Pole Barn & Garage Insulation in Lansing, MI

Pole barn and garage insulation is a big part of our work outside Lansing, in the farm and acreage country of Clinton, Eaton, Ionia and Shiawassee counties. A steel-sided pole building gets cold fast and, on the first warm, humid day after a freeze, the inside of the steel can drip like it is raining. Closed-cell spray foam on the steel stops that by keeping warm, moist air off the cold metal.

Why closed cell for steel

Closed-cell foam bonds directly to steel panels and purlins, insulates at roughly R-6 or more per inch, and acts as an air and vapor barrier. It also adds rigidity and quiets rain noise on a metal roof. Fiberglass batts or blankets against steel tend to sag, trap moisture and attract mice. For buildings you plan to heat, foam on the walls and roof is the usual approach.

Attached garages

In attached garages, the main goals are keeping the house side warm and keeping fumes out. We seal and insulate the wall shared with the house and the ceiling under any bonus room above. If you heat the garage as a workshop, insulating the exterior walls and ceiling and air sealing the overhead door helps a heater keep up.

Detached shops and hobby buildings

For heated shops we insulate walls and roof, then talk about how the doors will be sealed. For cold-storage buildings where you just want to stop drip, a thinner coat on the roof can be enough. We set the thickness by how you use the building.

Codes and coverings

Buildings used as shops or garages may need foam covered with an ignition or thermal barrier, depending on use and the product. Michigan's construction code has its own rules for agricultural buildings. Check with your building department before you start, and we will tell you what the foam product requires.