Steel garage lining inside!

IanVW

Hi all have a 26ftx16 foot steel garage and want to line the inside with plywood nothing too flimsy. I was going to line the inside of the shed walls with foil type insulation and then use battens somehow and 8x4 sheets of ply. Whats the best size battens to use and what lenght etc or any idea how many id need? Also whats the best size and type of plywood to give a nice clean finnish?
Many thanks for the help
Ian

the_pen_turner

Have you a pic of the construction in the shed

Stoner

Consider using unistrut slotted on the floor with the channel pointing up. Slot the sheets into it at the end it would be a good strong footing for the sheets and good protection at low level

It comes in 6M lengths too

IanVW

Stoner wrote: »

Consider using unistrut slotted on the floor with the channel pointing up. Slot the sheets into it at the end it would be a good strong footing for the sheets and good protection at low level

It comes in 6M lengths too

sorry i meant ply lining the shed walls:)

jack of all

I ply lined my shed with 1/2" pine shuttering ply, fixed to softwood battens, as per the photos. A good bit of work involved in levelling/ straightening up the batten framework as the steel was a little out and the battens were mostly bowed or crooked, but worth the effort in the end.

IanVW

jack of all wrote: »

I ply lined my shed with 1/2" pine shuttering ply, fixed to softwood battens, as per the photos. A good bit of work involved in levelling/ straightening up the batten framework as the steel was a little out and the battens were mostly bowed or crooked, but worth the effort in the end.

What size battens did you use?

Stoner

I just suggested that unistrut will hold the sheets at the floor. I get what you are doing

Calahonda52

jack of all wrote: »

I ply lined my shed with 1/2" pine shuttering ply, fixed to softwood battens, as per the photos. A good bit of work involved in levelling/ straightening up the batten framework as the steel was a little out and the battens were mostly bowed or crooked, but worth the effort in the end.

very nice work if I may say so.
No flat screen and beer fridge!

IanVW

Would 9mm wbp work best? With a painted finnish

jack of all

I used a 32x 44mm rough sawn batten- standard roofing batten, 2x 1" rough sawn battens fixed to horizontal steel cladding rails first, with panel adhesive and tek screws. Plenty of shimming and testing with a string line and long straightedge to get the framework straight and plumb before sheeting- sheeting out was the fun and easy part. I used 1/2" ply- it give me the right amount of stiffness for the battens centres I used- 24". 9mm ply might be a little light and gives even less screw holding ability for hanging/ fixing stuff to later. I don't think there's a lot of money to be saved in using 9mm versus 12mm. Where I knew I was going to be fitting heavy items, spur shelving etc I fixed heavy grounds in between battens first- pocket screwed from the face into sides. I used salvaged 3/4" ply and chipboard for these grounds- made for a very strong fixing- 32mm thick overall when overlaid with the cladding ply.

As for finish- I liked the warm timber colour so Iopted not to paint it. I sanded the whole lot lighty and brushed/ rolled on 2 thin coats of PVA primer, watered down. Dries clear with next to no sheen, seals up the surface well, especially where I had some "hairy" edges where panels butted together.

No beer fridge or TV for me, I do have a radio though! And plenty of projects on the go....

cletus

Did you insulate behind it, and if not do you have much/any problems with condensation

jack of all

cletus wrote: »

Did you insulate behind it, and if not do you have much/any problems with condensation

I didn't insulate- the external cladding is Kingspan 60mm insulated wall panel, I did think about putting some rockwool in the void but I was worried this would leave me open to a risk of interstitial condensation. Ply is caulked at juction with floor and a bead of silicone where it meets the roof- for dust tightness as much as anything. When I use the place in winter I use a small oil filled radiator with a little background ventilation. Condensation is always a problem in our damp climate but I haven't had any major problems in the past 2 years.