Thread: Shed Walls

Does the shed currently leak? You will get an idea by telltale signs of water on the frame. If so you need to address that first but don’t try and make it airtight.

You can insulate and add vapour barriers etc and that is going to be the top shelf option but to keep it in perspective go back to as late as the late 80’s and typical standard house construction was just a timber frame with your choice of external cladding and lined with plasterboard.
Depending on the standard you are wanting to achieve I would have no issue in just lining the area if that meets your needs.

Welcome back Rhys

Look forward to the thread. I have similar question about whether I need to put insulation/barrier between the new shed walls (corro) and a timber inner frame that I'm (presumably) going to need to build to mount ply to the walls.

I went through the same thing with my shed built from the same materials. I used 9mm ply and earth wool insulation for the walls and Foilboard on the rafters. Link here of the thread of how I went about it. It’s now five years on and no evidence of mould. Painting the exterior with a quality paint will help stopping moisture from rain being absorbed into fibro walls.

Originally Posted by Beardy

Does the shed currently leak? You will get an idea by telltale signs of water on the frame. If so you need to address that first but don’t try and make it airtight.

You can insulate and add vapour barriers etc and that is going to be the top shelf option but to keep it in perspective go back to as late as the late 80’s and typical standard house construction was just a timber frame with your choice of external cladding and lined with plasterboard.
Depending on the standard you are wanting to achieve I would have no issue in just lining the area if that meets your needs.

We aren't moving in until October so can't confirm/deny any water leaks, but that will be the first thing I look at before any cladding/insulating etc. Also checking the concrete for any problems.

I am definitely leaning towards just lining the space with 12mm OSB, painting the internals and that's that. My main concern was potential mould, provided I get the shed water tight this should eliminate half the battle I assume?

Originally Posted by lyricnz

Look forward to the thread. I have similar question about whether I need to put insulation/barrier between the new shed walls (corro) and a timber inner frame that I'm (presumably) going to need to build to mount ply to the walls.

I won't have updates until the Christmas break unfortunately, but will post some pictures during and once complete, goodluck with your build!

Giving this a slight bump. Happy to say we've moved and are settling in nicely.

Upon further inspection we've noticed the slab has a nice big crack in it, but for the time being I'll just fill the cracks and build a false-floor - we are unsure at this stage how long term we plan on living here so I'd rather focus the budget on other areas. If we do end up staying for longer term we'll probably knock it down with a new slab and shed but that would be 5+ years away.

Anyway looking forward to getting started on this over summer, will be sure to post some photos!

Hi Rhys
Sources of leaks in corrugated iron roofs are often from:
· Flashing – missing, dislodged or wrongly installed,
· Nails worked loose – replace with screws,
· Guttering – full of leaves, fall wrong, overflowing.
I do not like expanding foam and prefer to use thick bitumous paint to make minor problems go away.

Insulation is a comfort factor and whether the cost is justified depends on whether the shed is in full sun or shaded by trees or buildings and whether you will want to use it when cold. Sisalation beneath the roof rafters is cheap, is very cooling and helps a little in winter. If using batts ensure they are hydrophobic – repel water.

Do you need a ceiling? Can you store stuff (timber, planks, ladders, etc on top of the roof joists?

Besides OSB, look at yellow tongue flooring. Possibly cheaper, and it is strong enough to hang cupboards, whatever from. With sheet material on walls, put a temporary spacer under the bottom sheet so that there is a 10-15 mm gap from the concrete floor to stop wicking of moisture.

If your floor is not smooth and level, think about skimming it or installing a sheet floor, and before you fill the shed with stuff. I really regret not doing this, and now I have so much stuff it is too big a job…

IMHO, the choices for coating a concrete floor are:
· Two pot epoxy, or
· Heavy duty paving paint, aka factory floor paint.
The former is only marginally better than the latter, more expensive and a little harder to use.

HMR melamine is the same price as ordinary melamine, so is always recommended. In my previous house I had a shed with “fibro walls”. Environment Department inspected it and instructed me to keep it well covered with water based paints. Twenty years later they directed that subsequent owner have it removed by a “licensed removalist” – rather expensive.

Enjoy your new home and shed!

If it is only temporary accommodation a cheap option is white melamine coated hmr mdf 4mm thick using white pvc straight jointer strips. Quick to fit and no painting. I did a "temporary" job this way and it has been in service for 10 years and shows no signs of deterioration.

Western Sydney? INSULATE!

For a bit more cost and a bit more effort you will get a far more comfortable working environment, and you won't have to worry as much with heat damage, such as once straight boards going wild in a 40+ degree shed. insulating my shed walls (though its colourbond) and gyprocking, and putting foil backed blanket on the roof has paid off a million times over, and I'm near the coast! Brobably cost a bit under a grand for a 8x6 shed and about 4 days across a few weekends. I would do it again tomorrow

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sorry for the typos, just on my phone during my lunchbreak. Steve.