HOW TO INSULATE AN EXISTING METAL BUILDING

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Many people have no idea when they face the question of  how to insulate an existing metal building. 

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Why Insulate an Existing Metal Building?

01.

Insulation is a must-have if you want comfort and energy-saving and will also help maintain temperature, reduce moisture, and absorb sound.  

The main aim of insulation is to cover all walls, roofs, seams, and joints to reduce dampness, moisture, or condensation. 

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Ways to Insulate a Metal Building

02.

Here we will discuss two types of insulation- 

Spray Foam Insulation 

Fibreglass Sheets 

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Installing Spray Foam Insulation

Spray foam insulation is one of the most accessible and most convenient insulation methods that can be installed by the building owner himself also if they choose to do so. 

This type of insulation works best if the metal panels are already attached to the building frame, and you can also use this method if you don’t want to install radiant barriers.  

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Installing Fibreglass Sheet

Fibreglass is known to collect and retain moisture, making it more prone to mould growth.

Fibreglass sheets have been used as an insulation material for almost a century now and offer some advantages over other insulation methods. 

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Professional Installation Cost

03.

Professional installation costs vary greatly depending on: 

Cost of Materials 

Location of The Building 

Size of The Area to be Insulated 

Labour Costs 

While on average, insulation will cost you from $1.5 to $4.5 per square foot

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Begin Your Installation 

04.

There are mainly two methods in use for installing insulation

First one is corner to corner method 

Second option is wrap-around method 

in this method, you can start doing the side walls first, beginning in one corner till the other corner, then doing the roof, and finally finish with the end walls, and gable ends.  

you will need to go all the way down to one wall, make a 90-degree turn, and then continue going down on another wall until you have finished all the walls

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STEP 1-A The Walls 

STEP 1-B The Corners 

You need to use the floor of the building and the bottom part of the frame as your guide to starting the first run 

Install the radiant barrier foil in such a way that the foil side is facing out of the building. 

You should have 4-5″ left on the end when you reach the corners. 

It’s essential to use a flat blade like a dry blade or putty knife at corners for pushing the insulation deep into the corners, as corners are often the weak points in any insulation installation process. 

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STEP 2-A The Second Run 

STEP 2-B Prepping the Corner Bracing 

You will need to line up the insulation with the sharpie mark that you made at 92″ while marking up the metal frame. 

You can use the tape for lining up the insulation sheet with the tape edge pointing towards the bottom.  

You will need to remove the two bottom screws of the brace (corner spacing is depicted using the red line in the first illustration). 

Now pull the bracing away from the wall at least 2″-4″. Run the insulation behind the corner brace around the wall, and fasten it to the wall using the screws or fasteners.  

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STEP 3-The Roofline 

STEP 4-Finish Up 

You must try to keep a continuous new interior surface by connecting the walls to the bottom of the roofline 

Now, the final step is to finish the insulation process by taping all the seams and gaps in the insulation. 

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