Thread: Roof insulation help for shed

How about some anticon rolls? You can have the silver side down, and tape the joins and nail/staple to the battens

This may be excessive but remove all the tiles, they would be redish colour and cement based....attract absorb heat. replace with silver corro iron, In Syd you should be able to get decent quality S/H sheets.

For inside Id start with heavy chicken wire or fine mesh, cover over top with white shade cloth or something similar then ass your insulation batts then a waterproof membranerthen the corro iron.

You would need to pick your weekend and work like buggery or have some mates around for a barbie

Hadn't heard of anticon rolls before, thanks.

Definitely not redoing the whole roof! I agree that would be ideal but budget and time aren't going to allow that. The batts were appealing as easy to do and pretty cheap. Although not ideal, if they do a decent job without any major downsides that would be my preference.

+1 for Anticon roll. Much better to have a reflective layer than not.l, and will reduce dust gathering up there and also help spread light

Do those LED strips provide enough light, or are they supplemented by other task lighting?

Originally Posted by r3nov8or

+1 for Anticon roll. Much better to have a reflective layer than not.l, and will reduce dust gathering up there and also help spread light

Do those LED strips provide enough light, or are they supplemented by other task lighting?

I have 6 plug-in led lights in addition to the led strips. I actually made little brackets for them so they just hook onto the ceiling joists so I can move them around as needed.
IMG_0078.jpeg

I looked at shed insulation methods a couple of years ago. I've forgotten what my conclusion was for my particular project (the project was cancelled) but I do know I was surprised at the complexity of the issue if it was to be done correctly.
These are some of the factors that need to be considered:
- air gap sizes between different surfaces
- silver foil on insulation faces roof or faces floor
- thickness of insulation (and R rating of course)
- drainage for condensed water
- local environmental factors (rainfall, humidity, temperature differences between night and day, etc)
- pest intrusion

Each of these items requires an answer before you can get the correct result for your particular project.

All good points harry wall.

Re the silver foil, it is 'always' double sided foil, and the coloured side has virtually no impact on its performance re radiant heat. The coloured side is merely to prevent sun blinding the installer (and passers-by while exposed) on external walls and roof areas.
Re condensation, anticon blanket prevents this (hence the name) when directly under steel roofs, but thinking about my "+1" again for this situation, I'm now not sure about it under tiles. The tiles would need to be 'perfect' for it to be at all long-term stable. Certainly wouldn't want leaks directly onto the blanket side.

So perhaps Foil Board Insulation would be a better option to retro fit.

Relevant to "local environmental factors" as noted above, is the shed in a predominantly cold region or warm region? It will govern what you do/is required.

As a retrofit, nothing will be perfect and anything will be better than nothing

I’m on the Sydney central coast. I can deal with the winter cold. But it’s the summer heat that is a killer. It gets unbearably hot inside. Typically about 30-35deg inside on a hot summer day. If I can shave that down to high 20’s that would be ideal. Not sure how much impact I can make with a retrofit though.

Originally Posted by r3nov8or

So perhaps Foil Board Insulation would be a better option to retro fit.

Foilboard looks pretty good. Easy to fit and looks like it won’t mind any condensation buildup. Also means I can leave a gap between the insulation and tiles, which is good I think?

Originally Posted by lemerv

Foilboard looks pretty good. Easy to fit and looks like it won’t mind any condensation buildup. Also means I can leave a gap between the insulation and tiles, which is good I think?

Yep. (and re-reading) I think that rubber lining you have will take care of any moisture, but the foil board is easy to work with and install. Forum member wozzza {or is it wozzzza?) will attest to how it improved the temps of his container-office in FNQ

+1 for Foilboard I used it four years ago and am happy with the results. Pictures in this post #24

Don't know what it's called, but my all steel 7.5 x 6 M shed was built with a thin double sided reflective foil sandwiching a foam sort of inner core under the roof as part of the deal from the shed builder. I don't think it does much for insulation in hot or cold weather.

I've given a bit of thought to the heat issue, which is no fun in summer, and am inclined to put an insulated ceiling about 300mm under the roof sheets and either passive or power ventilate it to remove the hot air radiated from the roof sheets. Foilboard seems the quickest and easiest to install.

Then I think some powered fans in opposing walls under the ceiling gable should clear out a fair bit of the little heat that comes through the ceiling and the remaining bulk of the heat that comes from the walls.

Cold weather isn't much of an issue as my wood heater makes it comfortable as currently built.