How Should I Insulate My Pole Barn Ceiling?

Winter is finally here and I need a project to relieve the boredom. I have a 30 x 40 pole barn with nothing on the ceiling for insulation. I need help on figuring out the proper way to insulate it.

I have read about different ways to do it and I can't make up my mind what to do. I would prefer something easy to install. I am thinking about some kind of foam board. But then I start reading about vapor barriers, etc. I don't need a real high R value, just something to keep it a little cooler in the summer and to hold the heat in a little longer in the winter when I fire up the 110,000 btu space heater (kerosene torpedo heater.)

What I do now is go out and crack a window and fire up the space heater for 10 or 15 minutes til the temp comes up to around 50 and shut it off til I get cold. Sometimes I will let it run and cycle off the thermostat if I'm going to be out there a long time. But not usually, because it is so loud. One thing you should know if you haven't used one of these heaters is they introduce a lot of moisture into the air which then condenses on the metal roof and drips.

This is what I have to work with:

That is a lot of space, maybe install a drop ceiling with foam panels? It shouldn'e add too much weight and should add a few Rs. Might also quiet it down a bit for when you are working with equipment.

I'd have a contractor spray it with A-B foam. Do the walls, too.

I can't do a drop ceiling because I have lights hanging 6" below the rafters. And an I beam for a hoist is up there also. Here is another view:

I still think spray foam is your best bet. It's self-supporting and rot-proof, as long as you keep UV light away. If you're going to weld in there, you might need a portable barrier around your project.

I used this "TekFoil" product on the walls and ceiling of my garage, I don't see why it wouldn't work in your barn.
http://www.teksupply.com/farm/suppli...nsulation.html
Staples up quick & easy, is virtually fireproof (I tried on a sample:d) and keeps the heat in (in the winter) and the sun's heat out (in the summer).
The interior of the garage is way brighter, the lighting is much more effective.

I liked it so much, I used it behind the sheetrock on an addition to my house.

A similar product is available at Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...1&distance_1=5

Which one did you use? That link shows about four different types.

If you didn't do the foil/insulation when you put the roof on then the best bet is spray foam followed by normal insulation with a ceiling hanging off the bottom of your trusses. I had to spec that in the design on mine though so if you didn't then I'd go foam. Ymmv

Have a good one,
Dave

Have it sprayed with 2 part foam. BTDT, money well spent.

What did it cost?

Closed-cell spray foam, about 1" should do what you need it to do. It's flammable, so you would want to sheath the walls with drywall or metal.

It acts as a vapor barrier, so if you ever wanted to increase your R-value you can go with regular fiberglass batt right over it.

A vented heater would be a good investment, too.

We used foam in the house we built a couple years ago and have been very happy with the results.

The walls are already insulated and sheetrocked. Thanks for the info.

I have a friend that does spray foam. I dont know much of anything about it but could pass along his number if your interested, Im not far from you.

That would be helpful. Thanks.

Forgive my ignorance, do you use this in place of insulation or in conjunction with it?

If the roof didn't look so nice and brand spanking new I would be thinking about pulling it, insulating outside and reapplying roof!

In the garage, I used the foil/bubble bubble/foil stapled to the studs and bottom of the roof trusses with no other insulation. In the addition, I used the same wrap stapled on the studs and bottom of the roof joists over fiberglass batt insulation that I slashed the kraft paper (so as not to have 2 vapor barriers.

I also used the foil/bubble bubble/white poly under the concrete slab. It seems to work at least as well as the 2" of blue foam under the slab in the rest of the house.

Thanks for the info. You wouldn't consider posting up a pic of what it looks like on the ceiling would you?

I just came from Homedepot and a 4x50ft roll is 130 bucks. They only had 1 kind but different sizes. It could be pretty expensive,. They also had 4x8 sheets of Styrofoam stuff with foil on one side for 12 bucks a sheet. I think I'd rather use the hard sheets vice the roll, or the best option would be spray foam, depending on cost.

Let us know what you decide.

How is your roof ventilated?