UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment

Notices

Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment For discussions about vintage test gear and workshop equipment such as coil winders.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 3rd Nov 2018, 3:17 pm   #81
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

If they are still around I would be going to one of the following, Truro Sawmills at Penhallow, Penstraze Sawmills near Chacewater or Cornwall Wood Treatment Services at United Downs, not sure what they are like now but I know that going back just a few years they would saw timber to the dimensions you wanted.

I was in the home grown timber game once upon a time and was sawmilling as well as building sheds etc, some might not agree but here's my method for workshop shed walls inside to out...Interior wall finish (plasterboard/timber based board etc)>Vapour barrier>Insulation> Racking board> Breather membrane> Vertical battens fixed to studs> Cladding, very solid very weather proof.

As a personal choice for timber cladding I always think that shiplap looks more tidy than feather edge, having said that I was in a position to mill my own feather edge back then, 5" was the choice with a 1" overlap, my fence panel slats were cut from 5" stuff as well. You will find it an advantage to pre drill the cladding at least for fixing the ends of the boards, it will eliminate the risk of the board splitting at the ends when nailing, just one fixing across the width of the board is all that's required, any more and it stands a good chance of splits developing after a while.

If using feather edge cladding it usually comes in (unless custom cut) 100mm or 150mm boards, 150mm is better as you can give it a good overlap without using piles of boards, I would recommend a 1" overlap, pre drill for the end fixing nails at a distance of 1" up from the bottom of the board insert nails part way then you can hook the board onto the top of the previous one and the overlap is automatically set, don't drive the nails home too hard, for shiplap the same distance (1")up from the bottom is ok as well.

I would make sure that the underneath of the floor joists are at least 4" off the ground/base, 6" minimum would be my choice.

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 3rd Nov 2018, 3:37 pm   #82
mhennessy
Dekatron
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 4,241
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ms660 View Post
some might not agree but here's my method for workshop shed walls inside to out...Interior wall finish (plasterboard/timber based board etc)>Vapour barrier>Insulation> Racking board> Breather membrane> Vertical battens fixed to studs> Cladding, very solid very weather proof.
Yes, that's basically what I described in my penultimate paragraph in my last post. It's neither difficult nor expensive to do, relative to the potential value of the contents, not to mention how much inferior pre-built sheds cost these days. Perhaps over-engineered for the average potting shed, but for a workshop or office, this is the standard to aim for - especially given how long some of us like to spend in our sheds.

Also agree about pre-drilling the cladding - I do this routinely now. Because the stuff I buy is decent, the splits are always pretty minimal, but given that it's practically zero effort to pre-drill with a battery drill, why not?
mhennessy is offline  
Old 3rd Nov 2018, 3:44 pm   #83
Philips210
Nonode
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,562
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

Hi Lawrence.

That's good advice. I dealt with Penstraze Sawmills several years ago and yes they were a good source of timber and cut to your requirements. I think they were on the Blackwater to Chacewater road.
I built my original workshop using feather edge and used just the one nail fixing as you mention and did pre drill to prevent splitting. I had wondered about using stainless steel screws so it's easy for access should the need arise.

One thing I have noticed is, feather edge and also to a lesser extent shiplap, quite often curls up. I have several if not most planks from my dismantled workshop all bent up but otherwise rot free. I doubt whether I can re use these for another project. I wonder if having spacer battens between the membrane and the cladding would help to avoid this curling up of the planks due to improved ventilation.

Regards the base, I think it should be OK to use 3/4" to dust as the overall weight of the workshop isn't going to be all that heavy. I don't know if it is sometimes known as Crusher Run aggregate but I know 3/4" to dust is readily available from most outlets. I'll probably go for a large bag as I have another shed project in the garden to modify/extend that also needs a new base.

Regards,
Symon
Philips210 is offline  
Old 3rd Nov 2018, 4:07 pm   #84
Philips210
Nonode
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Redruth, Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,562
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

Hi

One thing I am concerned about is ventilation, which can, and sometimes can't, be a good thing. Having a vapour barrier prevents the ingress of moisture but I wonder how moisture say from breathing out is expelled. If having an extractor fan, you still need an opening for it to work ie a flow of air from outside to inside and to the outside but then it's going to let in the moist air, a catch 22 situation.
I can see the real gain from having a dehumidifier which is probably of greater importance than heating though the two combined would be of overall benefit. I guess the opening wooden window frames won't exactly be gas tight so would allow for natural ventilation. Obvious I know, but keeping an eye on the outside humidity is very important to avoid damp air into the working space.

Regards
Symon
Philips210 is offline  
Old 7th Dec 2018, 11:57 am   #85
The Philpott
Dekatron
 
The Philpott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Colchester, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,081
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

I have quite a reasonable amount of air movement in my shed due to the gable ends being effectively the ends of a tunnel (formed by the Onduline ridge pieces) For this reason, and others, i don't consider thermal insulation for the walls or roof.

One caution i should mention regarding Onduline (having recommended it in the past!) is the requirement to remove accumulations of snow, leaves, moss etc if they are up there for any length of time.
One shed we looked at the other day (admittedly the roofing is at least 20yrs old) is partly situated under hawthorns and maples, and the combination of leaf mulch and lichens (the latter probably having migrated from the maple) had managed to saturate one of the ridge pieces and removed all it's rigidity. It remains to be seen if it is ruined or just needs to dry out.

Dave
The Philpott is offline  
Old 21st Dec 2018, 11:51 pm   #86
Skywave
Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chard, South Somerset, UK.
Posts: 7,457
Question Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

An update and a question.

The walls: studding / noggins fitted; thermal insulation added; vapour barrier installed. Next job is fitting the plasterboard to the walls. Then tackle the ceiling.

I like to get answers to questions, prior to meeting an 'unknown'. First, some relevant info.
The whole cabin is situated on a number of wooden bearers, raising the underneath of the floor about 100 mm. above the concrete foundation.
The cabin has a 'softwood' wooden floor: they're planks, about 10 cm. wide and probably about 18 mm. thick. They might be T & G; they might be square-edge PSE. (Probably the former: the edges of those planks are a very snug fit to each other). Ultimately, the plan is to have this floor covered with lino. The ceiling is to have a vapour barrier fitted; a de-humidifier will be installed.

So, a question: do I need to install a vapour barrier between the wooden floor and the lino.? If 'yes', then the whole cabin will - in effect - be an 'enclosed plastic bag', as far as water vapour production in the cabin is concerned.

Your advice will be appreciated; thank you.

Al.
Skywave is offline  
Old 22nd Dec 2018, 11:54 am   #87
ms660
Dekatron
 
ms660's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
Default Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skywave View Post

So, a question: do I need to install a vapour barrier between the wooden floor and the lino.? If 'yes', then the whole cabin will - in effect - be an 'enclosed plastic bag', as far as water vapour production in the cabin is concerned.

Your advice will be appreciated; thank you.

Al.
No need for a vapour barrier on the floor, the chances of condensation on the floor surface is virtually zilch, the structural bits supporting the floor boards and the underside of the floor boards themselves are ventilated so no problem there either.

Lawrence.
ms660 is offline  
Old 22nd Dec 2018, 12:57 pm   #88
Skywave
Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chard, South Somerset, UK.
Posts: 7,457
Thumbs up Re: Thermal insulation for a wooden shed: advice, please.

Thanks Lawrence - I suspected as such - just wanted to check, since apart from the basic carpentry and the (yet to-be-done electrics), this whole project involves things & concepts which are totally new to me. Hence moral: never too old to learn!

And thanks for your advice in the past - and a Merry Christmas to you & yours.

Al.
Skywave is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:20 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.