Shop ceiling - Victim of my own cheapness

Reddinr

Reddinr

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So years ago I got a great deal on a bunch 2x4 T8 troffer lights and a truck load of drop ceiling tiles and grid material. They were free via a trade and in mostly new condition. So I got to work hanging a drop ceiling in my shop. It turned out great. I recently upgraded to LEDs in them as the T8's were getting old and dim. The lighting in the shop is just outstanding. The shop is 30x36' with ceiling at 9'. The upstairs is a loft space I use for storage. The roof is a 12/12 pitch so there is good space up there.

Now the problem to solve. I was too cheap and hated fiberglas too much to do the insulation in the ceiling first. Yes. Enjoy my stupidity.
So now I'm lucky to have this really great looking (except for the disorganization), well lit shop space that I can't heat very well. The heat goes up through the drop ceiling into the loft space like the ceiling wasn't there. I have a shop stuffed full of machines, tools, materials, various ongoing projects and junk. What ever I do I'll have all that to work around/protect.

I'm thinking I need to fix this in 2021. I thought I would either;

Scrap the drop ceiling and drywall the ceiling. Probably frame the troffers because now I have $$ tied up in the LED retrofits and they do a great job lighting.
I would probably hire this out as ceiling drywall is for people younger than me. Benefit, I gain 8 inches in ceiling height. Probably the "best" approach. This sounds
expensive though and I would rather spend on tools.
or
Try to retrofit insulation and some sort of "flow barrier" over the drop ceiling. (The center 12' of 30' width of the ceiling is decked over in the loft). So only the edges, 9 Ft., are reachable from the top side. Does the paper on insulation provide enough of a flow barrier? Some other material in addition? There are all those grid hanging wires to work around of course. This seems like it would be cheaper but a royal pita. Not sure how well it would work either.
or
Other?

What would you do?
 
cheapest would be fiberglass with a vapor barrier
 
A flow barier for a drop ceiling would be difficult at best due to the hangers. A foil backed insulation woulsd be better than paper. Better resistance to air flow and a radiant heat barrier. Regardless of what you put up though, you will have air leaks at the edges of the tiles. If it were me, I would opt for drywall with insulation and a vapor barrier above. Rent a panel lift for the job and it isn't too bad even for a single person. I did my last ceiling in my sixties.
 
You could blow insulation into the area between the ceiling and the roof.

Yes, I know its not as good as if it was done right !
But it is going to be better than nothing.
 
RJ - You're probably right but gawd I hate drywalling. Three houses, retrofits, a shop... I promised myself never again. But that was a few years ago. Maybe the back pain, dust and mess wasn't as bad as I remember!

I have seen foil barrier on foam, 3mm or 5mm. Possibly I could run that across the joists and put batts on top. It comes in 2' width. I could snake it between the hangers, notch, overlap, tape etc. The 4 Ft. length of the tiles runs across the joists so it might work ok. That's about 600 feet of taping.
 
You didn't say, if in the attic, there was insulation at all between the rafters.--if not then that would be the easiest place to use the insulation rolls with the backing stapled to the rafters--you could use styrofoam sheets instead. then by using a fan you could circulate the heat that had risen in the upper attic back down to your shop. I know how hard it is to correct a problem after you have a shop full of machines and supplies, but if your storage area in attic isn't packed full then it may be the place to trap and redistribute the heat. my problem is the previous owner had used unbacked fiberglass rolls or loose fiberglass stuffed in and then stapled up plastic to cover it. trouble is the squirrells got in and tore the plastic and fiberglass down to make a big mess---now I have to deal with that problem in a confined space.
Dave
 
No insulation between the rafters. The roof is a pre-made truss type with a "room" cut-out in the middle. It is stuffed with left overs from old work projects etc. Will need to consider that way to go too. It would be much easier although I would need to do some crawling between each truss at the eves. It wouldn't be half bad to have heat up there too.
 
Reddinr said:
RJ - You're probably right but gawd I hate drywalling. Three houses, retrofits, a shop... I promised myself never again. But that was a few years ago. Maybe the back pain, dust and mess wasn't as bad as I remember!

I have seen foil barrier on foam, 3mm or 5mm. Possibly I could run that across the joists and put batts on top. It comes in 2' width. I could snake it between the hangers, notch, overlap, tape etc. The 4 Ft. length of the tiles runs across the joists so it might work ok. That's about 600 feet of taping.
Click to expand...
For a shop, your drywall finishing only has to be a s good as your sensibilities allow. In my experience, it is the taping and mudding that is the most onerous. I tend to be OCD that way and want every joint to be perfect. I don't cover up less than perfect with texture. But for a shop ceiling, it shouldn't be too bad. With a proper vapor barrier above, you wouldn't even have to mud and tape to get the effect you want.
 
Is the access to the loft inside (stairway) or from the outside?
Is the loft well ventilated (both inlets and outlets)?

Drop ceilings and built in lights are nearly impossible to put a vaper barrier on. The good news is, unless there is water (sink, toilet) in the shop and if you only use it less than 8 hours per day and mostly one person, the need for a perfect vapor barrier is much less than in a house with multiple people 24 hours per day, many water sources and cooking.

Aaron
 
The loft has an inside enclosed stairway with a door at the bottom. The roof has continuous soffit vents and a continuous vent at the peak so it is well vented. If I insulated the rafters I would need to put in the "top hat" spacers I think so that the flow continues.
 
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