Ceiling tile for my shop

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rudd
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by rudd »

Couple of comments:
Foam insulation is almost always a flammable plastic. The codes have a whole chapter on plastics (IBC Chapter 27 iirc). This chapter is almost completely about fire prevention. Unless it is a special case where the foam has been manufactured to resist burning, the stuff will flash over in a heartbeat. Not something I'd want exposed in my shop.
OSB: I used OSB and batts in my shop, walls and ceilings because then I could attach lighter items like lights etc directly to the OSB. Yes, OSB is combustible, but nothing like foamed plastics. With OSB you might not need the furring strips. If you do go with OSB, paint it *before* you hang it. It is hard to paint and get full coverage. We did that on the ground and then hung it.
A friend designed a radio repair shop for the local Air National Guard. On one wall, he used sanded OSB (no painted labels) and then coated it with polyurethane. It looks great.
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Very interesting discussion. So far, nine ways to skin this cat. I think the trusses are 24” centers, but haven’t gone up there to measure.

For $250 plus materials I’d do it in a heartbeat. But around Seattle, it’s just not in the cards. At least thru the summer, you couldn’t even get most construction guys to answer the phone, let alone come out to do a job. It’s been that busy, plus the construction bust since ‘08 wiped a lot of experienced people out of the industry - the contractors say there isnt the trained workforce out there anymore.

Harold, didn’t mean to imply hanging rock couldn’t be done, only that I didn’t want to take it on due to old back problems and difficulty working overhead. Plus three passes with taping the overhead joints and mudding is really an unattractive proposition. Iam whining, I know.

Toughen up and git to work! OK, nothing to it! :D


Glenn
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liveaboard
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by liveaboard »

No need to tape, fill, and paint a workshop ceiling.

I'd think about adding a beam or two hanging below for a sliding hoist. Not tonnage, but some hundreds of pounds could be supported easily.

I find it hard to work on the workshop, I always find myself wondering if the workshop work / expense will be too high in proportion to the work done within the shop when it's done [as an amateur].

But workshop work when done provides a warm happy satisfaction that let's you know it was the right thing to do, regardless of whether it was a logical choice or not.
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seal killer
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by seal killer »

rudd—

My foam doesn’t burn. That is what I was told. I didn’t believe it until I tried to burn a piece of scrap.

However, I intend to foam the garage myself. I’ll make sure the material I buy is non-flammable or I won’t use it.

Thank you for the information.

—Bill
You are what you write.
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Harold_V
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by Harold_V »

liveaboard wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 8:03 am No need to tape, fill, and paint a workshop ceiling.
Here, in the US, that's not exactly true, especially if one has insurance. Code requires that drywall be taped, although finishing is optional. It's all a part of fire prevention. Further, there's special board, 5/8" thick firecode, that is reinforced with glass fiber, to prolong the time it takes for board to fail in a fire. Ignoring each of them could create issues with an insurance company in times of a catastrophe.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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Harold_V
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by Harold_V »

seal killer wrote: Sun Nov 18, 2018 10:03 am rudd—

My foam doesn’t burn. That is what I was told. I didn’t believe it until I tried to burn a piece of scrap.
I used a leave-in-place foam product for building both my shop and my house. It was sold under two different names, one being Rastra, the other Ener-Grid. It, too, is reputed to not burn. Strangely, it's made of common polystyrene bead. It doesn't burn because it is made from recycled foam board, which has been chipped, then bonded with common Portland Cement.

When a torch is applied, the exposed beads melt/burn instantly, but the resulting layer of cement is slow to degrade, and does not support flame.

A dropped a lit propane torch while I was on scaffolding, working on the shop. As luck would have it, it landed, still burning, with the flame playing on the block. By the time I got off the scaffolding, enough time had elapsed to burn the surface, as described. There was no fire.

The 10" thick block has an average R value of 26. I say average because it has cells that are concrete filled, while the area between cells, the node, is foam. The cells contain rebar, both vertically and horizontally, on 15" centers.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
John Hasler
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by John Hasler »

One caution about "fireproof" plastics. Some of them emit really ugly fumes when exposed to fire. This is not necessarily a reason not to use them, but it is a consideration.
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liveaboard
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by liveaboard »

And some turn out to be not so fireproof.
I suppose you all read about the apartment building in the UK, clad with a fireproof [not] plastic.
A neighbor od mine had his place burn down when 'fireproof' bubble insulation in the wall cavities took the fire through the house.

Just saying.

I like hoses and fire extinguishers, with which I put out a few.
It was all quite exciting, but I don't want to do it again.

Put fires out with my boots.
With my tractor
With a pair of vice grips [an acetylene hose, yikes!]
With a leafy branch ripped from a bush.
With a fiberglass blanket on a stick.

Of course, I lit all those fires too. Except the acetylene hose.
earlgo
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by earlgo »

Powdery snow indicates the heat loss thru an attic with no insulation.
heat loss
heat loss
:roll:
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
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neanderman
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by neanderman »

Seeing the pictures, I see a couple of options:
  • Put R-19, fiberglass batts, with a vapor barrier, against the roof slopes. Not an ideal rating, but ANYTHING is better than what you have now. You can get batts that will fill 24" spans.
    • You could than add R-19 batts, WITHOUT a vapor barrier, in between the 'ceiling' joists. This will give you at least an R-38 rating -- much better.
I'm not sure if the 'ceiling' would need to be covered for code purposes, but, if so, perhaps there is a hanging ceiling solution that would comply.
Ed

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spro
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by spro »

This is serious business. Set it and forget it. NO.
earlgo
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Re: Ceiling tile for my shop

Post by earlgo »

Re: the picture. I forgot to mention that is the unheated garage as evidenced by the wide door top. It is where my tools are. The house has 18" of attic insulation. I posted the pic because it illustrates the temp difference between cold surfaces, (the overhang) and warmer surfaces, (the middle). It is just a neat picture, and as soon as it warmed up a mite, all the snow melted.
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
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