Insulating a metal garage?

[racin4ds]

Hi guys, Last summer I had one of these metal garages put up, (24 x 28 two car) with two 10' doors. I was unaware that the metal 2x2 frame studs were so oddly placed at 60" on center for the sides and at 50" on center for the ends. Of course this makes sheeting up the interior very difficult for someone like myself who isn't even close to a carpenter...

I want to insulate the interior walls and then sheet them with either OSB or drywall but how? Standard 4x8 sheets of anything just won't work that I can tell. Have you fellas seen anyone successfully do this to one of these type garages? How?

 

[xxch4osxx]

I have seen quonset hut type garages insulated with sprayed on foam. Not sure if that will work in your situation.

 

[DuckRyder]

I've never done it, but you could screw furring strips to the studs and hang the OSB on those?

 

[Donald]

I would guess the 2x2 metal frame studs are much thicker metal than the metal studs used in building to just hold drywall. So you are not going to be able to screw into them easily with a normal drywall screw.

You may need to stud it out to 6" for decent insulation. Two inches of insulation is not going to buy you much.

 

[racin4ds]

Yes the studs are much thicker than cheap flimsy building studs, I believe mine are 12 gauge. So yes, screwing into them isn't exactly easy...

I like the spray foam stuff but man is that expensive!! would almost cost me the same as what the building cost!

I was moving towards the firring strips and OSB, just wanted to see what others were doing. I'm not very crafty when it comes to building materials...

 

[GreeCguy]

I have two of these buildings measuring 20 feet by 20 feet. The way I installed sheeting to the inside, (so I could hang tools and build shelves) was to place a two by four on either side of the metal stud/post and secure it by running a strap of metal from one two by four to the other across the metal stud. I used self tapping screws to hold the metal strap in place and then regular drywall screws through the strap into the two by four.

Then, beginning at one end of the building, I installed 4 x 8 sheets of OSB length way with drywall screws screwed into the 2 x 4's. Then I went to the other end of the building and did the same. This means I had an eight foot piece at one end and an eight foot piece at the other which left a four foot gap in the middle. I then took another 4 x 8 piece of OSB and installed it in the middle so that it overlapped the end boards with a two foot overlap on either end.

The result was a super strong wall that holds all my heavy tools with no problem and with all my tools hanging there, you don't even notice the overlap.

 

[bepperb]

I don't see how you could get around framing it out, or at least furring strips perpendicular to the studs.

Since you don't want to lose so much room (two 6in walls is a foot) I'd probably frame in the metal studs (not over). R11 or R13 fiberglass would work for a garage that is only heated occasionally. If that's not the intent I think rigid foam (sheets, not sprayed) would be the only way to go.

 

[donnyj08]

Spray foam for sure!

 

[Blaze]

If this is a pole barn type build with cladding rails that support the metal siding what I did was place 1.5 inch foam between the rails then I framed in between the poles (12 ft center) with 2X6 (2ft centers) construction and then insulated with fiberglass insulation topped by 1/2" OSB. Whats nice about the 2X6 construction you have all kinds of places to hang cabinets, hang anything, build work benchs off of, multiple reasons etc.

 

[QuietPortage]

Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Spray foam for sure!

Yes! You have the perfect application for spray foam. It'll be worth it just in the labor you save.

 

[racin4ds]

I'm definitely going to look more into the spray foam..

No, this isn't a pole barn type, its 100% metal construction from those fly-by-night carport companies (but I won't even get into that here)

I was thinking I could simply sheet with 1/2" OSB horizontally and just cut off the excess and screw to the studs with the same self tappers they used to screw the metal siding on (although longer length of course)

I'd need 4 sheets to make a run down each wall, 8 sheets per wall takes me 8' high and then I was thinking I could go to Home Depot and rent the blow in insulation kit and just blow in from the top of my osb wall into the cavity? Does that sound feasible?

How flimsy would the OSB sheet be when screwed only on 60" centers? I don't plan to do anything crazy and really hang any weight other than build some work benches and tables.

 

[Donald]

Consider your budget and desired R value. Then look for a solution.

2" of blown in fiberglass is going to be around R-8.

 

[demarpaint]

One word of caution, be certain the insulation you use doesn't sweat where it contacts the metal walls. Some people do such a fantastic job sealing things up and insulating them that they create other problems, like moisture.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
I was thinking I could simply sheet with 1/2" OSB horizontally and just cut off the excess and screw to the studs with the same self tappers they used to screw the metal siding on (although longer length of course)

I'd need 4 sheets to make a run down each wall, 8 sheets per wall takes me 8' high and then I was thinking I could go to Home Depot and rent the blow in insulation kit and just blow in from the top of my osb wall into the cavity? Does that sound feasible?

How flimsy would the OSB sheet be when screwed only on 60" centers? I don't plan to do anything crazy and really hang any weight other than build some work benches and tables.


Your joints will be flimsy. A very simple solution is to bridge the joints with a board behind them on center between the sheets and use dry wall screws to screw through the OSB into board (2 x 4 for example). You don't need to cut the OSB to 60 inches but do the same thing (bridge the gap) at the ends with a 2 x 4.

So therefore, your horizontal 2 x 4 pieces would be placed between the metal posts (60 inches long minus the width of the metal pole. Your vertical 2 x 4 would be four feet (48 inches) minus the space taken up by the horizontal 2 x 4's.

You could also lay the 2 x 4 horizontal pieces on top of the metal poles which would give you more space behind your wall allowing for more insulation and you can still bridge the gap at the ends of your OSB with 2 x 4's as well.

Are you going to do the ceiling as well? I built a "loft" in one of mine on either end and have tons of storage space up there. I ran double 2 x 4's on the metal posts from end to end, then ran 2 x 6 boards on top of that from side to side and covered that with plywood decking. They're very stout and right now I have spare tractor engine parts up there, including some manifolds and cylinder heads. Beneath the joists of these lofts makes a great place to hang things.