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Tips on how to insulate a wooden shed

Soil insulation during construction

Roofing of your wooden shed

Roofing insulation during construction

Conclusion

Know These Things First

First, there are things that should be considered about insulating wooden sheds. It will cost you, yes, but you also need to think about the long term benefits. The rule of the thumb is that the low-cost method or material may provide lesser insulation.

The key here is you just need to have a keen sense idea of your goal and the budget that you need.  This guide shall help you in making your choices related to insulating your wooden shed.

You need to be aware of exactly what you are trying to achieve and your budget restrictions before you begin. Keep reading for more step-by-step advice.

Key Points Before Deciding

In choosing on what type of insulation you need, take note of the key areas of installing insulation:  the floor, walls, roof, doors, and windows.

The floor, walls, and roof must be insulated first so that regardless of the season, you can maximize the benefits of having proper insulation.

Insulation Wooden Shed Guide

Prepare The Tools

Before proceeding the first procedure, here’s the list of tools and materials  you need to 

prepare:

• Tape Measure
• Paper or Roll Insulation
• Wool Cutter 
• Wood Stapler
• Joist
• Hand Drill
• Polystyrene Plates 

Start With The Flooring Of Your Shed

There are two steps in installing the insulation on the flooring of your wooden shed. The first one is insulating the soil during shed construction, and the next one is after.

Soil insulation during construction

During shed fabrication,  you can start to insulate the flooring where it will be installed. Provide enough elevation by either installing beams, or better yet, a certain type of cinder block called breeze blocks. Install them on the top of the concrete. 

It’s also recommended to insulate the concrete slab especially when it is bigger than your wooden shed. 

If the previous method is what you prefer,  use polystyrene plates to insulate the wooden shed’s flooring. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) or Expanded polystyrene (PSE) is popularly used because of its insulation properties.

To know more about polystyrene, head to this site. 

For suppliers of Extruded polystyrene (XPS) or Expanded polystyrene (PSE) foams, jump to StyroTech’s website now. 

Showing how to insulate the shed base

• For support and stiffness, install standard-sized joists to the slab, see to it that the spacing is equal.
• Cut out the polystyrene sheets and distribute them between the structural members.
• Arrange the wooden shed’s flooring and tuck with the joists. 

Here’s a quick video tutorial by Bunning’s Warehouse on how to install polystyrene plates.

Walls Of The Wooden Shed

Factual data states that up to 70%-75% of heat is drifting through the floor and the roof. 

Hence, the remaining 25% of the heat loss happens through the wooden shed’s

uninsulated walls. 

This time, the most effective material to insulate the walls of your wooden shed is

Rockwool. 

It is recommended that you use either a rolled or paneled Rockwool insulation, and you

can purchase one from here. 

• First, have a measurement of the distance between the wall supports.
• Then, cut the insulation material according to your measurements, then put them between the wall framing.
• When done with installing the insulation, you can now clad the wooden shed wall. 

Roofing Of Your Wooden Shed

Similar to the flooring, roofing installation also involves two scenarios. While it is highly

suggested to install the insulation during the construction of your wooden shelter, you can still do so even if the shed is already there. Just de

Roof Insulation During Construction

Roofing Insulation For Existing Shed

https://youtu.be/Wqz6TkZYrtc

Items Used In The Video

  Best Review From Customers

We couldn’t quite stretch to proper building insulation boards for our summerhouse/workshop this year (12x18ft building uses a lot of insulation!) so looked for a cheaper alternative for this year to line out the workshop temporarily through winter. Its very good quality, and so easy to fit with a staple gun and a pair of scissors. Just make sure you leave an air gap between the exterior wall and the insulation so condensation doesnt form on it in cold weather. Clearly this is not going to be anywhere in the league of real building insulation boards or loft type rolls, but for the price, and with a couple of eco heaters in our summerhouse we should be able to sustain a reasonable temporary temp over the winter. It definately makes a difference in the room, but works by reflecting the heat back in at you rather than “insulating”. Even now in summer we notice the room is a few degrees warmer. If your looking to line out your shed or summerhouse its never going to be anywhere near as good as ‘real’ insulation boards but it is a viable option if you have realistic expectations of it and a more more budget friendly alternative. Also consider its far safer than lining out your shed with polystyrene if your going to have electrical cables running through the walls.

Worst Customer Review

We have a huge empty space under our living room floor and it gets very, very cold in winter. Couldn’t inspect the underfloor space until after we moved in and then discovered that there is no insulation down there at all.

We tried this as a short-term solution. It made a difference, but not much. TBH I didn’t expect much of what is, basically, a layer of bubble-wrap between two layers of tinfoil. I was neither overly disappointed nor surprised by an outstanding effect. I think we really need a much more robust solution but this should give you a good foundation at least.

Cheap Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap can be used as insulation providing in is not in contact with the cladding on the walls. By attaching it to the frame and keeping it off the timber cladding will allow the timber to breathe.

Alternatively, putting it over the top of bubble foil is a great boost to the insulation holding in the warmth more effectively.

Hammer Stapler

A hammer stapler is the quickest and easiest way to attach both bubble foil and bubble wrap. This makes the process go a lot smoother.

Conclusion

Insulated wooden sheds are useful regardless of the season. While insulation is primarily intended for shielding the shed from outside heat, it is also effective during winter.

Invest now on good insulation for your wooden shed. The cost of labor and materials is worth it in the long run by protecting all you, your loved ones, and properties inside the shed.