pole barn ceiling

[jack707]

I will be building a pole barn in the Springtime when the temps warm up in Northern Wisconsin. The building will be 28x32 with a 8' ceiling the price they gave me for the ceiling was 2,100 they will use 7/16osb for the ceiling does this price sound alittle high?. Also I want a cement floor I asked people at work and they told me 6" the company said I could get away with 4" that seems to me like to thin and CRACKS would start, the only things I would keep inside are a full size pick up work benches and maybe a bobcat.

 

[BukitCase]

Jack, welcome to TBN - you might wanna ask a mod to move this to PROJECTS forum - this one is more for building IMPLEMENTS, etc, for your tractor... Steve

And, if your bobcat is full size, I'd stay with 6" - tires aren't that big a footprint and those suckers are HEAVY.

 

[newbury]

Also get a higher ceiling. 8' is low for a working area if you ever have overhead lights and plywood to swing around.
I've workshops with 8', 10', 12' and 14' ceilings. 10' is ok 12' is great.

 

[Carl_NH]

Well $2100 seems a lot for OSB in the ceiling, for that money get roof trusses with a little higher pitch and have some storage in the second level which will give you a ceiling too.

Agree on the others get at least 9' clear height and 10 is better.

 

[KennyG]

As others are noting, 8 feet is really limiting for a building you will be working in or storing anything other than cars/trucks. If you go a couple of feet higher, you can put in 8 foot doors which are so much better than 7 foot high doors.

I would never put OSB on a ceiling. It's dark, ugly, heavy, hard to paint, etc. My personal opinion (and what I did in my pole barn) is to go with a white steel liner panel ceiling. Material for a 28 x 32 should be less than $1000 and it should only take a day to install. Put up a vapor barrier and an access hatch and you can blow in insulation later. My mistake in doing mine was installing wiring and lighting/outlet boxes first. Doing it again, I would put up the ceiling and then run conduit afterward.

 

[jack707]

I was thinking of 10' but went to 8' because of the sale price. His price is 2191! for that I'l do it myself with some buddys giving me a extra hand.

Hey Kenny G are you talking about 3 or 4' panels that I could get at Menards?.

 

[bandaidmd]

2100 for just the ceiling sounds pretty high, how much for the outside shell?

Like others have mentioned it doesn't cost much extra for some additional height, if you have a lift on your dream list now is the time to plan for it.

 

[DJ54]

I would agree with at least a 10' ceiling, 12' is better.

And you may want to consider using metal on the ceiling. Once up, you should never have to paint it. More than likely lighter in weight than OSB. Good reflection if you install ceiling lights. Pretty airtight too. You can get liner panel for approx. $60.00 per square. My new shop is 30' X 32' X 12', the metal and J-Channel ran me right at $600.00. I put this up by myself in 1-1/2 days with the aid of a drywall lift. Plus putting 1-1/2" styrofoam insulation in above the metal.

I had a contractor give me a price on labor to install it, and he quoted me $700.00.

 

[jack707]

The reason I picked OSB is because I wanted a hatch so I could rent a blower to blow insulation on top of the ceiling. I also like your idea DJ metal would be a lot lighter then OSB that's for sure!.

 

[KennyG]

I was thinking of 10' but went to 8' because of the sale price. His price is 2191! for that I'l do it myself with some buddys giving me a extra hand.

Hey Kenny G are you talking about 3 or 4' panels that I could get at Menards?.

Yes but use liner panel which is not for exterior but is cheaper. It's easy to frame in an access to put in insulation. Don't forget the vapor barrier.

 

[jack707]

Ok thanks Kenny

 

[Cord]

4" will be fine, but you must have a good stone base. 6" of 3/4" gravel with a thick vapor barrier. Driving over the vapor barrier when pouring the concrete will puncture it. The average garage floor and sidewalk is 4" so it'll hold up. The issue is when you start driving heavy equipment over it (semi's, etc) a 4" will crack pretty easily. With a 8 ceiling, that won't be happening though.

8' is too low for that size of building. Go at least 10', 12' is even better. My shop is 14' with a 12x12 door and I would never go smaller. A full size RV just barely fits the 12' door.

OSB will work and with that low of ceiling will be durable. I've seen some use drywall, but your framing must be no more than 24" oc. I've seen corrugated metal used on the ceiling with great results. Very durable and the framing can be spread apart. Plus when it gets dirty you can just hose the siding off. For my shop, I went with some special cross linked poly. The product was flame retardant so I didn't have any issues with using it over head. It was a PIA to put up (and have it look good) so I'd suggest using the corrugated metal.

 

[KennyG]

Just to give you an ideal of what it looks like being installed. Note the framed in access opening. This was a backfit into an existing building. For new construction, I would recommend putting the ceiling in first and then lag bolting attachment plates in for anything like garage door supports afterward.

 

[Mike476]

I like the look of the steel, did you bolt it directly to the truss or did you have to strap the trusses before instaling it?

 

[DJ54]

I just used the 1-1/2" siding screws. A cordless impact driver installing the screws is much better than a cordless drill.

I did this in my other shop almost 20 years ago, and still looks great..!!

 

[Mike476]

Even better, thanks!

 

[KennyG]

On mine, the trusses are on 4 foot centers, so I fastened the steel directly to the truss bottom timber. I think if you have 8 foot centers, you have to run stringers at 4 foot spacing. I used stainless Robertson (square drive) screws, I think 1" long. They were supplied by the steel supplier. I pre-drilled the holes for mine. If you don't predrill, you definitely need to impact drive them.

 

[Mike476]

On mine, the trusses are on 4 foot centers, so I fastened the steel directly to the truss bottom timber. I think if you have 8 foot centers, you have to run stringers at 4 foot spacing. I used stainless Robertson (square drive) screws, I think 1" long. They were supplied by the steel supplier. I pre-drilled the holes for mine. If you don't predrill, you definitely need to impact drive them.

Thanks, I have an impact driver but I think I would likely predrill, my trusses are 2 foot centers so I shouldn't have any problems hanging it directly from the trusses.

 

[srs]

Just to give you an ideal of what it looks like being installed. Note the framed in access opening. This was a backfit into an existing building. For new construction, I would recommend putting the ceiling in first and then lag bolting attachment plates in for anything like garage door supports afterward.

View attachment 348255

Jack, my ceiling (and lighting and walls) are very similar to KennyG. I placed 2 X 4's between the rafters every two feet flush with the trusses. After the vapor barrier was installed I used 3 ten foot pieces, easier to handle, then screwed them to the 2 X 4's. You can see the poor boy's man lift that was set up on the bed of the pickup to move around the building ( 30 X 45 ). It worked really great and was quite safe. I made some Tees to support the panels. You can also see the access panel to get into the attic space.

 

[KennyG]

srs, that "lift" is pretty inventive. I was working alone and using 12 foot sections with a 12 foot ceiling, so I bought a cheap high lift drywall lift on E-bay. I'm going to sell it as soon as I get around to listing it, so the net cost should be minimal.