I did all my ally panelling in December / January in an unheated garage and I was toasty warm
in just an old fleece - without the hat I was freezing!
Been thinking about this for a few days. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
I've got your basic, single detatched from the house tiled roof garage with single skin brick walls. Its blooming freezing. Can't keep it
warm with two heaters so .... got to insulate it.
Thinking about stapling the insulative reflective foil stuff to the bottom of the rafters. With a space in the middle for me to look in the attic
space. Above the foiled areas thinking of laying down hardboard. this will then provide an airgap (improved insulation) and give me something to store
things on. In the gap either going to try to fabricate something or just put the foil on some more hardboard.
For the garage door - no idea, probably more of the foil stuff.
What do people think?
Any better (cheaper / simpler) ideas?
Ive got a large detached single brick and pitched roof garage and manage to heat that enough with 2 little blow heaters. I wear those Sparco overalls
that are a touch thicker than normal and get toasty. It would be easier to wear several thin layers when working t rather than the hassle of
insulating the garage. It might be worth stopping the draughts if you have any. Ive got a good roller door fitted with brush strips either side - i
guess that helps a lot.
If i wanted to insulate id be tempted to use roofing lats on the walls, foil backed polystyrene in between and boards over he front. Line the roof
with boards and fit loft hatch so you can get access. Probs stop the drafts first and see if it is better.
hi,
Don't know what your budget is but I would recommend you cover the underside of the roof with plasterboard (look in the builder material section
for surplus materials. I got 10 4m x 1.2m sheets for £30. Then glass wool or white polystyrene in between the rafters again look in the classifieds.
Covering the walls with chipboard held away from the brick wall with batons (plastic damp proof sheet) in between the brick and wood. This will make a
huge differance as does plugging all the drafts.
My garrage was the same, I could run a space heater and still it was freezing, a warm garrage makes all the difference. Something you'll never
regret doing.
Buy a Thinsulate wooly hat - saves on heating bills I did all my ally panelling in December / January in an unheated garage and I was toasty warm
in just an old fleece - without the hat I was freezing!
Has anyone insulated the door? If so, how?
G
quote:
Originally posted by CaLviNx
Hi
The only thing i have to fit into my new garage when its built is the Aircon unit to keep it cool......
How about insulated gyproc (thermaline I think its called?) easy to fix to roof and walls, with additional jablite (polystyrene) in between the
joists.
You could probably do a single garage in a mornings work!
Cheers
Alex
No one has mentioned the floor yet. I met someone who put a layer of styrofoam on the floor covered with a layer of 12mm ply wood. This made standing
and lying on the floor much better. It also cuts the draft under the door, but you may need a little ramp when you take the car in and out.
Most of us are short of space in the garage. Insulation on the inside of the wall makes that worse.
The garage I use is attached to a house which does help. One Christmas when we had a lot of kids round we laid a layer of underlay and two layers of old carpet to make a romper room. Been there ever since and its great to kneel/crawl around on.
very good point about the floor. I put wood down as my feet got really cold, just make sure it is replaced if it gets oil or fuel soaked as it can smolder when welding etc. and might ignite hours later when your in bed...
quote:
Originally posted by MG David
No one has mentioned the floor yet. I met someone who put a layer of styrofoam on the floor covered with a layer of 12mm ply wood. This made standing and lying on the floor much better. It also cuts the draft under the door, but you may need a little ramp when you take the car in and out.
For the Floor, ya can't beat good old carpet!
And for insulating the door you can use polystyrene sheets Glued to the back of it.
quote:
Originally posted by MG David
Most of us are short of space in the garage. Insulation on the inside of the wall makes that worse.
Tongue & groove chipboaed is commonly used in house floors & is available in a green finish thats moisture resistant.
The bosses house was done with it & we use the offcuts as big set squares in the workshop when fabricating stuff as the corners on this stuff is
spot on 90deg. Apart from the corners getting dog eared they seem to stand up to water, welding sparks & generally being kicked around.
Best efficiency is to insulate the ceiling.
Cheapest option to insulate a garage ceiling:
12.5mm duplex plaster board(foil backed), will also improve the lighting massivly by reflecting light down . Cost about £4.50 for 1.2x2.4.
100mm glasswool 1 large bag = 11m2.
costs around £14 .
6mx4m = 24m2 insulation = £28 plaster board= 9x£4.5= £40
Total around £70 some cheap emusion and your there.
Time, around 4 hours (depending on expierence)
Thats the way to go!!
Many foam backed product cost a fortune.
50mm poly foil backed poly foam can cost around £40/sheet. Great product , but not cheap.
why use plasterboard?
Why not hardboard? pound per sheet thats 2.4m by 0.6m or something. Think its a £1.50 if its the white faced stuff.
Ok its not foil lined, but will it make that much difference? My worry about using glasswool is it comes in standard sizes, my garage beam width is
0.8m instead of the more normal 0.6.
Just realised, i could use 2 lots of 0.4 insulation ! Doh.
[Edited on 4/12/06 by MikeR]
Managed to get some 8x4 sheets of 50mm celotex from someone who'd just done a loft conversion. 7 sheets for £50. Going to get some 30mm to stick on the garage door. Not cheap to buy new but it is the dogs.
Machine Mart do some quilted overalls that keep you toasty.
ATB Phil
I would be very worried about mold forming under the floor. If you put down untreated plywood on the floor (or even 2x4s and something over), any
moisture will build up, soak into the wood, and cause bad things to grow.
When finishing a basement, they generally say to put down a moisture barrier on the floor first, then 2x4 lumber, then plywood, then your finish
material (carpet, tile, whatever) but if there's moisture coming from above all the time (dripping from a car, seeping in the garage door, etc),
then you've got a whole other problem...
I'm sure someone makes some plastic or rubberized tiles you could put down that would be moisture proof and mold resistant. Another option would
be pressure treated lumber or even "plastic lumber" (don't know the real name for it), with pressure treated plywood or cement board on
top of that.
I think the best option would be to only put something on the floor where your feet will be, and leave the parking area uncovered.
If you have a really cold slab, it's because you're not heating the space around it enough. If you insulate walls and ceiling, then heat
the bejesus out of the garage, the slab should (slowly) warm up. If you're shutting the heat off every night and let the slab cool down, then
you'll have to expend a lot of energy in heating up the slab again.
No budget limitations? Heat the slab directly with radiant heating. 
Put in under floor heating 
or do what i do, and just go hacksaw something thick for a few mins. Always warms me up from head to toes and costs bugger all.
[Edited on 5/12/06 by jono_misfit]
well decided im going to clear out the attic space, attach white hardboard to the bottom of the rafters (stop drafts, improve lighting) add glass wool
above the hard board then board the top of the rafters to make storeage space.
Should cost about 20 quid a side for the hard board + 20 quid for the glass wool.
(total garage is 2.4m x 5.4m)
Some old carpet really makes a massive difference!
Just don't set fire to it!
Cheers,
James
quote:
Originally posted by millenniumtree
If you have a really cold slab, it's because you're not heating the space around it enough. If you insulate walls and ceiling, then heat the bejesus out of the garage, the slab should (slowly) warm up. If you're shutting the heat off every night and let the slab cool down, then you'll have to expend a lot of energy in heating up the slab again.
No budget limitations? Heat the slab directly with radiant heating.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Been thinking about this for a few days. Wondering if anyone has any suggestions.
I've got your basic, single detatched from the house tiled roof garage with single skin brick walls. Its blooming freezing. Can't keep it warm with two heaters so .... got to insulate it.
Thinking about stapling the insulative reflective foil stuff to the bottom of the rafters. With a space in the middle for me to look in the attic space. Above the foiled areas thinking of laying down hardboard. this will then provide an airgap (improved insulation) and give me something to store things on. In the gap either going to try to fabricate something or just put the foil on some more hardboard.
For the garage door - no idea, probably more of the foil stuff.
What do people think?
Any better (cheaper / simpler) ideas?
yeah but ....... i've not got a big garage and if i used your propane heater the thing would be up in flamed in about 30 seconds!
oh and i've lived down south too long, i'm a wuss!!!!!!
(plus its an excuse to tidy up the place)
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev a propane eater
Mike, if you were really down south, like me, you would still have the air con going in the garage to keep you cool!!!
no, you just work to hard / have the welder turned up too high :p
Right after costing it up and finding out its going to cost me the best part of 120 quid .......... i'm taking the low cost approach.
brown hardboard (cheaper by factor of 3 than white) stuck to the underside of the garage rafters. Strong (not the cheap stuff) tin foil stuck to
that.
more brown hard board stuck to the top of the rafters for things to sit on. Then the middle bit gets a lining of bubble wrap, top/ bottom and sides
(15 pounds gets you around 50m.)
I've now not a 75mm air trap with reflective side (for heat and light). Should do the trick of improving warmth in the garage.
For the access points i'll have to figure something out. using just one bit of hardboard and bubble wrap.
Any suggestions for the garage door and walls?
Oh, total cost for 15sqm is half the price of using proper insulation at 60 quid (20 quid less if i didn't put the top hardboard on for storage
and 15 quid less if i didn't use the bubble wrap in the gap to stop any air flow).
Garage door-
If its a steel up and over like mine then just sandwich loft insulation between the door with sheets of hardboard held on with with self tappers.
Walls-
On my external wall I just put chipboard shadow boards up and sandwiched thin polystyrene insulation between them.
Heating is provided by the ballasts of the 27 4' flouro tubes i have in there 
A well lit garage always feels warmer
John
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Right after costing it up and finding out its going to cost me the best part of 120 quid .......... i'm taking the low cost approach.
brown hardboard (cheaper by factor of 3 than white) stuck to the underside of the garage rafters. Strong (not the cheap stuff) tin foil stuck to that.
more brown hard board stuck to the top of the rafters for things to sit on. Then the middle bit gets a lining of bubble wrap, top/ bottom and sides (15 pounds gets you around 50m.)
I've now not a 75mm air trap with reflective side (for heat and light). Should do the trick of improving warmth in the garage.
For the access points i'll have to figure something out. using just one bit of hardboard and bubble wrap.
Any suggestions for the garage door and walls?
Oh, total cost for 15sqm is half the price of using proper insulation at 60 quid (20 quid less if i didn't put the top hardboard on for storage and 15 quid less if i didn't use the bubble wrap in the gap to stop any air flow).
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev a propane eater
I guess that 'h' was deliberatley dropped
Mike how about some polystyrene for the backing on the access panels, we've got some thick stuff at work, could post some up, when you've
sorted the dimension for the brackets
Well its all theoretical at the moment as i've just been given a 4 week course of pain killers for my back (could hardly walk this morning) &
had the doctor laughing when i asked "will i be ok to snowboard in Finland in 4 weeks time then".
when he asked why i hadn't been sooner i think the response tickled him,
"didn't want to bother you, thought it would get better".
hmmm....... why is it i'm happy taking my tintop to an expert yet hate taking my far more important and longer term investment (body) to a
doctor!
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
hmmm....... why is it i'm happy taking my tintop to an expert yet hate taking my far more important and longer term investment (body) to a doctor!
One of my questions was - should i see an osteopath and he said "NO". They manipulate backs and that will undoubtedly leave you in more
pain. One thing i don't understand is the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor.
Doctors are very good at what they do - general medicine. They are crap at drugs (ask a pharmacist, believe me, i work in pharmacy / drugs, check with
a pharmacist, they do a 4 year degree & have to do continual professional development + are the ones legally responsible if something the doctor
perscribes kills you - nice that isn't it, the person you're brought up to trust can perscribe something that will kill you & its not
his fault if it does) and specialisations.
Think about it, you need your car servicing you can take it to a general garage, you need the manufacturer specific fault code investigating you take
it to the specialist.
I still cant help thinking that getting rid of drafts first will be a big help.
My garage isdetached, 13 x 29 with pitched roof, single brick walls and fairly warmish with no heater. It has a good quality roller door with brush
strips down the sides and a rubber seal (of sorts) on floor. No real noticable drafts from header plates either.
Would builder foam or loft insulation in the corners help? Maybe just boarding the underneath of the rafters and having a loft hatch would help keep
heat in the main bit. Maybe some rubber strips down side of door might help. If door is really drafty could you fit a curtain type affair in front of
door when you are working.
A few thin layers and good overalls, and perhaps insoles in shoes should keep you warm.
the hope is boarding the loft + some insulation will make a big difference (as well as doing the door).
My understanding is half the battle is stopping drafts - hence the bubble wrap, its an insulator & can be used to seal up the gaps in the loft
space.
I'll let you know how i get on.
A word of warning if you use space heaters and have a lung condition that requires a blue or purple pump......these two dont go very well together even with the whole door open.
sounds like the voice of experience.
I've got two heaters, an electric fan heater that is mostly useless in the garage (great in a conservatory) and a infra red heater that is great
as long as you're stood about 2 foot from it.
So when the doctor said,
"keep active",
Do you think he meant go to B&Q and buy 16 sheets of hardboard?
Probably not, but i've just done it (and yes the back is now hurting but it is time for more drugs)
Couldn't resist getting a couple more strip lights, junction boxes and some switches. Well you can't have too much light can you - just
means the insulating the garage has got more expensive 
Here is a Locost Answer, plus it burns your old engine oil, and WVO that you can scrounge from your local chip shop.
Waste Oil Burner / Heater
I am building one.
Costs so far:
47kg Propane bottle from recycling centre £5
6" and 3" pipe from scrap yard £10 (about 5 metres of it!) which is more than enough)
The hardest part is finding a cheap bit of 6" daimeter metal for the burner plate.
EIDT:
YES.... I am aware of cutting and welding the propane tank. I will fill it with water before I cut it. Its had the valve out for a week now, and been
purged using the compressor. I am not taking any chances.
[Edited on 10/12/2006 by wilkingj]
quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
Here is a Locost Answer, plus it burns your old engine oil, and WVO that you can scrounge from your local chip shop.
Waste Oil Burner / Heater
I am building one.
Costs so far:
47kg Propane bottle from recycling centre £5
The hardest part is finding a cheap bit of 6" daimeter metal for the burner plate.
Paul,
Its a 6" dia x 1" disc, with a 12degree cone in the topside. ie the faster the oil drips, the bigger the puddle (and flame front) the hotter
it gets. ie the cone shaped part helps regulate the pool size and thus the heat. A flat bottomed plate will either go out if too little oil, and have
no controlability.
Thats as I understand it.
Also you dont need to use a propane bottle. They are just a good size and thickness metal, and usually cheap.
Mines not a Calor bottle, so not bothered by cutting it up.