# Insulating and finishing a sloped garage ceiling



## Roxksears (Nov 22, 2013)

This is my first post but I've been lurking for quite some time and have gained a lot of helpful tips from you all, so thank you!

A few facts first: I live in Michigan, in a manufactured home that has a one car 14×24, attached garage with a sloped roof…ceiling height is about 7'6" on the low side and about 9' on the high side. The garage was added after this home was moved to this park, before I bought it. The garage roof does not tie into the house (attic area) at all. When I bought the place the garage was just a shell. No electricity just the garage door opener.

I love being out in the garage building stuff so getting my garage useable has been my focus each year when the weather gets good enough to work on it. The first year I hired someone to install outlets. I got a couple, but not where I wanted them and using saw etc has been tricky. God forbid someone were to open the garage door when I had the saw going…circuit would blow. I've been doing this project as I've had time and money, so it is taking a while.

I was given a bunch of 2" insulation sheets so strips were cut and the insulation wedged in between the rafters in the ceiling as a temporary help in warming the garage. I put rolled insulation in the walls and finished the walls with OSB, painted with Zinsser B-I-N shellac primer, which btw is excellent at sealing this stuff…a bit pricey, but worth every penny!

This summer I was able to get the garage wired. YAY, I've got outlets everywhere on two dedicated breakers which is more than enough for what I will need. That was just completed, so now my attention is going to the ceiling. I want to finish the ceiling and am not sure what might be the best way to go.

I was initially thinking I would add rolled insulation on top of the wedged in 2" insulation panels then drywall. Now I'm second guessing myself. Is that the best way to go with my kind of roof?

I've been reading and it sounds like when you have a roof like mine there needs to be about an inch spacing between any insulation and the plywood (roof). If I'm understanding what I'm reading (straighten me out if I'm wrong, please) if you don't leave a space, heat will built up and will cook your roof/wreck your shingles. Am I understanding this correctly for my type of roof?

Currently my garage is un heated but the insulation I have in there now is doing a good enough job that bottled water left in the garage all winter long never freezes. Definitely not comfortable to work in, unless I turn on a space heater. I'm thinking that when I retire in a couple years I will have a wall gas heater installed so it can be comfortably warm out there, but for now … Un heated.

I'm wondering if I should remove the 2" insulation panels (which are now right against the plywood roof, tack in long narrow, say 1"X1" long strips onto the plywood roof in between the rafters to give the air gap, then adhere the 2" insulation panels to the strips with adhesive, then add rolled insulation (R13) on top. Crazy idea?

I was also given a 100' roll of that R3 reflective bubble wrap. I was thinking maybe I could use it in the ceiling, but I'm not sure. Someone said I should tack it up after all the other insulation and use it as the "finished" ceiling as it would reflect light, easy to install and lightweight. I dunno… I want to mount several T8 fluorescent light strips in the garage and I'm thinking they should not be mounted to that stuff as it is flammable. Thinking either 1/4" plywood or drywall as finished ceiling, painted white of course. Or that 1" styrofoam sheeting?? other affordable ideas?

A factor that sometimes presents a challenge for me … As a female I don't have the upper body strength that males possess so I have to attack my projects more creatively so I can manage them on my own. In a pinch I can hire a guy to help, but prefer not to.

So there you have it … Any help or suggestions you can give me is greatly appreciated! I'd like to get the ceiling done this next month so I can get back to building more cabinets/work benches. Thank you! Rox


----------



## higtron (Jan 26, 2011)

You can rent a dry wall lift for hanging a ceiling with a lift upper body strength isn't a problem you just need to be able to lift one edge onto one of the lifts dogs then lift the other end onto the other dog pivot the sheet so it's horizontal crank the lifts wheel until your almost tight to the ceiling move the sheet around til it's nested where you desire crank the wheel until the sheet is pressed tight to the ceiling screw or nail it off every nine inches along the joists it works on flat ceiling or cathedral ceilings.


----------

