How should I insulate my SteelChief shed with a 25mm thick frame?

[Zachary]

Hello to insulate my shed I was thinking of using either Foil board insulation polystyrene insulation or underfloor insulation, but I'm not sure what to use. If I were to use either the foil board or polystyrene insulation I was thinking about using liquid nails or some sort of glue to glue it to the panels but there might be a better option out there. I live in Ballarat Victoria and it gets very hot in the shed. So if I could get some help that would be great.

[Jason]

Welcome to Bunnings Workshop @Zachary. It's great to have you join the community. Please feel free to post anytime you need a hand with a project around the house or garden.

Adding insulation to a shed is a common challenge so you might like to start by getting some ideas from existing discussions on the site, as well as our Best Advice article How do you add insulation to a garage or shed?

I'll also tag our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts @EricL and @MitchellMc to assist you as soon as possible, as well as other helpful members like @Jewelleryrescue, @JDE and @JoeAzza.

Jason

[JoeAzza]

Hi @Zachary polystyrene board would be ok, it would be good if you can create an air gap between the board and the metal sheets, you can  create the gap by cutting narrow strips of polystyrene glued to the metal sheets then gluing the board to the strips of polystyrene ( approx width for each strip 75 to 100 mm wide). 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Zachary,

Some great responses already. I'd go with the Foilboard, which can be adhered to the sheeting with gutter silicone. As @JoeAzza mentioned, you'll glue spacers to the metal sheets and the boards to the spacers. Make sure the silicone has cured and the spacers are firmly attached before installing the board. Otherwise, the board's weight will pull the spacers off. Once the boards are in position, the seams can be taped with aluminium tape.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

A note to our New Zealand members: The use of foil insulation products is prohibited.

[Zachary]

What is the difference between foil board and polystyrene insulation. And does the spacers have to be 75 to 100mm thick or can they be like 10mm thick.

[MitchellMc]

One of the benefits of Foilboard over polystyrene @Zachary is that it comes with a foil backing that provides a moisture barrier when sealed with the joining tape. It also achieves higher R values over standard EPS. The spacers for this product are 15mm thick. You could create your own 10mm spacers, but the manufacturer has done testing and feels 15mm is best to provide an adequate air gap.

You could certainly go with polystyrene, but our Expol is designed for underfloor insulation.

Mitchell

[Zachary]

Thanks the reason I asked about the spacers is cos @JoeAzza said to use 75-100mm spacers

[EricL]

Hi @Zachary 

I don't believe the spacers would need to be that thick as it would eat too much space in the shed. I suggest using the Foilboard Spacer Blocks as it was designed to work with the Foilboard.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[JoeAzza]

Hi @Zachary The 75mm100mm is the width, just cut strips from your foilboard, the width is just an approximate size