Insulating workshop walls

[LeeElms]

I am planning a workshop in a 2 car garage. As the garage is located very close to the neighboring property, I plan to insulate the walls to reduce the sound level outside the building, and also to provide thermal insulation.

The existing walls are a constructed out of brick (single thickness). There is a damp proof course. There are no signs of damp inside the garage. My initial thoughts are to use timber stud work, fill with some kind of insulation and cover with some suitable material to yield a flat wall surface that can be painted.

Suggestions appreciated as to size of the timber for the studwork, the insulation material (sound insulation being the priority) and the type of sheet material to provide the wall surface. Is a vapour barrier required / advisable ... if so, what material should be used. Of course, total cost is a consideration.

Any input gratefully appreciated ...

 

[cambournepete]

have a look on screwfix for insulation. They do several types, some of which are thin, so you can line and insulate your walls without losing much useful width.

OTOH, if you have brick pillars in the garage you might want to fill the gaps between them so they don't show (as a bulge) once you have lined the walls with insulation and plywood. This obviously loses more width inside the garage, which is why I haven't done it in mine.

 

[CYC]

One thing I would suggest is to have the walls made with some timber. I used chipboard which is relatively cheap. It means you can screw anywhere directly to the walls, something you will find extremely handy in a workshop. You'll be hanging lots of bits and pieces over time

 

[StevieB]

Hi,

Regarding the size of timber, I used 2x4 for my workshop, others here have used 3x2 and a 'shed' from a manufacturer can use anything down to 2x1. Since you are lining a garage though, you do not have to support a roof with your studding (I assume you are not lining the roof as well) and your studding will not be subject to the wind so my answer would be to go for whatever thickness you want your insulation to be No requirement to go as high as 2x4, you could go for something as thin as 1x0.5 if the only purpose of it is to hide the brickwork, but you wouldnt get much insulation behind it.

I did use a vapour barrier in mine (actually a polythene sheet sold as damp proof membrane) but if your brickwork is sound then I probably wouldnt bother for lining a garage.

The surface covering is really personal choice, from plasterboard, through OSB and ply to chipboard panels such as used for flooring out lofts. I went for 12mm OSB, thick enough to hang stuff where I liked and not as expensive as ply. If you go for a thin stud though, bear in mind that putting a 3 inch screw through 12mm OSB and the thin stud will find brick anyway! (sorry for mixing imperial and metric). Thus if you want the aboility to hang stuff anywhere, use a thicker stud than the length of screw you will be hanging with.

Good luck, it sounds like sound rather than damp may be your biggest concern - time to start eating alot of eggs and saving the boxes? :lol:

Steve

 

[ProShop]

Hi, My choice would be a stud wall packed with insulation, Polystyrene type insulation have a poor sound reducing property, go for a more softer type used in new building construction. plasterboards are an excellent sound deadener 1/2inch type. You should really use some form of membrane as even a single brick wall facing the inclement weather can be porous if the bad weather persists, or at least spray the exterior with a water repellant.
Usually thick soft materials make the best sound insulation, a really good one is fibre board. I have used this type of material in flats, as specified by some local councils.
Hope this helps
John

 

[DaveL]

Lee,

Welcome to the forum.

The best type of insulation for sound reduction is Rockwool, they do some just for that, but the normal building Rockwool will work, just don't pack it in tight. Wicks did have some on offer a little while ago.

 

[Alf]

Welcome to the forum, Lee.

Now I know we had some discussion about sound insulation etc a little while ago, but can I find it? :roll: Rockwool did seem to be the general consensus as I recall.

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

Lee

I used the underfloor insulation that usually is used with floating laionate flooring. Comes in green sqares from B&Q. I glued this to 1/2" chipboard sheets and it seems to work well for both heat and noise.

I think there is a photo of it in the gallery

Cheers

Tony

 

[CYC]

Rockwool is also what I used in my workshop. It was advised as the most soundproofing insulation by my local builders' providers.

I can't say you hear a thing outside but it certainly helps. I have even added a thin layer of this rockwool inside the double doors I have made.
Just remember that all sides of the building will need insulation, that includes the ceiling.

 

[LeeElms]

Thanks to everyone for your advice ... it is much appreciated.

Yes, the garage walls have brick pillars (one in the centre of each of the side and back walls); I do plan to fill between them and continue the sheet material across them to provide a flat wall surface. I think I'll use 3x2 timber, with rockwool insulation, and cover with chipboard (lowest cost of the sheet materials). I am undecided as to whether a vapour barrier is required, but will probably install one just to be safe, as the cost is quite low. I do intend to insulate betwen the ceiling joists, and cover the ceiling with plasterboard, with a loft hatch in case access to the underside of the roof is required. The roof is pitched on 4 sides, so there isn't really much useful storage space.

A few more questions:

Is there any problem with the gap (1-2", I would guess) that this will leave between the brickwork and the insulation ?

Where should the vapour barrier be located ... against the bricks ?

What advantages are there to using OSB rather than chipboard ... is it mainly increased strength ?

Given the rockwool insulation, would there be significant additional benefits in respect of sound proofing if I used plasterboard instead of chipboard or OSB ?

 

[CYC]

Have you got windows? are they double glazed or better triple glazed?
Are the doors very tick?

These are potentially where the sound may lick out! Not to be forgotten.

 

[LeeElms]

The standard garage doors are to be replaced with insulated roller type garage doors, partially for better draft proofing and insulation. I will be adding a side door ... what is the best approach for this, without spending too much money ?

There are no windows.

 

[CYC]

You could try making your own door.
I did, and I made them thick so I could sandwich some rockwool between the panels.
This was my solution anyway and cheaper