Potpotpotter Posted July 11 Report Share Posted July 11 Hello all! I live in Southern Ontario and am planning to buy a backyard shed to use as my pottery studio. It’s a wooden shed (2x4 with OSB, shingle roof, processed exterior panels - like a tuff shed or Home Depot shed) and we are insulating the floor. I'm going in with a local company who would build it for me. Would you suggest insulating the entire shed if I want to use it year-round? I really like the ‘shed’ look and do not wish to mask it with drywall or plywood/ panels which I would have to do after using Rockwool or any other insulation between studs. I mean I would do it if that’s really necessary but wanted to get an idea about how cold it would get, clay and glaze freezing etc. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted July 11 Report Share Posted July 11 Yes on the Rockwool but you should cover it with some panel material and where the kiln goes use cement board Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted July 11 Report Share Posted July 11 @Potpotpotter, I live in mid Pennsylvania, Blair county. I have a brick garage for my shop. No insulation whatsoever. This garage freezes in the Winter to the point that without running heat 24/7 I can not work in there. My clay freezes in there as do the glazes. If you are hoping to work in the Winter, I would insulate and heat. Otherwise take the Wintres off, I do! best, Pres Rae Reich, iffetorbay and Bill Kielb 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted July 11 Report Share Posted July 11 If you don’t insulate it you won’t be able to work in it year round. I found I could last until mid September in Calgary in a couple of uninsulated garage studios before it got too cold. Once the temperature drops below about 15 C at night, your water bucket feels frigid and so does the clay. The lowered temperatures will also cause some cone 6 glazes to form calcium boron crystals. Or lithium will also precipitate out, even if they don’t freeze. Rae Reich, iffetorbay, Pres and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted July 12 Report Share Posted July 12 Some of you stuff like wax should not be subbjected to freezing. I really do not like frozen clay as well Pres and Callie Beller Diesel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 13 Report Share Posted July 13 If you insulate it, you can heat it with a small space heater and easily keep it above freezing. I had a small insulated studio (120 sq ft) in the back of my uninsulated detached garage, and I could get it up to 80 degrees in there with a small space heater the size of a soccer ball. In the winter I would put the heater on low and it would keep it well above freezing when I wasn't in there. About 20 minutes before I wanted to work I would turn it up and heat up the space so it was comfortable. Pres and Kelly in AK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 You’ll be glad you insulated it. Depending on the square footage, it may take very little to keep it above freezing, a small space heater. Un-insulated will take a lot of energy to keep it above freezing, let alone warm. Water turning solid wreaks all kind of havoc and you will waste lots of time and energy just dealing with it. I’ve done both ways, poor insulation leads to spending too much time mitigating the cold and robs you of time you could be spending making work. Rustic is charming, but time is limited. Another thing worth doing is skirting it. That makes the space under the shed an insulated cushion, much better than just insulating the floor. Bill Kielb and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted July 14 Report Share Posted July 14 (edited) An observation based on designs in the northern US, IE - Green Bay, etc….. Just looking at where you might be located on the map, your local codes call for considerable insulation and fairly cold design winter conditions. Usually a larger percentage of loss through the roof for a given area, so I would not skimp on the insulation anywhere, especially the roof. So from a comfort standpoint reasonable thought and expectations. If the kiln will be in this space, it will very likely overheat the shed at times and of course removing all the fumes if one is to work in the space during a firing is something to consider, leading to under heating or require significant heating to offset the ventillation. So looking at your weather and local code requirements it could get very cold - I would suggest thoroughly defining how this will be used to the company that wants to build it. Uninsulated seems fairly unlikely on paper especially with any level of air infiltration to vent the kiln fumes. Waste heat from the kiln could potentially be used at times for heating but again, I think prudent to caution that this be well thought out in advance to meet your expectations. Doing this without significant insulation probably limits its use at reasonable indoor comfort temperatures. In the end this will likely need significant heating energy to keep it reasonable to work in year round. At least on paper it would seem so. An old region outdoor temperature design guide below Edited July 14 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Potpotpotter Posted July 15 Author Report Share Posted July 15 Thank you so much everyone. After reading all your comments I’ve decided to insulate it. This is going to be my main workspace so might as well make it proper. I will insulate the floor, walls and ceiling and use a small space heater to keep everything warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted July 15 Report Share Posted July 15 I still think this will be to cold due to its small size unless its super insulated-at least 2x6 walls Callie Beller Diesel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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