Well I finally pulled my finger out and had a custom steel bike garage fabricated to my needs. I am just doing the finishing touches and then the bike can finally move in. I am looking to furnish it with a thick rubber mat floor, around an inch thick, any ideas? Its 2200mm long and approx 1500mm wide. Its sat on 1/4" thick rubber strips on concrete around the outside edges to keep it off the floor even though the frame has been powder coated and I want the bike off the concrete floor internally. I don't really want a wooden floor.
Stay away from a steel shed. They are terrible for condensation. Anything metal I have in mine rusts like hell.
You bought a metal shed..? O.M.F.G:Nailbiting: Or... Good luck to you mate, just allow a bit of ventilation through the shed to keep condensation at bay. You don't need a force 10 gale blowing through it, just a way for air to enter one end and leave the other end - and I'm betting the shed already has that. Just stick the bike in it and enjoy the security. If you stick the bike in there after a wet ride, and it stays wet rather than drying out, you need a bit of ventilation. Don't worry, it's not an issue. Stick a hot motorbike in a tin shed and it will sweat - have a cuppa before putting the bike away, give it a chance to cool down a bit. If you're still getting condensation issues, make sure all/any vents are open, and think about making those vents slightly bigger if you still have condensation problems. It's all about moving air, and you don't need to move much air to solve the problem.
It isn't well ventilated enough. By that I mean you don't have air passing through it. It might be draughty as fuck at the front, but if the air isn't moving at the back you'll get rot.
Trust me, there are plenty of places for air to pass through front to back and side to side lol. But tbh its a concrete garage with a steel roof, and its the roof not the garage that gets covered in condensation and creates the dampness. Stuff which is covered is ok
I wonder if you insulate the roof internally by glueing 'Celtex' or similar, it might reduce or stop the condensation.
Celetex is so light and easy to use, you could cut some panels and easily stick them into place using contact adhesive. Something like 25-30 mm thick would probably suffice. Have a word with any builder mates for best prices.
I have a steel roof on my garage. It caused terrible condensation and at times it was like being in a rain forest with all the water dripping down beams and through light fittings. The only way I sorted it was with a spray insulation like this Froth-Pak 600 Spray Foam Kit It's a 6m by 6m garage so I needed lots but I'm sure you could get smaller quantities for much less dosh! It's expensive but it sorted the problem immediately. No more drips and a dry garage.
Thanks guys. I am going to see how it goes first but have plans if it suffers badly from condensation. I can fit a solar powered fan, internal polystyrene roof tiles and if thats not good enough, line it internally. Either way, its got to be better than struggling to get it in and out of my back door which has a 3" step!
If you insulate the underside of the roof, it would be advisable to include a vapour barrier on the underside of the insulation which covers it from eaves to ridge and wall to wall. Possibly not necessary if you use a closed cell insulation slab like celotex or jablite..........just seal the joints between the slabs. If you don't have a vapour barrier the moisture collect between the insulation and the tin roof. What sort of floor have you got? If it is plain slab of concrete, did you lay a damp proof membrane under it? If not moisture will come through the floor and condensate..........so paint the floor with something suitable although I expect it will keep lifting and need redoing every so often.
Its sat on concrete Al with 1/4 rubber strips insulating it from the floor. I am looking at putting a 1" thick equine rot/piss proof rubber matt down. If the condensation is as bad as some fear, the bike will simply live in the house again during the winter months. I will see how it goes over the next few months and make changes accordingly. I will be surprised if it suffers badly from condensation to be honest. Its a matter of suck it and see now.
This is what you need. We use it to line plenum chambers on air conditioning systems to prevent condensation. Works a treat. Doesn't say if it's self adhesive, but it usually is. Cut to size, peel the backing off and stick.
Hi, I have been looking to do something similar for my bike & whilst searching the internet on building permissions, I came across this site that was very helpful. Hope info is helpful for you too. Planning and Design | Oak Framed Garages
