Stinging Eyes and Sore Throat - Shed

[belfastrab]

Hi

First of all I am new so hello and I am looking forward to using the site.

I have just finished building my shed at least on the outside the inside has yet to be fitted out.

The shed is made with 3 x 1.5 inch framing and cladded with 1/4 inch thick shiplap weatherboarding. I wrapped the framing before adding the siding with breathable waterproof membrane stuff I had left over from a small job I done to my house. Shed size is 12ft x 8ft and 8ft high. The doors are double glazed mahogany and I have one 8ft x 4ft window. The roof is felted with very heavy duty wire felt (ex MOD stock)

The shed is literally just finished a friend called to get my off cuts for his fire and I unlocked the shed doors to give him the grand tour. Within seconds of entering the shed we both had severe eye stinging and I had a mild pain in my throat my friend didn't but I was deeper in the shed than he was. Within a minute of keeping the doors open and also opening the window whatever was causing the eye stinging and throat pain had passed. It happened again today and once again once I left the shed ventilated for a few minutes everything was ok. Both yesterday and today have been pretty warm and the shed wall that has the window in it get's the sun for most of the day (by design).

Could newly purchased wood that has been left baking in the sun cause eye stinging or throat irritation in a non ventilated space?

I know some treated timbers are not good to burn as they can give of dangerous gases when burnt.

Does anyone know if the wood is the culprit of this and if so will it go away eventually of it's own accord and if not would painting the wood on the inside of the shed help to seal the wood and stop whatever this unseen menace is.

Any help or advice would be great.

Thanks

Rab

 

[PAC1]

leave the doors open a few days to see if it disappears.
If the shed is going to be a workshop you really should insulate it and then clad the inside with OSB or the like. also think about fixing noggins for attaching anything heavy you want to hang off the wall.

 

[John15]

Could it be that something is being given off from the paper barrier.
If you still have a label off one of the rolls it will give info on any precautions to take.

John

 

[RogerS]

Is the wood Douglas Fir? I get that reaction with the stuff. Best burned IMO.

 

[wallace]

Was any of the timber used freshly tantalised or did you creosote anything

 

[monkeybiter]

What about the felt? Could it be giving off any volatiles etc. since unrolling. Leaving the door open for a while seems a good idea.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I would echo Wallace's take and suggest its a moderately toxic vapour leeching out of the tantalising in the wood. Tanalised woods for outside use (sheds, roofing etc) are frequently very damp so the residual moisture content is probably pushing some of the tantalising chemicals out of the wood and into the air as vapour or at least behaving like a gas. Its super concentrated at first door opening and then quickly dissipates once you start air circulating with windows and doors etc.

I would leave the building open and ventilated for as long as you can before using it. When I had my loft in an old cottage woodworm sprayed, it had to be left at least a week, pref a fortnight before you were meant to go inside it.

But whatever is the source, ventilation until the leeching stops is likely the cure.

 

[belfastrab]

Hi All

Thanks for all the replies.

The stud walls framing wood 3 x 1.5" has been pressure treated and the weatherboard cladding (shiplap) has been vacuum treated. The shed has been well ventilated for pretty much a entire week both double doors and double windows opened and when the doors and windows are open the shed is fine but when I first open it up in the morning the eye stinging is unreal.

I contacted the timber yard where I got all the wood and the roof felt and they claimed they had never heard anything like that before.

I have spent the best part of this afternoon painting the inside frame with left over Cuprinol colour paint to hopefully seal the wood assuming it's that wood that is causing the problem.

Once I have painted the framing I am using fibreglass loft insulation to insulate the walls and ceiling and then 9mm plywood to wall and ceiling the entire shed and the plywood will also be painted. Before I attach the plywood sheets I am going to put plastic see through dust sheets up to help seal the fibreglass insulation as I don't want fibres from that floating about forever. So in essence there is going to be several layers of either paint, plywood , insulation, plastic dust sheet and more paint and if all that doesn't do the trick I don't know what will!




Hopefully with all this done

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I had a new timber workshop installed 4 years ago with very similar problems. After a few weeks it does clear significantly.

However on warm damp mornings when I first go into the shop the same effects are apparent.

I open the doors, have a cuppa and by the time I go back the effects have diminished.

I don't know if I will suffer any long term effects :?: but I am guessing it is just the treatments in the wood evaporating?

I am no toxicologist but I suspect the modern treatments for wood are more user friendly than creosote or the arsenic once used to tanilise timber.

 

[Wizard9999]

I had a new timber workshop installed 4 years ago with very similar problems. After a few weeks it does clear significantly.

However on warm damp mornings when I first go into the shop the same effects are apparent.

I am just in the process of starting to build my workshop and am very keen to avoid this problem. Do people think this is a result of a specific type of timber used for cladding, framing, membrane, that would certain not to occur with other types of cladding? Is the issue likely to be diminished if the structure in insulated and the inner face clad in OSB (as I intend to do this)?

Terry.

 

[Bluekingfisher]

I had a new timber workshop installed 4 years ago with very similar problems. After a few weeks it does clear significantly.

However on warm damp mornings when I first go into the shop the same effects are apparent.

I am just in the process of starting to build my workshop and am very keen to avoid this problem. Do people think this is a result of a specific type of timber used for cladding, framing, membrane, that would certain not to occur with other types of cladding? Is the issue likely to be diminished if the structure in insulated and the inner face clad in OSB (as I intend to do this)?

Terry.

Terry - I cannot answer your question. Although I lined my workshop walls with 18mm Luan ply then applied several coats of emulsion to brighten the walls.

I insulated the walls with 75mm of polystyrene (which I initially thought caused the issue.

The ceiling was covered with 3mm hardboard. I still had the fumes.

I guess all manufactured boards have some form of glue or adhesive to bond the material. I suspect it may have to be a case of enduring it for a week or two.

David