# Insulating my shop ceiling



## docspencer (Jan 27, 2013)

My shop is in a ground floor room in my barn. There's no door in the pass through between the shop and the rest of the ground, a "door" for the entry (that is, some oak boards with some cross bracing), and no insulation in the ceiling (6/4 popular T&G flooring of the upstairs loft). Only insulation is in the walls.

I'm starting the process of buying and installing real doors, buying a heater, etc; including putting some insulation in the ceiling. The trick is that the beams are 32". I'm thinking the rolled insulation isn't going to work easily since I've not seen any what wide. Any suggestions????? I want to work in m shop next winter without freezing my butt off


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Doc, even if you could find 32"W insulation (I assume we're talking about fiberglas rolls or batts), you'd need to support it with braces (like strips of wood lath) or with some sort of solid paneling to keep it from sagging and falling. Stapling Kraft paper wouldn't be enough to hold the weight of 32", I don't believe.

So why not place two 16" batts side-by-side and use wood lath strips every couple of feet to hold it up?


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## docspencer (Jan 27, 2013)

Hadn't thought of either of those, Mark. The lath strips would certainly work and much cheaper than panelling. Would I want to tape the seam where the two batts meet?

BTW - not sure how to phrase this, but is batt insulation cheaper per R value than the board insulation (I think its called extruded)?


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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)

Another option would be to rent one of those machines that blow in insulation.
Obviously you would have to seal off the beams with osb/ply or something.

The easiest solution might be to use XPS rigid 2" foam. It won't rot or smell if it gets damp. Its pretty easy to cut 
to size . I installed it in-between my floor joists in the shed.

If I'm not mistaken you will only be able to get around an 11 R value with ridgid foam. But, it will retain 90% of its 
rated R value over time. Fiberglass batt can lose much of its R value if it gets damp or wet.

How large of a ceiling area do you have to insulate ?


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

What plans if any do you have for this ceiling? Do you plan to leave the ceiling as is with insulation somehow put in place?


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## docspencer (Jan 27, 2013)

The total ceiling is around 15 X 25 (or thereabouts). I suppose moisture might be an issue - it precipitation never gets in from the outside, but it does get quite damp in there which is another reason I want to close it up.

I'm not sure what I want to do in terms of finishing up the ceiling. I'd love to put up some rough surfaced paneling. The guy that built the barn finished the shop room with 6/4 poplar T&G. Normally, I'm not overly concerned with how the barn looks, but the shop is my baby….


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

Doc, R-19 fiberglas (6-1/2 inches thick) will run you around 20 cents/sf. Rigid foam insulation with an R-value of 19 (4 inches thick) will run around $1.90/sf.

You can tape the seam between the two strips or not. I don't think I'd bother.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

32" is a long way to go without sag for a ceiling. You could add extra joist and make it 15" which is great then run almost anything across it and have the smaller space to work with for your insulation. I used white pegboard on my shop ceiling which holds the insulation up well and the white aids the lighting as well. The holes make it simple to put screws in as long as you line everything up carefully so no screw holes. If you want to add a outlet box or anything else removal is "fairly simple" which is a bonus. That said it does nothing to help the in the dust department and if you go screwing about to change something dust flies. It is an idea, something that has pros and cons at the end of the day as you said it is your baby. Keep posting I look forward to seeing your finished project.


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## RonInOhio (Jul 23, 2010)

You could just attach 4×8 sheets of ridgid foam directly to the beams,(shiny side facing in) and go over that with whatever ceiling sheeting you want to use. Maybe incorporate some furring strips for ease of attachment. The Foamular would cost you ~ 300.00 for 10 sheets.


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## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

Look into a metal liner panel using 2×4 for furring and blown in or sprayed in/on cellulose. -Jack


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