Metal Buildings

Need to insulate a steel building? Find out how to do an effective DIY insulation job on your steel building to make it more comfortable and protective.

Steel buildings can be used for a wide variety of things. In some cases, insulation isn’t all that important or necessary. Due to the quality of their construction, steel buildings are incredibly weather proof on their own. If you’re simply putting up a shelter for your garden tools, or if you don’t live in a place with widely varying temperatures, for example, insulation should not be among the foremost of your concerns.

If, on the other hand, you’ll be using your building as a workshop, office, living space, or to house animals, insulation will be important when it comes to saving money on controlling the temperature and keeping the space comfortable and livable.

The two most common methods of steel building insulation involve blow-in foam and fiberglass. The foam can be tricky to work with, and unless you have experience using it, you might be better off hiring a contractor. Fiberglass, however, can be pretty easy to install yourself, and it can be used with or without a drywall interior.

To start off, you’re going to want to buy several rolls of fiberglass to install before you’ve put up drywall. Then follow these simple instructions:

• Step 1: Measure and cut the fiberglass to fit your wall space.
• Step 2: Apply double-sided tape to the interior of the metal wall.
• Step 3: Press the paper side of the fiberglass to the tape. Make sure to allow the fiberglass to sag just a little bit so that it will allow proper airflow.
• Step 4: Cover fiberglass with sheeting and apply metal strapping to ensure that it will stay in place.
• Step 5: If you want, finish with drywall.

That’s all there is to it. Depending on the size of your building, you can insulate the entire thing in a single afternoon. While fiberglass is the most common form of insulation, there are also a number of recycled substitutes, such as shredded wool or denim. These are installed in exactly the same manner, although you should treat them with flame retardant and something to prevent mold and mildew growth prior to installation.

And there you have it—a cozy metal building to use as you please. When you combine the weather-tight construction of a steel building with a bit of insulation, you’re guaranteed to save money on heat and stay warm no matter how low the temperature drops.