How to insulate a Colorbond Shed?

SuJay

I am in Elizabeth, SA.  I have a 3 year old, 6m x 9m Colorbond (steel frame) shed with sliding doors, which gets so hot it's impossible to work in for more than a few minutes.  Last year vents front and back were put in, which help a little but not enough. I had thought of installing whirlybirds, but unfortunately there is a Eucalypt hanging over part of the roof which sheds masses of bits which would not only quickly stuff up the whirlybirds but the bits would be blown into the shed - this was already happening along the roof ridge so closed cell infoam has been put in which has been excellent. Very windy where I am.

I would like to insulate the shed and start with the doors, but don't know which option would be best.  I've seen

• GI Building Sciences 10mm 0.5 x 24m 12m² Reflecta Garage Door Insulation; 
• Ametalin 1500mm x 20m ThermalLiner Roof And Wall Shed Insulation; and 
• Foilboard Green 10 x 2400 x 1200mm Insulation Panel

and then there are batts, but that seems like a huge job and may be unnecessary, I hope?  I would also need tape and/or sealant which would tolerate the heat.  

I don't want complete cool, necessarily, but enough of a lower temp so that I can work in it without running outside to recover!  I've watched some videos, but none of them seem really relevant to what I need.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much

SuJay

MitchellMc

Hi @SuJay 

You might like to start by having a read through some of the previous discussions on this topic. Our members have contributed a remarkable number of solutions and plenty of information to help you decide on the best way forward.

• How to insulate a wood shed roof? by @melissathomp89
• How to insulate a shed to stop condensation and dirt? by @Ritar
• How to install insulation in my Titan Shed walls and ceiling? by @denk
• How to insulate a metal shed? by @Bondy2
• How to insulate a pre-built shed? by @staplar
• How to insulate garden shed walls and roof? by @arpad
• Insulation suggestion for stainless steel shed? by @Sunda

If your goal is to bring the shed closer to ambient outdoor temperature, ventilation is actually the most important part of the puzzle. Insulation helps slow the transfer of heat, but without somewhere for the heat to escape, it will still build up inside a metal shed. Since a whirlybird is not workable with the eucalypt overhead, wall-mounted passive vents are the next best option. Adding a pair of high-mounted vents on opposite walls will let hot air move out continually rather than being trapped under the roof. 

Sheds are not constructed to the same standard as a home, so achieving a genuinely cool interior is very difficult. The Colorbond sheets sit in full sun and heat up all day, and that heat keeps transferring inward. You can reduce how much of it comes through, but you cannot eliminate it completely. This is where insulation boards come in. Foilboard-style rigid panels are one of the simpler options for a retrofit. You can adhere them to the walls and roof frame, then seal the joins with the appropriate high-temperature tape. That creates a reflective and thermal barrier which slows the inward heat flow. If you only install insulation without venting, the temperature inside will still creep beyond ambient because the trapped hot air has nowhere to go. Combining insulation with passive wall vents is what gives you the best chance of a workable space in summer, even if it will never be truly cool.

For the sliding doors, rigid panels again tend to be the easiest to work with. They can be cut to fit within the door frames and adhered with a suitable gutter silicone, then taped around the edges. Once you address the doors and add some form of venting through the shed, you should notice a meaningful drop in peak temperatures, enough to make short work sessions much more comfortable.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

A note to our New Zealand readers, the use of foil insulation products is prohibited.