Lining a shed; Options and alternatives

[McPete]

Hi All,

We've been in our place almost two months now, and thoughts are turning to my tin shed... in turning it into a more functional workshop, and generally a nicer place to be, I'd like to line it. It's a new build 1.5 car garrage. I'll put up some measurements when I get to taking them!

Helpfully, the floor-to-ceiling measurement is right on 2.4m.

Presently, I have three ideas;

1/ 12mm plywood.

2/Hardwood fence pailings

3/16mm particle board.

My critera for selecting a lining material is this;
*Strong enough to hang things off (probably small shelves and hand tools for the most part)
*Hopefully provide some small amount of thermal insulation, and noise insulation. I do plan to add some more insulation as I go.
* Make the space feel a bit warmer. Presently, it's a bit grey and uninviting.
*Not be a pain in the backside when I need to run more power/lighting circuits.
*Be relatively cost effective.

Has anyone else been down this road? What were your considerations?

[malb]

The first thing to consider (to my mind) is how the shed is framed, because whatever you use needs to either mount to the existing frame, or have an addition frame added to support it. I have a big (12W x 16L x 7H) metal barn which is framed with 200x75 C purlins and horizontal top hat purlins to support the cladding at about 1m centres. The flanges on the tophat section face inward, and could be used to secure lining, though they are fairly light and flexible. Another option might be to screw battons (say 70 x 35) to the top of the tophat and use that to secure the lining. Personally not interested in making stud and plate frames to mount inside the existing frame due to the space loss involved. Older garage was metal uprights and trusses, with 70 x 35 hardwood purlins, and most lining materials could have been hung directly off the purlins.

As for materials, I don't see a lot of difference between 12mm ply and 16mm chipboard, both will provide moderate hanging capacity and utilise similar mounting fasteners. Neither is prefinished, so you would have to paint or otherwise finish the surface, and then maintain the finish.

Fence pailings might be hard to find in 2.4m lengths and will move over time, probably twisting and allowing dust into the cavities where you can't get it out easily. Can be a fire hazard if two much builds up and the wiring is in the cavities.

My suggestion would be to consider using 16mm MHR Melamine sheets, pre finished with a hard durable plastic skin, get a mark on it and it will generally wipe off dry, with a damp rag, or with a rag and a little thinners, depending on the source of the stain, no need to refinish to keep it tidy, moisture proof, unlike your standard chipboards, and readily available in 2440 x 1820 or 2440 x 1220 sheets, the wider sheets reduce the number of joins in the wall. HMR Melamine will have similar or better hanging capacity to ply/chipboard as the skin either side helps eliminate localised pullout by speading localised stresses. Can get cheapy reject sheets from some cabinet makers as they are used as top and bottom packers with pack lot bundles, but packing sheets won't have the cosmetic apearance that prime sheets would.

Just my thoughts.

[Pat]

I agree with Mal, I lined my shed with Melamine sheets and the floor with yellow tongue flooring. Insulation is a must. Run the electrics over the lining, in conduit.

eg, pic 1 is unlined with aircell insulation.

pic is the lined and flooring installed, much easier on the back and eyes.

[GraemeCook]

Good Morning McPete

This has been discussed before; do a search and you should find some good ideas.

From memory, one of the more favoured suggestions was to use yellow tongue flooring - cost effective, easy to install and with excellent load bearing characteristics.

As you are in Canberra, it might be worth insulating as you install the lining.



Fair Winds

Graeme

[rwbuild]

Cost effective= yellow tongue flooring, std 19mm thick x 3600 x 900, paint with white low sheen when finished

Surface mount power in conduit because you will find that locations change as does quantity as you develop and change your layout over time especially as you acquire bigger , different machines, etc

[Poppa]

I'm going to do a stud frame covered in 12mm ply in my shed. I'm going to cut the ply to 1200 x 1200 squares so that I can move/replace them easily if I want to. And I'm going to leave about 2cm of the black-painted stud frame visible between all of the plywood panels, just because that's the way I want to do it! Doing the power over the plywood in conduit is a great idea - I hadn't thought of that.

[GraemeCook]

I'm going to do a stud frame covered in 12mm ply in my shed. ......, just because that's the way I want to do it! ....

Good Morning Bob

Like your attitude, Bob. Before deciding on 12 mm ply did you consider yellow tongue? If so, why did you dismiss it?

My local Bunnings currently has structural grade plywood - 2400 x 1200 x 12 mm at $46 per sheet. [ = $16 per m2.]

They also have yellow tongue flooring - 3600 x 900 x 19 mm at $40 per sheet. [ = $12.35 per m2.]

Personally, I would want wall panels to become a permanent fixture, but you have very definite views.




Fair Winds

Graeme

[Cliff Rogers]

I used ply & silver sided sizilation.

I stood 12mm ply sheets on end around the walls & screwed them to the metal top hat purlins.

Then I used 3mm ply sheets on edge on the walls above the 12mm sheets.

I also used the 3mm ply on the roof, that is a 2 man job.

[Bobpol2]

I used 16mm melamine that was around 1800 x 2400.
Cost was $10.00 per sheet.
Cheap because it had slight shipping damage.
Large kitchen workshops buy by pallet lot and factory "seconds" of melamine are used top and bottom of the load for shipping protection.
Only problem was the size of the sheets, hard to handle, need a mate on the job.

Hunt around the local kitchen manufacturers, the bigger the company the better chance of scoring.

Regards
Bob

[safari]

I have a steel garage with three horizontal beams around the walls. I chose to line with 12mm ply with good insulation behind and in the roof. The main reason was one of cost because I was able to buy 2440 x 1220 sheets for $15. It has worked out well because the shed has become a nice place to work without the extremes of heat and cold.

[steamingbill]

I agree with Mal, I lined my shed with Melamine sheets and the floor with yellow tongue flooring. Insulation is a must. Run the electrics over the lining, in conduit.

eg, pic 1 is unlined with aircell insulation.

pic is the lined and flooring installed, much easier on the back and eyes.

Pat,

How did you construct your floor ?

Simply lay the sheets on the concrete or need to put down joists or battens first ?

Bill

[Pat]

Bill, new concrete 100 thick, two layers of builder's plastic, a layer of aircell insulation then the yellow tongue. I can and do spend all day at the lathe on that floor, yet after about 10 minutes on plain concrete, my back reminds me pointedly . I did seal the flooring with 2 pack floor finish. Does get a tad slippery when wet or dusty, so I have laid some grip tape near the lathe. I have 2 mats at the entry for water removal.

[Cliff Rogers]

Also, I almost forgot, don't do a clear finish on the ply, paint it white, it gives an enormous increase to the light in the shed.

The ply that I had got water stained in a cyclone so I painted it with a good quality 4in1 primer, sealer, undercoat, mold inhibitor.

I could not believe the difference that it made to the light in the shed.

[Poppa]

Good Morning Bob

Like your attitude, Bob. Before deciding on 12 mm ply did you consider yellow tongue? If so, why did you dismiss it?

My local Bunnings currently has structural grade plywood - 2400 x 1200 x 12 mm at $46 per sheet. [ = $16 per m2.]

They also have yellow tongue flooring - 3600 x 900 x 19 mm at $40 per sheet. [ = $12.35 per m2.]

Personally, I would want wall panels to become a permanent fixture, but you have very definite views.




Fair Winds

Graeme

Graeme, just personal preference really. I've used yellow tongue before as the uprights for a built in wardrobe I put in, and I like working with ply better. 12mm ply sheets I can manipulate and move myself, and I want the panels to be able to be relocated and replaced really easily. With yellow tongue panels they are too heavy for me to handle easily (and normally it is just me doing stuff like this). I've also got a look in mind for the shed that I want to achieve - I'll be spending a lot of time in there and I want it to be a space that I love being in. I will paint most of the panels white as others have suggested - for the light properties, but I will also paint the odd one another colour (random and different), just because I like a bit of colour around. I've got a 5m high gable in the middle of my shed, and I want to panel up to the roof. The roof will be lined with aircell insulation, and I'm not sure if I'll line the roof with ply or leave it. The walls will be insulated with polyester batts under the ply. We used them in the house and they work brilliantly. I've thought a lot about how I want my shed to end up, as a space for me to work in and enjoy. I've had a year without a workshop to think about it, and I really want to get it the way I want it.

[slopey]

McPete:

I am in a similar position in Goulburn. I bought a house here about three months ago, and the property has a 9m x 6m corrugated steel shed in the backyard. It originally had a cracked and oil stained concrete and road base floor, which I have since covered with 100mm of reinforced concrete. This has been laid perfectly flat and smooth so that when I am making furniture I have a true reference point.

I intend to insulate with Ametlin 'Silver Sark XR' which has been recommended to me as equal to or better than Aircell. I will then line the walls with 17mm Formply and the ceiling with 12mm plywood. I reasoned that I could hang almost anything off the Formply. I will also cover the floor with an epoxy type paint.

This brings me to a question I hope you or other woodies on this site may be able to answer: Do I fix the insulation sheeting flush against the steel wall, or do I fix it to the studs and battens and therefore flush against the Formply/plywood?

Any help and assistance on this subject is appreciated.

Thanks. I will post photos as the project progresses.

Slopey.