How to insulate your Quonset hut. Spray foam insulation or fiber glass?

In this video we will show you the best way to insulate a Quonset Hut building using spray foam insulation. Also, we will go over some of the pitfalls of using fiberglass insulation in any metal structure.

[@amauryft]

Good stuff! Quonset tips and specialized videos like this will help me to eventually make a move. Thank you.

[@phil20_20]

Nice! I was just thinking about this and here was your video.

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Hope you like it!

[@daveherron4021]

Nice job man

[@WilliamDiver43]

Kyle was the quonset hut galvanized? If so did you have to do anything special to remove it for proper bonding of foam to substrate?

[@JEDIMASTERPOOPJUICE]

I like it.

[@12vLife]

I'd like to build a different and quirky DIY tiny home (about 800sqf interior space) in rural central Florida using one these buildings. My 1/4 acre residential lot a 750sq feet minimum primary dwelling. I know there will be some challenges to pass Florida Building codes, in particular getting R-30 ceiling insulation. I know I need to get an engineer to build plans for me, I am wondering... I Think I can use really long bolt screws and floating 1x4 furring's to achieve about 8" of wall/ceiling gap. First wrapping and tape a reflective vapor barrier on the inside finished structure, then bolting on the floating 1x4 studs, stuffing in R30 Rockwool bat insulation and then screwing on 1/4 thick wood panel as my finished wall (no drywall). Any thoughts? and is this something that could pass Florida building codes in Zone 2?

[@MistressOnyaCox]

😅 can you color the foam or the fire paint if it's staying exposed? How to you prep it to be a house.

[@prostocker88]

Curious on what it would cost to do a 50x50x21 quonset house?

[@markkiser5120]

any prep on the metal because of oils from the factory?

[@OWK000]

I've considered the quonset hut, but insulation is an issue and the best solution I could find was hempcrete as metal buildings have condensation issues and hempcrete is especially good at mitigating that and also having anti-mildew qualities. They have only just started growing hemp commercially in the U.S.A., so it is still imported and very expensive. CBD sensimilla crops have started happening which can be doubled for fiber/hurd content depending how they are harvested. Seed/fiber Hemp crops are incompatible with sensimilla crops, but it would be nice to have those too. Hope hemp growing picks up and hempcrete gets cheaper in this country!

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

I’m not very up to date on hemp but I have seen some good things about it! Closed cell spray foam takes care of condensation as well.

[@TFTWood]

I am going to be doing something similar in Montana soon. it is for my shop - which I will be living in while the house is being built. Since I will be living in it with my family, would you recommend 4" (r-28'ish) or higher? The area of MT it will be is similar weather to Albany, NY (I lived there for a few years so it is a good reference for me). I have been trying to find something that says what R value I should shoot for, but I can't seem to find anything for quonsets, closed cell insulation, and in cold weather. --Thanks in advance

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Hi TFTWood, If this is going to be a shop in the long run, then 4" would be overkill in my opinion. You could very easily get by with 2" of closed cell foam. Even with living in the building while you build your house. Every year we use 2" to insulate a number of pole barns in our area that have heated slabs and the customers say they heat great and don't use very much fuel. Our area mean temperature is likely a few degrees colder than Albany. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching our video.

[@TFTWood]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation thanks for the help!!!

[@rusosure7]

2" of closed cell would be equivalent to R-38 of fiberglass, or even more, considering 1.25" of closed cell will stop all air penetration. Fiberglass is absolutely awful in that regard. That's why they make furnace filters from it...because air flows so easily. Closed cell polyurethane is the way to go for sure.

[@freddyk3997]

How does the foam hold up to the contraction of the steel during hot and cold temperatures. Is there any concern of delamination. Just a thought....

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

One we did is in Northern NY and it sees -20F in the winters and 90F in the summers with no delamination issues at all.

[@MrSprintcat]

2 inches so this must be R15? Do you spray in Vermont.? Thank you . Plus you have a new subscriber. I just looked on Google forget it it's 300 miles away thank you but I will continue to watch your videos

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Sorry for the late reply! Been busy this week haha. But yes, it’s r-14 which is all he needs for a shop setting. 300 miles would be a bit of a journey! Ha

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

And thanks for subscribing!

[@c50ge]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation I bet he would feed you and all the cold drinks you want!

[@markstewart3967]

I have been told that spray foam will release in big pieces in a couple years of the metal expansion and contraction throughout the seasons

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Hi Mark, I've had spray foam on my metal barn roof for over 9 years and this hasn't happened yet. We've never had a customer call back and tell us this has happened to them either and we've sprayed hundreds of jobs to metal substrates.

[@markstewart3967]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation well thanks very much I might use in my Quonset hut I am planning to mak a home out of it.

[@Grunt49]

Volume?

[@laxinthe303]

What did the 2" of closed cell cost the hut owner?

[@dominickdanna9906]

?

[@sciteceng2hedz358]

Great video! Several people have suggested insulating the outside, and I saw your positive response. So if you do this, do you cover it with something? Seems it would look terrible and not stand up to erosion from rain, wind etc.

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

If you decide to insulate the outside you would need to cover the foam with a protective barrier. If you don't, the UV rays from the sun will break down the foam. This is a very common method of roofing for commercial flat roof systems.

[@sciteceng2hedz358]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation oh interesting. Thank you!

[@soundzandwordzandimagez4323]

I think the question was covering the outside with sometthing BUT not necessarily spray foam. Maybe it's covering the outside with liquid rubber.... or asphaltt shingles or roll-on shingle material. I don't know if heat transfer still would happen

[@philipknight7180]

Did you need to prime the metal first? I hear the galvanized metal needs a primer.

[@kojakdurham]

It depends on the manufacturer and model of the quonset. Steelmaster now uses a product called galvalume plus to coat all of their steel. That makes their products paintable without priming, so it also takes spray foam with no necessary priming. I don't know about other manufacturers' offerings.

[@scottishpride032]

How much does it roughly cost to spray foam insulate a quanset, or the cost for the job you referred to here.

[@badhonky6473]

All depends on the size

[@dahur]

No answer usually means pretty expensive. My quonset hut looks to be about the same size as this, so I was wondering too.

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

There really isn't a set price. Too many variables in the equation. On this one we had to climb in small areas on the top and sides to get to half of of it because the customer had already framed a loft area into the building.

[@Grunt49]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation how much a square foot?

[@silverfox1906]

what about expansion and contraction? will the spray foam start to crack and fall off over time or does the product have enough flexibility to prevent these issues 🤔

[@jimji2774]

Hey Kyle and Son: Have you ever considered a 2 step spray where you fill the deep troughs first and then come back and go over the whole surface in order to get rid of at least most if not all of the depth of those troughs ? This would be for a house design where the idea would be to eliminate the look of those troughs inside. Could you do a cheaper soft foam spray first and then come back with the close cell stuff to save money ? I know you would use quite a bit of foam but just wondering if that would work and if anyone has done it before ? Thanks

[@rusosure7]

I'm considering that myself. Open Cell would be a lot cheaper for the valleys and once flush, you could spray the more expensive Closed Cell foam. Another option would be the "K-Span" type panels that are completely flat on the inside with the tall ridge on the outside. Then you could spray closed cell and never know there were panels.

[@dethmaul]

@@rusosure7 From my ameature research, I'd say open cell to smooth over the gaps is a bad idea. Open cell absorbs water, so it should allow the inside to condense. Then mold all over. It appears that closed cell should be touching every exterior metal surface.

[@Haleysaunders]

What would the r value be for only 2" of spray foam?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Two inches of closed cell foam is around R-14 depending on the brand of foam that's being used.

[@rogerwhiting9310]

I watched a spray foam video where they didnt spray it thick enough to prevent heat transfer and EXTREME condensation. With metal exterior and cold climate...how thick closed foam do you need to prevent the condensation?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Hi Roger, we recommend going with 2” of closed cell foam in climate zone 5 to prevent condensation issues.

[@mayamachine]

Is that foam toxic? Dose it off gas? Will carpenter ants eat it like other foams?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

It’s not toxic. It cures for 24 hours then it is inert. I know everyone likes to focus on the horror stories online. Typically those are done by uncertified installers. We’ve been doing this for 10 year just about and we have been to several trainings and bought the right equipment to keep us on ratio all the time. We have seen carpenter ants eat it. If you have an ant problem, it’s time to call an exterminator.

[@lensperspective9753]

Could you use hempcrete to insulate?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Not sure, we don't use hempcrete for anything.

[@mike-pm6xn]

volume

[@shanec.7105]

what is the cost of such endeavor? spray foam?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

It really depends on each specific building. The rib depths on them vary considerably. Contact a local reputable spray foam contractor for a sight visit and an estimate.

[@-sz8gi]

Can you just insulate the outside completely???

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

That is an option. If you were to have the outside foamed, then the foam would need to be covered with an acrylic or silicone paint to protect it from the suns UV rays.

[@hueowen2786]

How many years does foam insulation last?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Exposure to sunlight is the only thing that breaks down the foam. As long as i's not exposed to sun it will last indefinately.

[@hueowen2786]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation Thanks for the reply and I hate to be the annoying person who keeps asking the same question, but just to be clear, when you say exposure to sunlight, are you referring to direct exposure with nothing between the insulation and the sun or would you consider the heat generated by indirect sunlight as exposure to sunlight?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

@@hueowen2786 no problem, the metal is a barrier to direct sunlight. It’s the UV rays from sunlight that causes damage to the foam.

[@DR-zj4od]

Get a better microphone so we can hear you?

[@kerbypeterson570]

Terrible audio…..

[@barryon8706]

Here's a weird on, and you may not have an answer: how would you insulate the outside of a quonset hut?

[@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation]

Hi Barry, you could actually spray the roof from the outside and put a protective silicone or acrylic paint on the foam to protect it from the sun's UV rays. Many flat commercial roofs are done this way.

[@barryon8706]

@@KyleSonSprayFoamInsulation Thanks! I was thinking keeping the metal shell the same temperature as the air it is exposed to might eliminate condensation as an issue.If we need a metal outbuilding, I might try that approach.

[@sciteceng2hedz358]

Hi did you insulate your quonset hut on the Outside? How did you do it, if so?

[@PickingBluegrassMusic]

Speak up

[@nanofree01]

This is far from the best way.... The best way to insulate any building must be by exterior, specially talking abt metal cover. But the basics rules have been totally missed for years . New operators have wrong teachers and just dont know the basics. Poor world...