W'shop insulation ideas?

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,243
386
74
SE Wales
Some will have read my previous posts about building a workshop in my garden; well, it's up and roofed and watertight but the garden is now a mud-wallow that'd do a hippo proud!

I'm very pleased to have got this far and it'll be great when the weather comes good to have such a head start compared to where I thought I'd be by now. Trouble is, it's turned into a money pit........It's been a good while since I undertook any kind of building project and I've been gobsmacked by the horrendous price of everything to do with such a project. Even nails and the like that we used to regard as consumables and not really of any consequence price-wise are staggeringly expensive :yikes:

Onnyhoo, the latest thing that's caused me to have conniptions is the price of insulation; it's the next thing to go in, and something I can do pretty much regardless of weather. I've just spent an hour or so looking for 40 square meters of anything 50mm deep at anything like a reasonable price and I can't find much under about £300 and above.........

Just wondering if any of you here might have some idea of a cheaper way to achieve this? T.i.a. :)
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,243
386
74
SE Wales
P1030602.jpg

Not the best of pictures, but it gives the idea; as posted, the roof is on now and the total infill I need is about 40 square meters of 50mm insulation.
 

MilkTheFrog

Tenderfoot
Nov 10, 2015
55
3
United Kingdom
You can get stuff like Knauff earthwool or omni-fit slabs from B&Q (5012061913217) or Wickes or somewhere, which works out at around £100-120 total for 40m^2. For a more traditional approach you could ask a local farm if they have any washed sheep fleece/wool roving you could get in bulk, but you have to be careful with stuff like that as it won't have been thoroughly tested for performance and safety. Usually have to spray it with borax to improve its fire resistance.
 
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bopdude

Full Member
Feb 19, 2013
3,041
237
59
Stockton on Tees
I missed the other thread, is what you're going to be doing reliant on it being kept warm, what I mean is instead of investing in insulating material could you not put the money into a wood burner ?

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Robson Valley

On a new journey
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,672
McBride, BC
Gets a bit chilly here in the winters (-30C). Insulation is the best bet, to capture and keep whatever heat you add.
Also to keep the heat out in the summers (hard on stockpiled woods and ice cubes melt too fast.)
Have you figured out what R- value, thermal resistance, that you need?
 

MilkTheFrog

Tenderfoot
Nov 10, 2015
55
3
United Kingdom
I missed the other thread, is what you're going to be doing reliant on it being kept warm, what I mean is instead of investing in insulating material could you not put the money into a wood burner ?

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For a wood shop, part of it is to keep the noise to a minimum so you don't get on your neighbours' bad side :p
 

awarner

Nomad
Apr 14, 2012
487
4
Southampton, Hampshire
If going down the Kingspan/Celotex type insulation or anything similar forget places like Wicks and B&Q, head down to the local builder merchant and not just places like Travis Perkins either. I insulated my bedroom wall (60's dormer with no insulation) when I did a refit picked up insulation, screws fixings etc for a fraction of the price the DIY chains sell for.
If you just need a box of screws etc I find Toolstation cheaper than Screwfix.
 

Leshy

Full Member
Jun 14, 2016
2,389
57
Wiltshire
An idea is to find a local building site, speak to a site manager or one of the chippies and see if you can get the offcuts of the celotex/insulation nice and cheap . I see it all the time, tons of the stuff taking up lots of precious space in the skips...
If someone had come in and offered me a six pack of beer for it , I would have filled up the back of the van with it instead of piling it on the skip... ☺
Or... Go into a sawmill or joinery shop and ask the guys in there if they let you take away the sawdust bags (dozens of them made everyday) from the machines. Some keep it for the rabbits and such , but I'm sure you could get some of them if not all.
Im guessing you'd need about 6 of those big bags of shavings , empty them out into 70ltr bin liners ( not completely full) and shape them to fit in between the panels ( 50mm thick pads should be good enough). Then ply the walls and ceiling and bobs yer uncle.
😊



Loft insulation( rock wool) is good too , and it doesn't take up so much space when it's on, just itchy stuff to handle and a bit pricey.
As said before, stay away from screwfix and the likes , they are dearer than your local builders merchants ...

Hope it helps 👍
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,243
386
74
SE Wales
For a wood shop, part of it is to keep the noise to a minimum so you don't get on your neighbours' bad side :p

Bingo! Could be a big issue in a quiet place like this, noise. There's also the aspect of keeping the place warm enough to store oils, stains, glues, dyes and all the other expensive stuff that needs to be stored at around 5*C to stay optimally usable and last a good while........Then in Summer, the reverse; I'd need to keep the heat out while the place is not in use and locked shut (I intend to ventilate very well).

Looks from the info. above as though Toolstation is the way to go with 50mm Celotex @ a good price delivered. Thanks All :)

P.S. One of the downsides of living in the back of beyond is the difficulty and expense of seeking out and using some of the 'alternative' or creative ways of doing things; I have to travel a fair way to find anything resembling a building site and doing that on spec. becomes time consuming and expensive.......I'm having the same trouble with finding and buying good quality used workshop tools.
 

Tonyuk

Settler
Nov 30, 2011
938
86
Scotland
Try to stay away from places such as B&Q as they're expensive for what it is. Look in a few proper builders merchants and see what they have. Even places like Screwfix (Owned by B&Q) tend to be a bit cheaper. Insulation can be found relatively cheap on bulk dealers and as site surplus. A few companies who supply and install on sites will have off cuts etc.. that im sure they'll sell to you cheap if you ask for it.

Tonyuk
 

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