8x6 Shed advice

[MarkDennehy]

I know, 8'x6' is barely qualifying as a shed, but we all have to start somewhere. In my case, that's an 8'x6' cheapo wooden shed, currently storing the lawn mower, some tyres (don't ask) and a healthy growing population of spiders and dust. I'm building a bench to fit on one side of it (and I'll knock up a second small shed-like cupboard thing later this year to store the garden stuff and patio furniture in for the winter, which is what the shed has been used for up to now). I'd like to line the inside with OSB, fit some LED lighting and paint it a whiter colour than "inside of an Indiana Jones cave set".

So, I have two specific questions:

1) Is there any point in putting insulation into the walls before lining them? I mean, it's an 8x6 shed, I would have thought the air gap alone would do the trick in winter if I had an oil-filled radiator in there for the really cold days?

2) Is 11mm OSB going to have enough strength to hang things off away from the studs? Or should everything go on a french cleat screwed to the studwork? Or is there a better material to line the shed with?

And in general, you guys have done this before and I haven't, so if anyone has any good ideas or things to watch out for, I'd appreciate the help!


Thanks in advance...

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Hello

Don't forget the insulation is good for summer time too. My shed was quite stifling just a couple of days ago when it hit 25 down here. It's very frustrating having a week of beautiful weather and constantly having to come out of the shed and take a break because it's too hot!!

Then again you might have your shed in a shady spot and this might not matter. I noticed some insulation in B&Q the other day - each sheet seemed to be the perfect thickness to fill a shed panel. I don't know if other members have used this stuff:

http://www.diy.com/departments/jablite- ... 831_BQ.prd


Hopes this is useful - good luck

 

[Woody2Shoes]

1) Probably not worth it - I guess you've got reasonably large single-glazed window(s) and that the structure is not very draught-proof.

2) Probably OK, but it obviously depends on what you're planning to hang off it!

Cheers, W2S

 

[MarkDennehy]

Briefed Her Indoors about the plan for the garden shed, got Official Approval
The shed will need a lick of paint on the outside as well though. Cuprinol Garden Shades were looked at in Woodies as a result. "Sunny Lime" and "Purple Pansy" were successfully ruled out - hopefully it'll be something a bit lighter or at least more natural-looking (and no, cherenkov radiation might be natural but it's not on the list of shades I want in my back yard ). Thing is, it's not a new shed and it's rather dark, as well as hard to access all sides, so it could be an awkwardish job. Also, I couldn't find primers or undercoats or even overcoats for OSB. Anyone got a brand they've used and found works well?

 

[Gerry]

I have an 8x6 I use for building an working on my Multirotors (Drones if you must)
It is lined with 1" polystyrene fitted between the batons on the walls and roof and door then there is a layer of 9mm Ply over that.
It has a bench down each side and one at the end forming a continuous U shape.
I never have any issues with rust, It warms up quickly in the winter with a small fan heater and stays relatively cool in the summer months.
All of my delicate electronic equipment stays in there all year round from an oscilloscope to a PC with no issues.
I use two 5' fluorescents for lighting and painting the wall lining white seems to practically double the light in there.
Plenty of sockets is a must, I have 10 sets of double sockets. I know it sounds a lot but by the time fixed equipment is plugged in they sharp get used up.

Gerry

 

[MarkDennehy]

What did you paint the inside with Gerry? Just exterior masonry paint over an undercoat of some kind?

 

[Gerry]

Old tin of white emulsion, Nothing fancy and it's still looks white after nearly 20 years

Gerry

 

[Bm101]

I stuck a cheap'ish' 6x4 shed up when we moved here 3 years ago Mark. Shiplap I think, pressure treated pine. gave it a few coats of Ducks Back (cuprinol) on and to be fair it looks spotless. I did buy some half decent paper for the roof not the tat that came with it. It shrinks in the summer and swells in the winter a bit but it's fairly weathertight. I did get some must on some of my material abseil gear but to be fair it's held up well and it's never aired or heated, it's just for hiding stuff in. On the other hand, my Mrs painted the kids (much older donated ) wendy house with the same paint. I had a bottle of anti fungal gear and told her to give it a good scrub first. She assured me she did lol. As they say the truth will out. So maybe it works a lot better on clean timber. No shocker but worth bearing in mind with any finish I suppose. I might try and lift it off the a ground a little and put it on slabs of some sort if you can while it's empty. Everyone likes a breeze through their nether regions and sheds are no exception I guess.
I also had some clear mastic tubes left over and wacked that on some of the bigger gaps internally because it would have gone off otherwise.

Ps the white 'staining' on the door is chalk from my little girl. Iv'e given up work in the hope she will be a famous artist on the back of that. 3 years, needs a new coat but it's a 20 minute job with that gear. Smash it on, dries in 20 minutes.

Cheers
Chris

If you can insulate it cheaply, why not? It can't hurt. Even cheap insulation will be better than nothing. Next winter you will be glad of it. Maybe have a look about for paper waste. Shredded paper wont compare to more expensive stuff but get a little oil filled rad or similar and you'll still be warmer than without it.

 

[Philbo]

I got my 10x8 shed last year and insulated it with some loft insulation my brother had let from his house, I put a membrane over the insulation and then boarded the walls and ceiling with 11mm OSB (I would have preferred ply, but budget was small!)

The insulation really makes a difference, and I've never felt cold or overly hot in there.

I painted the OSB with standard white emulsion and it went on fine with a couple of coats and really helped to brighten it up which I think makes a big difference in a space that small. I've tired to be as creative as possible with the small space I have, so it's worth considering putting units on castors etc.

I have also not had a problem fixing anything to the OSB, I try to stick things into the joists where I can, but tools holders, and small shelves etc are fine.

I can recommend the Cuprinol shades paint, it goes on well and the water really does just bead off of it. Can't talk for it's longevity but it looks good!

 

[MarkDennehy]

Was testing the cuprinol on some sawhorses which hadn't had enough BLO to do well outdoors over the last few rainy days, and the stuff really does go on well. I foresee a few coats being put on the shed over the next few weekends allright. Jacob's linseed oil paints were seriously interesting, but the shed won't last long enough to warrant them really (the shed's not exactly what you'd call craftsman quality, it was the cheapest they could get away with when building the estate).

 

[BearTricks]

I too am getting the cheapest, nastiest 8x6 I can find. I've been using the previous tenant's badly put together effort, and I think starting from scratch would be a better idea rather than taking the thing with me. He decided to put it on slanted ground so my workbench has two long legs, my shelves look wonky (but aren't).

Anyway, about the Cuprinol. How much would I need to buy? £10 online for a tin of the 2.5 litre sounds reasonable but I don't know how far it would stretch.

 

[MarkDennehy]

Shed remains unpainted. However, a nice man arrived with a flatbed truck today, and....

Some 18mm ply and some 6mm ply for various workshop jigs, tools, boxes and random other things, plus six sheets of 11mm OSB3. Out with the new circular saw (the last one let out all its magic smoke when I was holding it and tripped every breaker back to the RFD...) and the guide and the large square and five of the six sheets were cut down (one by only 13cm, the others by 70cm or so). Then it was time to haul everything out of the shed, including a tumble drier (don't ask) and four tyres (seriously don't ask) and a lawn mower and all the stuff that wastes the room in garden sheds. That bit of sweaty swearing done, I screwed two of the sheets to the side walls with some help from Herself who held them in place while I drove the first two screws to hold them in place, then I was able to put a sheet at the bottom of the back wall and line the roof. Then a few offcut pieces made up the lining at the bottom of the side walls (because who'll ever look there? Keep the large one-piece sheets for eye level).

I have the footer cut for the left wall but not put in place yet because the last of the wood from the bench was in the way and I was being lazy I'll do it tomorrow morning so I can get the first coat of paint on in the morning and the second in the evening and hopefully won't need a third...

Also to do tomorrow before the paint is the top of the back wall, which will mean a bit of cutting...

And all the bits on the front wall, which will involve lots of offcut bits because of the door and two windows breaking up the frame. Incidentally, you're right, the two roof panels don't meet.

In fact, I'm going to cut them back to the last rafter (so another three or four inches) so there'll be a sort of recess in the centerline of the roof, and I'll put some LED T8 bulbs in there, and a few more LED light bars around where the bench will be (btw, lightrabbit.co.uk is doing a sale in case anyone else is doing the same).

 

[Roughcut]

Once it's boarded out it will make a world of difference if the osb is all painted with white emulsion.
And while it's empty shouldn't take much time to do.

 

[MarkDennehy]

Hope so; though I'm already finding that the noise and echo is pretty intense and that's only from the odd belt from a hand to convince an OSB sheet that it really ought to go in a particular direction. I'm somewhat worried about what kind of noise chopping a mortice by hand would cause in there.

 

[Bm101]

Thanks for the heads up on the lights Mark. Looking at lcd light panels. Wondering if I get two and Jerry rig them on flexi cord so I can move them about the shed depending what I'm doing. Cheers.

 

[MarkDennehy]

OSB sheeting done, if a bit patchy in places because I only got the bare minimum needed to do the shed (if I could store the stuff I'd get more but needs must)...

And then on went the first coat of cheap white emulsion paint.

I think the LED T8s are going to do a nice lighting job when I get them installed in that recess at the apex of the roof...

Second (and hopefully final) coat tomorrow morning, then lug back in all the stuff that's currently making my back yard look like some sort of construction site crossed with a recycling center after an airstrike, and that'll be the home for the new bench sorted.

However, I hit a pry bar with a metal hammer while finishing off the OSB sheeting today, and the noise damn near burst my eardrums. Since I'm a precious little flower, I'd rather find a way to cut down on the echo and do some noise abatement for the inside of the shed (the neighbours be damned for the moment, I don't want to bleed from my ears and my fingers if I go chopping mortices). Anyone got any ideas? Help?

 

[morfa]

It'll be cozy, that's for sure. Might be worth investing in a gazebo, so you can set that up outside the shed, so you've got a large area for assembly.

If you can definitely insulate. It'll make a big difference in the summer. Also you'll find that you'll have to add some ventilation as well.

 

[MattRoberts]

Mark, you can get acoustic foam panels to help dampen the sound - won't hurt in proving a bit more insulation too.

 

[MarkDennehy]

There's a small (about 10'x10') decking outside the shed, which will see some use I suspect morfa
But for now, I have to make do with cozy. I think it'll work; it's not like I'm going to be doing this as a business, it's something to do as a hobby so if I'm just making things from boxes up to small pieces of furniture, I think that there's enough room there. Something larger, like say, dining tables or beds, that's not possible in that space, but I don't need to make any and we'll probably more in a few years so I'll be sure to have a bigger shed and a better bench as part of that
Too late to insulate though. One for the next shed. And I'd be surprised if I needed a lot of ventilation - that shed's pretty cheap, one like it was added to every house on the estate when it was built, and the contractor spared a lot of expense. Its roof is waterproof at least, but the rest...



Matt, where do you get those and would you mount them on the roof?

 

[MattRoberts]

You can get them from eBay or Amazon. The roof would be a good place, as it would leave wall space free. You can mount them with a can of spray adhesive - just make sure the surface is clean and dry