How to insulate new shop?

Stretch Cab

Stretch Cab

Well-known member
I live in south Florida and just bought a 12 x 24 Lark Shed. The walls are 2x4 metal studs with a minimal pitch metal truss roof. Exterior walls and ceiling are metal.

In my opinion spray foam insulation would be the best but to costly. In your opinion what would be second best? I plan to drywall the interior and have AC. I know its not very big but it will be a place to work on the cabriolet!:)
 
I've got the spray on and it adds to the ridgidity of the structure and seals up the missed screw holes. Pricey, but well worth the extra cost.
 
anchor that shed down good, i'd put up some thick six mil visqueen then as JTW put it Blueboard , or sheet foam , then a couple of layers of 5/8" drywall . but nothing will keep out that flarida humidity if your main door isn't insulated .
good luck stretch cab.
 
Dynamat :)

Here in central PA, I insulated my "Auto Shed" with 6" fiberglass batts. It worked really well. The ceiling is drywall, but the inside walls are old theater scenery flats from a local university so I have castles and forests as my backdrop.

You need to consider the space you have to insulate-4" thick or the real 3.5"-then look for what ever has the highest R value. You want to keep heat OUT-so if you have a reflective surface, you might need to put it on the outside not the inside.

And, I am sure you will anchor your shed really well and insure it! Up north here we have this joke-"Why is a divorce in North Dakota like a hurricane in Florida?-Either way, you're going to lose the trailer." My apologies to those in ND or FL-sometimes we aren't very tolerant.
 
Easiest, fast and cheap if you plan to drywall and air condition against a hot steel exterior would be fiberglass batting rolls and a plastic vapor barrier between the insulation and the drywall. You can easily stick both the insulation and vapor barrier up with tape in sections as you go along doing the drywall job. Have it all drop shipped along with the drywall. The stuff has a pretty good R-value of 13 when in a 3 1/2" stud space. A plus is that fiberglass is fireproof, expanding or spray foam is not.

The real concern I see is that steel studs SUCK thermally. You might want to drill 3/8 holes in them every 2' and buy a case of cans of expanding foam to insulate inside them before putting up the drywall.
 
Shed was anchored by installers and seems to be done well. For what it is worth, shed is good for 150 mph winds. Doubt if house would make it. Thanks for all the help. Can't wait to get started on the Cabriolet..................
 
Your first opinion is the best, and repayment will come quickly whether for coolness or for heating - if after you find the cost too expensive, second option might be urothane foam boards (not pink / blue boards) this stuff is what life belts, flexible kickboards, motor home exterior walls are all made out of. You can tie strips in a knot, bend it around a tree, put plywood on it and drive a car on it without having it compress!!! You can cut it with a long bread knife to within 1/32" and be as accurate as needed. Most sheets are 2" X 50" X 9' and are found in the motor home industry as ends, or cut offs. Price varies, but it usually is 1/2 the price of pink/blue board found @ building centers. Look for it - I did an 8000' building including the ceiling "BEFORE" I had it spray foamed, and it was the best spent money of the entire project.
 
R30 fiberglass bats fails at 90 deg. put that between your rafters with a white elastomeric roof covering that might help but you've got some hellish heat down south. but it's not the heat so much as the humidity.
look around for blown foam , the home building industry is upside down . you might be able to find some great deal or a barter.
I say foam it. I inspected some homes in Fl. owners never run their A/C. some attics cooler than their garages.
 
'29wagon-I'm not sure what you mean by fiberglas failing at 90 degrees. Ninety from vertical? 90F? And what is failing? It's insultation properties come from the trapped air pockets so what's to fail?

OP there could be many considerations-durabilty,efficiency, cost, flammability. You know how many square feet you need to cover so shop and for prices. Seconds might be fine, Out of work contractors might give you a break. Your best deal might not be the same as one of ours elsewhere in the country.

Don't forget to run your power, air and water lines before you run the insulation and be careful running electrical wires through metal studs-make sure they can't rub or wear.
 
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