Who's the best person to insulate a steel building?

[Travis Conner]

I'm sure they can still put it up. Just use strapping or something like that.

[Travis Conner]

Jim are you saying that spray foam is the only thing I can use? One guy said they'll just screw to the side of the framing to hold the insulation in place.

[Jim Becker]

Jim are you saying that spray foam is the only thing I can use? One guy said they'll just screw to the side of the framing to hold the insulation in place.

No....I'm saying that whatever you choose must be installed properly and that includes supporting it so it stays in place without sagging or moving. If a professions says they can do that, just make sure they are handling it properly. You can always contact the manufacturer of the product you are considering for their input on how a building like you have can be insulated with their product. I "know" that spray foam will work for your application; I'm just indicating that you need to be sure alternatives are valid so you don't burn money on a solution that will fail in some way.

[John Lifer]

Red steel building? Horizontal steel members between the beams? and these are 4 to 6ft vertical distance between them? Spray foam.....No good easy way to fasten the insulation on a vertical surface that will STAY put. Unless it is put up When the walls are installed.

[Travis Conner]

I wonder how much pulling the panels off and replacing them would add to the bill.

[Jim Becker]

I wonder how much pulling the panels off and replacing them would add to the bill.

It would be a ton of labor to remove the panels, roll out, drape, fasten and seal the appropriately sized insulation product and then reinstall the panels. There's also potential for damaging panels which could cost additional.

[Frank Pratt]

I wonder how much pulling the panels off and replacing them would add to the bill.

As soon as the old steel is removed, the building framing structure will move to some extent. You'd never be able to hit all the holes putting it back on, increasing labor & potential for leaks.

[Travis Conner]

Looks like they have retrofits where they put straps across the Purlins and then also hold it against the metal using stick pins.

[Tom Bender]

So let's look at the openings because these will let out a lot of noise if not taken care of.

Vehicle door - if it is just a single sheet of steel or aluminum it will transmit a lot. An insulated door will be much better. But to get really quiet it would need to be something even more than that.

Windows - single glass will not be so good, double or triple pane, much better. I think argon filled might be better or worse based on gut feel about all the molecules having the same mass.

Roof - The options to insulate the roof are different than the walls, and maybe not so easy. Depending on your building it might be best to install a drop ceiling and maybe some fiberglass batts on top of it. In Houston the ceiling might be plenty. A ceiling installer will do a great job of this in about a day. He will hang the grid from wires then drop in the tiles. Tell him where you want lights and he will provide extra wires as needed to meet code for drop in fixtures. Armstrong makes an inexpensive tile that is yellow fiberglass with a plastic face. It can be bent in half to pop into tight spots and doesn't collect dust. And very important, is waterproof. It is not as good on noise as heavier (and water vulnerable) tiles.

Noisy accessories - If you install an air compressor or dust collector inside the envelope you will have to live with the noise, outside your neighbors will. Have a plan for this.

Can you share a couple pictures? If not a paying member $6/year is pretty cheap for the advice you get here. Feel free to set a higher value on it. We all appreciate what Jim and others do here.

Tom

[Travis Conner]

Out of curiosity anyone with a metal building care to share their experiences after having insulation installed? Noise reduction, etc?

[John Celi]

It sounds like there are two issues here: 1) sound reduction and 2) temperature control.

For sound, there are two things to address: a) sealing the cracks so that the sound does not leak out and b) using different materials for absorbing different frequencies. I think fiberglass batts are the most effective sound absorbers in the 2500hz to 5000hz (most common wood shop sound frequencies), BUT the fiberglass batt needs to be exposed to the sound, meaning you can not have a cover over the fiberglass. Wall board or plywood will largely reflect the sound.There are also folks who sound proof their individual machines. examples here: https://woodworking.stackexchange.co...rking-machines. Using spray foam helps address the leaks and provides some sound absorption. Acoustic panels or sound traps can be cheaply built and strategically placed in the workshop to absorb sound. You have probably seen these rectangular traps in restaurants hanging from the ceiling.

For temperature, run a manual-J (HVAC calculator) Here is a quick and dirty one: https://www.loadcalc.net/. put doors, windows, room size with location and it will give you heating and cooling loads based on your location and orientation to the sun. The number one impact is usually "infiltration" meaning air leaving and entering the structure. Using spray foam seals up the cracks. Permeability with different spray foams is a bit of a religious argument. Close cell foam (some types) is 12 times less permeable to air than open cell. So if you spray 1" of closed cell it gives you the same permeability as 12" of open cell. Permeability is important in locations that are humid and have big temp swings. In the northeast winter humid air from the house migrates to the outside where it condenses on outside walls and creates mold. In the summer the opposite happens. Using spray foam fixes that problem because the air does not leak out. The best test for your house or workshop is a blower door test - any insulation contract worth their salt should be able to do one. The results are almost always enlightening.

I think that 6" to 8" of open cell spray foam will provide a religious experience for the work shop. Add acoustic panels if there are additional sound challenges.

[Erik Loza]

Out of curiosity anyone with a metal building care to share their experiences after having insulation installed? Noise reduction, etc?

Well, I'll repeat what I said at some earlier point in this thread: One of my customers just had it done to his (new construction) steel building. It is eerily quiet inside, even with the roll-ups open, despite having 15'-20' ceilings. I assume there will be insulation benefits once the warm weather gets here again. If I had a steel building, I would probably go the same route. Just my 2-cents.

Erik