainly help keep a garage warmer in the winter, there is one more factor to consider: thegarage floors. Concrete floors can feel very cold. This can be a problem for anyone who needs to slide under a car or kneel on the ground to work on a project.

The solution is very simple: just cover the floor. Warm things up by having an interior/outdoor backthat can be cleaned by sweeping or with aleaf blower. To make a hard concrete floor more comfortable, consider installing interlocking rubber mats, the type used forbest fitness floor. These mats insulate and cushion your floor, making it easier to stand for long periods of time.