Refacing our swing-out old-school garage door that currently has metal corrugated siding.

I bought ship lap and will be installing vertically. When the corrugated metal is taken off, all that remains is a 2x4 square frame (actually has a middle brace up/down, across in the middle: think 4 pane classic window) attached to the hinge-spring mechanism.

My question is, I'm I just as well off using 1/2" owens corning pink board on the frame followed by shiplap directly against the pink board...nailed through to the frame of course. I was originally thinking plywood sheet, then felt paper, and then shiplap + lots of exterior paint, but the plywood is quite a bit heavier than just a foam insulation board. Thoughts?

Sounds to me like you could make a problem for yourself. You are adding a lot more weight than you have now.

Problem that can be solved.

I've been calculating total door weight...to be around 135-155 lb. I may change our current spring kit with different springs or entire hinge with a more robust kit ($100) that takes 2 springs per side.

Manufacturer supports between 100lbs to 300lb, so no issue there.

But...didn't really tell me whether shiplap to owens corning foam board is ok?

It is questionable especially on something that will be moving. The lack of support for the nail through the foam will probably cause the shiplap to sag as the nail bends down. The backing for the shiplap should be solid.

The nail/screw is going through shiplap, 1/2" foam board, and then into 2x4 up top, middle, bottom.

I get what you are saying. It's just that if you nail it, then the 1/2" of the shank in the foam is actually holding up the siding, not just securing it to the substrate. The foam has very little structural value. It will be fine at first, but I am sure after a while of use, you will see pieces start to slide down or shift as the nails bend in the foam.

Are these outswing with vertical mounted hinges ? Or old school garage doors that open to the top ?


I wouldn't put shiplap on top of foam and expect the doors not to sag. I've built a few outswing garage doors and in this situation I would install 4x8 smart siding using screws to keep the frames from sagging. Pull diagonals on the frames to get them square. Then I would put the shiplap over the smart siding. For hinges I use 4 1/2 inch commercial ball bearing hinges usually 4 of them for a 7ft height door.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tell-Manufacturing-4-1-2-in-Steel-Mortise-Door-Hinge-3-Pack/1000001200

Old school swing out and up. It pivots. You are right...I probably should use some diagonal bracing... is the smart siding the LP product where 4x8 are superficially pressed for a siding look?