Metal Building & Barn Insulation in Tallahassee, FL

Metal building and barn insulation turns an oven of a steel building into a usable shop, storage space or workspace. Around Tallahassee, steel shops, carports and barns show up behind suburban houses, on farms in Gadsden and Jefferson counties and on rural lots into south Georgia. The signs you need it: the roof drips on cool mornings, tools and equipment rust, the inside is hotter than outside on summer afternoons, or a window AC cannot keep up.

Why steel sweats

Steel passes heat quickly. On a clear night the roof cools down, sometimes below the dew point of the humid air inside, and water condenses on the underside of the panels and drips. Wikipedia's climate table puts Tallahassee's average July humidity around 80%, so there is a lot of moisture in that air. In the afternoon the reverse happens: a sunny steel roof radiates heat into the building.

Closed-cell spray foam sprayed directly on the steel solves both. It insulates at R-5 to R-7 per inch (HomeGuide), and because it bonds to the metal and blocks vapor, warm, moist air never touches the cold steel. It also seals the gaps at laps, eaves and wall-to-roof joints that let humid air and insects in.

Pole barns and wood-frame farm buildings

Wood pole barns and older tobacco and equipment barns in Gadsden County have their own issues: gaps everywhere, rafters exposed and often a roof that leaks in places. We check the roof first. Foam can go on the underside of metal roofing over wood purlins, on wall sheathing between posts, or only on the part of the barn you want to use as a shop or tack room. Partial jobs are common and often make the most sense.

Garages and workshops

An attached or detached garage used as a workshop or gym can be insulated in the walls and roofline the same way. If the garage shares a wall or ceiling with the house, sealing that boundary also keeps exhaust fumes and heat out of the rooms beside and above it.

Coatings and fire protection

Spray foam in many buildings needs a thermal or ignition barrier coating over it depending on how the space is used. We tell you what applies to your building and include it in the quote when needed. For farm buildings used only for agriculture, rules can differ from those for a shop that people work in every day, so check with the county building department if you are converting the use.

What we need to know

The building's size and height, whether the steel has existing insulation (often a thin faced blanket that may need removal), how you plan to cool or ventilate the space, and what is stored inside. Get a free estimate