Kiln Shed Build - Paige

[Paige 141]

Hi fellow potter's! 

I am in the UK and wondered whether anyone has built a pottery using a flatpack tin/metal framed shed? 

 

I'm excited to get constructing the interior, a system for drainage, shelving ect. 

But right now I need help keeping condensation down - so I need insulation tips please! 

[Mark C.]

I think many of us on the other side of Pond do not know what a flatpack is.

There has been much written on tin sheds for kilns already  -go to main page and search for that subject.

[Bill Kielb]

On 9/18/2021 at 3:33 PM, Paige 141 said:

But right now I need help keeping condensation down - so I need insulation tips please! 

Sorry, saw this and forgot. Condensation …… so the thing to know is when warm moist air hits something cooler than the dew point temperature it condenses on the cool surface. Sort of like condensation on a cold glass on a hot humid summer day. So for a tin shed where the steel cools more quickly  than the air,  generally the inside surface is insulated to keep it from getting cool enough (dew point temperature) and a vapor barrier is installed in front of the insulation.  The vapor barrier is intended to ensure no water vapor can creep through the insulation and condense on the cold steel behind it.

Many types of  rigid insulation can be their own vapor barrier as well usually requiring taped seems.  Anyway, the basics are vapor barrier  always warm side, insulation, then the cold surface.

Hope that helps.

[oldlady]

paige, i think there are  big company stores here in the US selling the kind of shed you are looking at.   they sell a number of styles and sizes, the largest about 8x10 feet.       they are packed in a cardboard box that is only 8 to 10 inches high and are about 7 by 4 feet wide.  so that is what the flatpack means.    instructions for screwing the walls and roof together are packed with it.  a floor can be added but does not always come with it.  the interior height is very low, i have looked at them and the peak of the roof is only about 6 feet high. they are not insulated and i do not know how insulation can be added unless it is the kind that is sprayed on.  the steel eventually rusts .   aluminum would be better.

there are already made  aluminum  sheds sold here as well.  i use one as a studio in florida.  they are delivered by truck and placed by a machine called a mule.  or dropped off the truck on  your already poured and ready concrete foundation.  many are very large and used as garages if equipped with a big door.  this assumes you have the room for that kind of delivery.  they are built on wooden studs as well as metal.   

look at my profile, find albums and see what can be done with one of the ready made aluminum ones.  i have insulated it with rolled fiberglass and covered that with plywood.  there are vents allowing air to flow in and out.  i have not noticed condensation but i am not there in the heat of summer.

good luck finding just the right thing.

 

[Mark C.]

After googling  flatpack my guess is the shed is modular construction and insulation is whatever is popular in the UK? more details will be needed for us to respond well.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

@oldlady yes, flat pack is like IKEA furniture: comes in pieces in the (flat) box so you can transport it more easily, and you put it together at home.

I have the Canadian version of a flat pack garden shed that is fine for housing my kiln, but it’s not something I want to spend a lot of time in if the weather outside it isn’t basically room temperature. If the UK ones are nicer, and that would NOT be hard, that could be different.  @Paige 141if you’ve got a model you’re browsing, can you post a link? Let’s have a look!