paper insulation on shed is it worth it?

[happyhero]

Hi I am building a pretty substantial shed with a gambrel roof (twin pitch like Dutch barn) with 2" x 4" stud walls clad with 18mm WBP ply sheets and a felt shingle roof. It is just over 6 meters long by 2.5m wide.

My intention was to have a functional shed inside ie to use it for storage and maybe some small works (I have another shed to do any main work, carpentry, etc, that I want to do) and to have the outside having a real smart fancy look to it.

I was going to clad the outside ply with good quality featheredge and spoke to a builder friend ages ago about doing it. He suggested that there was this sort of paper insulation I could put on the walls first to give some insulating benefit, before cladding it with the featheredge.

I know that sometimes when it gets really damp or cold outside that things can get a bit damp to touch even in my garage and so could corrode, so I am interested in improving the atmosphere in the shed a little but I don’t really want fill up my stud walls with Kingspan or anything as I feel that would be excessive unnecessary work and expense.

Obviously I have made a fair bit more effort than just building an ordinary shed, so under the circumstances what do you think, is there any insulation I should or could use?

What is that paper stuff that you put on the outside walls and will it do much?

Should I consider anything else instead?

Also as a side question it is on sloping ground and roof peak is 4m off the ground at one end and 3.5m the other, would it be advisable to put vents in the gable ends, to improve the air inside.

Any help / advice greatly appreciated.

 

[r896neo]

I can't comment on the paper insulation but would certainly say that the more airflow the better. You may be better off putting some tyvek or similar behind your featheredge but as for insulation i probably wouldn't bother unless you want to devote a bit more time and cash to it and do a real good job with vapour barriers insulation etc, as you may end up with condensation problems by just fitting a tiny amount.

I'd go for maximum airflow and deal with the cold

 

[Deluks]

I agree. Tyvek or a similar breather membrane is the best thing to use. Tyvek is the premium product but there are many other cheaper brands available for less than £1 per sqm.
Basically it will provide a water resistant barrier beneath the cladding. Don't know how long you plan to have it for but if the cladding were to get damaged or rotten, then at least the main structure will remain dry, and you can reclad or repair it.

Cover the studs in it, horizontally with overlap, then vertical battens over the upright studs, then clad onto this.

No point in plyboarding the outside if cladding, ply the inside instead. With a polythene vapour barrier beneath the ply. Insulate between the outer membrane and inner poly if you so wish (recommended for heat and noise insulation, use rockwool slabs and you get fire proofing as well)

Your pal was probably referring to building paper, bitumen backed parcel wrapping paper basically. What used to be used before breather membranes, still available but not that much cheaper and tears easily.

 

[happyhero]

Hi guys many thanks for the help, and that Tyvek looks like good stuff but not that cheap, I have looked for other but have struggled to be sure they are the same thing, so is there any chance you could give me the names of a few others that are the same thing so that I can compare prices and know which other ones are ok to use as they are the same stuff etc?

Any help appreciated.

 

[mointainwalker]

Since you started off talking about "paper insulation" and said you wanted to use it to insulate your shed, will you now be insulating it with something else ?

 

[r896neo]

Here's one i have used and is a bit cheaper. but in reality any breathable membrane will do, and the old adage you get what you pay for applies i'm sure.

http://www.klober-professional-roofing-accessories.co.uk/breather-membrane-UK.html

 

[Deluks]

Look on eBay for breathable membrane, loads available and cheap to boot. The cheaper ones are a bit thinner and will probably tear easier but are still pretty tough and will be fine for walls.