Best way to insulate a pole barn

[EdwardB]

Hi. I live in Northern Lower Michigan along the lake Michigan shoreline. I have a 30 x 40 pole barn that is 6 years old. I am (finally) [img]/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] getting ready to wire and insulate it. The question is: What is the best way to insulate the building??

We get a lot of Lake Effect snow here, and the temperatures can dip to -20. However, the typical winter day is between 10 to 30.

I have yet to see a consensus on the best approach. I intend on walling off a 16 by 30 area for a wood shop and use the rest for storage and workshop. I want the whole thing insulated, but it could be that I use different techniques in the different areas.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Let me know what did or did not work for you.

Thanks

Ed

[AndyMA]

Take a look at Icynene . It is a foam that is applied and creates it's own vaper barrier. Extremely good insulation and no drafts. Easy to have applied over any surface.

Andy

[EdwardB]

Andy,

I have heard about Icynene. It looks impressive. Do you have any experience with it? How is it on price compared to other types of insulation? is it applied directly to the metal? Also, what about wiring - does it go over that as well?

Thanks [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[DannyD]

I sent the local dude an email and the company one. I wonder if it can be applied by the home owner. I will post the reply from both

[BobReeves]

Might check this out.. Spray Polyurethane Foam

[Darren]

Here's a place that can sell you the two part spray systems. When I checked they had the best price. It's still not cheap. The advantage of the spray on insulation is you can absolutely prevent moisture laden air from coming into contact with cold metal and causing condensation and the subsequent indoor rain.

http://www.fomo.com/about.html

Sorry Bob! Looks like I posted the same link.

[EdwardB]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I sent the local dude an email and the company one. I wonder if it can be applied by the home owner. I will post the reply from both )</font>

Great. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say!

Ed

[EdwardB]

I have also considered two other options:

First, framing with 2x4's so they are flush with the posts and then insulating them like a standard wall. This would yield a wall like this: steel, air, stud wall with insulation, wallboard. This would make it east to wire, just like a frame house. I don't know if there would be a condensation issue with this approach in the air space.

Second, rigid foam insulation on top of the horizontal wall framing. This would mean exposed wiring and a less finished look, probably, but likely no condensation issues?

It is all very confusing. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Ed

[BobReeves]

Darren, no need to be sorry great minds think alike [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Woodsman_Pete]

EdwardB,
One of my buddies when we were seniors in highschool built a 24x24 garage pole building, 6x6 posts and 2x4 perlins on 2' ctrs. on the outside 7/16" osb and vinyl siding. On the inside we took 2x6's and nailed them to the perlins and the posts on the same 2'ctrs (perlins are horizontal) insulated with r-19 kraft paper. the bottom 4' is 7/16" osb treated with a stain/poly mix that I sprayed on with a gun (something alittle more water proof than dry wall for washing the truck in the winter). The upper portion of the walls are dry wall. The only thing that I would change is that for the extra couple of 2x6's I would have framed the inside walls vertically between posts. It would make it easier to hang/attach shelves, and other accessories.

The spray on insulation looks like it would work very well, I've only seen it on "This Old House" and Norm has recomended it. I would try to pre-plan (and I know its hard) some conduit runs for future power tools in the shop even if you didn't pull the wire now so that everything was run inside the walls. Once you spray that foam there's no fishing wires.