Plywood lining a garden shed

eoin.d · 19-11-2023 2:08pm #1

I’ve 12’ x 12’ steel cladding garden shed used for keeping motorbikes and some repairs.

it has foil insulation on the sides and I wanted to line the inside of the shed with plywood. I’ve no permanent heat source in it only a plug in heater so it can be damp during the winter.

looking at 12mm plywood , would it be ok with some dampness in the shed or will I need marine plywood ?

Thanks

Pinoy adventure · 28-11-2023 11:30am

Maybe spray foam insulation with battens and marine ply over it.

LastFridayNight · 28-11-2023 11:52am

What's the source of the damp - is it condensation? If yes, does the shed have good ventilation? It is essential to have good ventilation in any building- but even more so in a building not regularly heated.

If the damp is coming from a leak then obviously this needs fixing. If it's coming up from ground you'll have to describe the issue in more detail.

Your plywood idea may help with reducing condensation on walls and roof, but I would imagine 25mm insulation board might actually be slightly cheaper than decent plywood (it was last time I checked), and will certainly be more effective and won't rot or mould up. Just foam any large cracks and tape the seams if you want to do a proper job. If you need a harder wall in certain areas for fixing electrics or hanging equipment you can just put cheaper chipboard in those areas over the insulation board.

10-10-20 · 28-11-2023 11:56am

I'm using 12mm ply here for a project and I'm thinking that it's probably too heavy for shed walls, maybe 8mm will be fine if it's just to protect the foil insulation?

The Continental Op · 28-11-2023 2:15pm

I have the thinnest ply on a wooden shed (5mm?) and put rockwool underneath. Condensation was an issue with a superser heat - of course it would! - but a 5inch ventilation fan that vents to the outside (part of a model making spay paint booth) stops the condensation. Even with the fan off the extra ventilation from having the fan connected to the outside stops the condensation.

So the take away as always is VENTILATION matters.