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[Joe1975]

Would really appreciate some advice, especially if you have had experience with this sort of issue.

I have a very small workshop (less than 6’ x 8’). It’s attached to garden studio and is constructed of 3”x2” timber stud work and OSB sheets, it’s battened and clad on the outside with cedar and feather board.

It currently has no insulation. It is as cold inside as outside. In this damp weather the humidity inside the workshop is about 70-75%. Every week or two I bring it down to 55-60% with a dehumidifier. I keep my tools in the workshop in boxes to help prevent them rusting but would like to be able to leave them out.
I want to be able to maintain a reasonable setback temperature with minimal heating. It would be easy to stop most drafts and get it fairly airtight.

I can’t afford the space to fully fill the gaps between the stud work but 10mm, maybe more in some places, would be okay. Would either of the products below help do you think? Which one would you go for? I like the look of the tile backer board and think it would be easy to fit and give a quality surface to use. The XPS foam I guess would be a better insulator and comes in a range of thicknesses. I guess I could use XPS behind the tile backer board where possible. Do you think either of these products would be a good idea?

The ceiling I can probably fill will 90mm PIR board and aluminium tape over the joists so that isn’t a problem. The floor will have to remain uninsulated.

The other consideration is that I don’t want it to become an oven in the summer!

Many thanks

 

[Deadeye]

I'd go with the prowarm, which are cheaper here: 10mm XPS Premium Insulation Board 1200mm x 600mm - Underfloor Heating UK
The ceiling will make a big difference in summer.
If you can get 10mm on the floor it would help a lot.

 

[Joe1975]

I'd go with the prowarm, which are cheaper here: 10mm XPS Premium Insulation Board 1200mm x 600mm - Underfloor Heating UK
The ceiling will make a big difference in summer.
If you can get 10mm on the floor it would help a lot.

Thank you for your reply and advice, and cost saving. I’m wondering the best way to attach to the OSB - noticed that the website you suggest do a kit with double sided tape, maybe that would work okay. I’m presuming that if there is basically no air between the insulation and the board mould/damp won’t be a problem?

 

[Lard]

This grabbed my attention!

As I've never had experience with underfloor heating I've never come across that 10mm xps board......please elaborate more

I have a fair size timber shed/workshop that is too cold to work in at the mo..... Are you saying that this board will make enough of a difference to be noticeable? At that price it may be worth a punt. I've tried a quick internet search and can't find enough info.....

Are you talking both walls and floor? Does it have to be protected/covered over (appears to have a huge compressive strength)?

I saw one comment where someone compared it to 100mm of fibreglass? Is that correct?

Thanks for any info

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've just had underfloor heating and new tiles on 10mm XPS. The tiler said he'd had several people say the insulation alone had a noticeable effect.

 

[artie]

Sorry I've not used either of those products so can't choose.

I used to have an 8 by8 wooden shed I kept for one hobby. The thing I noticed was it didn't take much heat to make it comfortable in fact it was mostly too warm before the thermostat kicked out and then getting on the cold side before it kicked in again.
With insulation and a less aggressive, than I had, heater you should have no problem keeping it warm and dry enough.

As far as summer goes, the insulation that keeps you warm in winter also keeps you cool in summer.

 

[Deadeye]

This grabbed my attention!

As I've never had experience with underfloor heating I've never come across that 10mm xps board......please elaborate more

I have a fair size timber shed/workshop that is too cold to work in at the mo..... Are you saying that this board will make enough of a difference to be noticeable? At that price it may be worth a punt. I've tried a quick internet search and can't find enough info.....

Are you talking both walls and floor? Does it have to be protected/covered over (appears to have a huge compressive strength)?

I saw one comment where someone compared it to 100mm of fibreglass? Is that correct?

Thanks for any info

The XPS R value is 0.28m2K/W 100mm rockwool is 2.27 so, no, not a miracle but some gain. If money no object, aerogels are 2-2.5 times more effective than glass fibre.

 

[Joe1975]

This grabbed my attention!

As I've never had experience with underfloor heating I've never come across that 10mm xps board......please elaborate more

I have a fair size timber shed/workshop that is too cold to work in at the mo..... Are you saying that this board will make enough of a difference to be noticeable? At that price it may be worth a punt. I've tried a quick internet search and can't find enough info.....

Are you talking both walls and floor? Does it have to be protected/covered over (appears to have a huge compressive strength)?

I saw one comment where someone compared it to 100mm of fibreglass? Is that correct?

Thanks for any info

I’m no expert, hence I’m the one asking for advice! But, if I had a larger shed then I would definitely use standard PIR board (as thick as possible) and board over it.

The only reason I am considering something else is because Celotex/Kingspan etc only come in a minimum thickness of 20-25mm and I’d loose the usefulness of the space between the stud work. Also I don’t want to have silver foil walls.

The XPS seems to be roughly 2/3rd the insulation value of Celotex when thickness is the same. So 100mm of Celotex would give 16x as much insulation.

 

[flying haggis]

I like the idea of your shelves using 4x2s. And how do you keep it so clean!!!!!

 

[Lard]

Thanks for replies (sorry, didn't want to hijack the post).....my thinking was simply based on cost and hassle-ness as my shed is full to the brim with tools (table saw, bandsaw etc etc) and materials but I could, with a bit of moving stuff about, add those sheets to my floor. I can't be a*sed with going full-hog celotex (walls etc) as that task would be horrendous.

ta anyways

 

[Deadeye]

I’m no expert, hence I’m the one asking for advice! But, if I had a larger shed then I would definitely use standard PIR board (as thick as possible) and board over it.

The only reason I am considering something else is because Celotex/Kingspan etc only come in a minimum thickness of 20-25mm and I’d loose the usefulness of the space between the stud work. Also I don’t want to have silver foil walls.

The XPS seems to be roughly 2/3rd the insulation value of Celotex when thickness is the same. So 100mm of Celotex would give 16x as much insulation.

You can always paper/paint/hardboard over the foil. Also some boards are only foiled on one side and that can go outwards

 

[Joe1975]

I'd go with the prowarm, which are cheaper here: 10mm XPS Premium Insulation Board 1200mm x 600mm - Underfloor Heating UK
The ceiling will make a big difference in summer.
If you can get 10mm on the floor it would help a lot.

Thank you again. I have taken your advice and ordered from your link. I am also going to get some foam floor tiles to insulate the floor. I'll let you know how much difference it all makes.

 

[Joe1975]

I like the idea of your shelves using 4x2s. And how do you keep it so clean!!!!!

Thank you. The clue is under the bandsaw!

A good thing about a small workshop is that it is very easy to keep tidy and clean up afterwards. The Henry attaches to the bandsaw, and potentially to power tools as well, and the hose reaches anywhere in the workshop without having to move.
I empty the sawdust out of the Henry bags and re-use because I’m tight.

I have a large builders bucket under the end of the workbench to catch sawdust and shavings. When I’m working I just sweep the bench and hope most of it falls in the bucket. I’m also aiming to raise every off the floor (hence the bandsaw table) to keep it clear for easy sweeping.

Most people like collecting as many tools as possible, but I have to be very selective and only get what I absolutely need. I’m new to woodworking so will stick with this setup for now. I’m actually surprised how much I can do in such a small space, and it should be quick and easy to heat when I’ve got this insulation sorted.

 

[Joe1975]

Update……
Following suggestions and advice from this thread I fitted 50mm Celotex to the ceiling, 10mm XPS foam to the walls, and foam garage mats on the floor. It has made a huge difference.
I have an 800w oil filled radiator that can heat it to a decent temperature (albeit slowly) which I use to maintain a setback temperature, and a 1000w/2000w fan heater that will raise the temperature very quickly.
Obviously the XPS foam and the Celotex are easily damaged so it won't look this good for long.
I’ve actually added three more LED strip lights and some more sockets since these photos. There’s a bit of work to do in the wood storage area, and at some point a proper wall tool storage solution will be required. Time to start making stuff now though.

Thank you all.