This post shows how I started to insulate a shipping container using foam sheet.

I am working on my 40 foot shipping container so that I have a nice condensation free insulated room that I can both heat and cool. the first thing I did was frame in a wall about 10 feet from the back of the box.

Next I got out my diy hot wire cutter and made a rigged up fence so I could cut 4×8 sheets of 3/4 inch foam to 3.5 inches so they could fit in the roof corrugation.

Next I used construction adhesive to glue the foil side of the foam to the metal roof. I did this because some glue will melt the foam, also because I wanted the vapor barrier on the metal side.

My dad and I rigged strips of plywood to hold the ends of the foam as the glue set. It was a two man job, but one person can do it if they are organized.

After I ran out of glue, we built a t-post to hold a piece of plywood in the center of the foam strips so they should set without sagging.

Later I will show the video of the framing, as well as show how we finish the roof. for now, I am out of money for materials and glue and spray foam are expensive.

This might not be the right way to insulate a shipping container.  However, it is how I went about doing it. If you have a comment or a better way please share.

I still have 30 feet of this one, and 40 feet of my dad’s to insulate.

Spray Foam Would Have Been Easier

I still think spray foam is the best way to insulate a shipping container.  However, it costs a great deal to do it right.

I don’t even want to spend the money to even attempt a DIY solution.

This is why I like the foam as I can buy a sheet or two every check.  It may cost the same in the end, but it feels cheaper.

Using closed cell sheets is a decent alternative, and much better than any other ideas I can find online.

First we measured and saw that the depth of the corrugated channels in my roof were 3/4 inch deep (where not bent).

I bought some 4×8 sheets of 3/4 inch closed cell foam with a aluminum vapor barrier on one side.

In part one of how to insulate a shipping container, we cut and glued in the strips to level out the roof corrugations.

How We Insulated the Roof

The original slats were glued in using construction adhesive.  However, some fell because of the condensation and flexing.  Consequently, I did not want to rely on glue alone.

Side Wall For Support

What I did was build a wall along the back of the box that was 3/4 plus the width of a 2×4 (roughly 3.5 inches) from the top of the roof. This would allow a 2×4 joist and a sheet of foam to rest tightly against the wall.

I then cut joists that would span from the top of the wall in the back of the box to the divider wall we framed in earlier. I had to notch that 2×4 so it could sit against the stud wall and allow for the 3×4 inch sheet. (the video will show this)

Once the joists were cut we balanced them up on the walls. I put the two nearest the box sides close to where they were to rest.

Next, I spread the middle joints apart because the foam would have to bend toward the middle so I could wedge it up and around (Again, the end of the video will show this).

Once the joists were close to being in place, I spray foamed the gaps around my foam slats.  I also put construction adhesive on the large sheets of foam (first cut to size).  Neat we starting from the back and wedged them in place.

Once the first foam sheet was in place We rotated the 2×4 to lock the sheet up against the roof of the container.

The next sheet went in and was made to but up against the first and a temporary support was used to hold the two sheets up tightly against the roof without the support of any of the joists.

After the third and last sheet was placed, the 4 joists were nailed in place.

Now the foam sheets are held by glue, expanding spray foam, and 4 2×4 joist edged into place.

Next We Need to Insulate Side Walls

Now I have to frame the side walls.  Next I need to figure out how I am going to insulate the shipping container walls.  I am having problems because the sides are not as square as the roof.

I am not done, but you can get an idea about how I Insulate a Shipping Container.

I need an outhouse at the land if I am ever going to have workshops and classes. Additionally I have been wanting to find a cheap and durable roofing material. I have lots of plans for domes that defy traditional construction. To this end, I decided to build an outhouse and perform a Pantcrete Roof Experiment to kill two birds with one cheap stone. This is also called latex cement

I first learned about latex roofs while researching ferrocement. While I still like ferrocement as a building material, this particular technique is a little better suited to roofs. The Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Notre Dame University did an experiment on disposing of latex paint inside of cement to replace the water.

They found the compressive strength of the cement slightly increased at relatively low latex paint rates. I am not worried about strength, I am wanting the flexibility and slight waterproofing aspects the paint brings.

What I used to Make the Paintcrete Roof

For this experiment I actually used type s mortar and some 100 acrylic waste paint. I started with a quart of mis-mixed paint I got on sale, but quickly ran out and had to use some once frozen bathroom ceiling paint with a anti-mold additive. I didn’t mind using the old paint, except it was frozen and did not mix well. You can see some small balls of unmixed paint in the “semi” finished product.

I bought a few 8 and 10 foot 2×4’s and build a 4×4 frame and then a 5×4 foot frame. The ends of the 5×4 frame were beveled so that the ends were perpendicular to the ground as the actual frame was at a slight angle.

The slope is enough to shed water, but not so steep that I cannot come back and retrofit a green roof over the top if I still desire.

How I Put the Latex Cement on the Roof

I mixed the paint into the mortar and making a pretty high slump mix. For those with even less construction knowledge than me – it was soupier that normal. It could be poured – but it was not soupy.

I spread it over fiberglass window screen that was stapled tightly over the wooden frame. Next, I used 3 rolls of 36×84 fiberglass screen to ensure no area had only a single layer of screen.

I poured this mix on and spread it lightly with an old broom. I found that pouring it on, lightly brushing it down and pouring new mix over covered mesh and pulling down in batches worked better than trying to fill a section completely in one try. The older mix got into a few holes and held the next pour better.

After about 2/3 of an 80 pound bag and a gallon and a quart of paint completely filled the roof. The last few layers were much more soupy and served to coat the mortar mix already on the screen. It pretty much self leveled – with the bits of old balls of frozen latex making small bubbles that I imagine will cause problems later.

Remeber this is an experiment in feasibility and will be the roof of an outhouse. Perfection was not the object – to see how easy and cheap this can be while achieving some strength and basic waterproofing is what I am looking for.

In the event you want more information to try top do this Besides the book above, and the paper I linked to, below is a document from the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Latex Admixtures for Portland Cement Concrete and Mortar.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.tngun.com/wp-content/uploads/Latex-Admixtures-for-Portland-Cement-Concrete-and-Mortar.pdf” title=”Latex Admixtures for Portland Cement Concrete and Mortar”]

Underside of the Paintcrete Roof

In working with my concrete experiments, I figured I should show the latex cement underside of my outhouse roof. You can see the effects of mixing paints.  However, it does not seem to impact the strength of the roof.

None of the original latex cement dripped through the screen.  There were places where my staples and the bottom layers of window screen were not fully contained inside the cement.

It is my plan to make a thin mix of paint and cement (probably the PVA Primer because it is the cheapest and seems to be the best) and paint over the bottom. This will give a more finished look and hopefully will be one final bit of water proofing.

I am pretty happy with the project so far, I was planning on finishing the base this weekend, but the local habitat for humanity store was out of doors. I have all the wood I just need a door.

As a side note, I plan on trying out the forever floor concept found in backwoods home magazine as a cheap and durable floor covering.

 Update on the Latex Cement Roof

I wanted to give a . It has dried and is in good shape. While it can’t quite hold my weight, it does hold the kid’s weight well.

It is light enough that two people can easily place it on the outhouse structure.

Using thick mortar mix worked well. It did not drip through the screen like my wife expected it to. I did use a lot of mortar and a fair bit of paint. However, it was not so much as to be excessive or overly expensive.

I still need to build the outhouse frame.  However, I could not decide if I wanted to continue with the paintcrete theme for the walls. In the end I will probably go with  board and batten siding.  I have some logs, I just need to get out my sawmill and cut the siding

Right now, I am waiting to see how my paintcrete over bed sheets experiment works on my rabbit hutch before I decide how to finish the outhouse.

I am not in a hurry to finish the outhouse as local thieves have broken into my shipping container again. This time they took the time and energy to use a grinder rather than a bolt cutter. Since they did not break the lock to my gate, the only way I can see for them to bring in a truck to steal is by coming through my neighbors yard.

He just got back out of prison and hasn’t found a job. So I don’t know why he didn’t tell me someone was stealing small and easily sold items from my property…. I do know the lady that lives with him yelled at me for calling the police over the theft- which I think is odd.

With the outhouse roof coming out well, I decided to jump into a larger paintcrete project. I have wanted to get back into rabbit breeding.  Additionally, I have planned a paintcrete rabbit hutch for a few years, I just never go the gumption to actually do it.

This project is a little different than my outhouse. I am using better paint, less mortar mix, and sheets instead of window screen.

I already had the nails and the mortar mix, but the wood and paint cost me $53.00 at Lowe’s. The sheets were a few dollars at the good will, so this is a rather inexpensive project.

The biggest problem is my choice of wood. I used cheaper 2×3 lumber instead of 2z4 lumber, which caused a lot of splitting during nailing.

This has caused a lot of side to side movement, so I will need to buy more wood next paycheck.

In this project I was more consistent with my mix, and I made a much more liquid mix than I did with the outhouse.

I used a 24 ounce water bottle with the top cut off to measure the liquid and a large container of cottage cheese to measure the mortar.

Next, I used two scoops of mortar to a bottle of paint and a bottle of water. After fixing very well, I found I could easily paint this mix on the sheets.

It went on pretty easy, and when I was done, the inside of the sheet was very smoothly coated with the paintcrete mix. I actually found the inside rather attractive and finished looking – especially compared to the rough outer texture.

In the second video I show the completed hutch standing in place in my back yard.

The roof is mostly done and so is the back wall. The paintcrete rabbit hutch does need a few more coats of paintcrete to get sturdy, but the thick coats take a while to dry.

When I went to the store to get more miss-mixed paint they did not have any except some $25.00 premium paints. In looking for cheaper paint I found a $10.00 brand of PVA primer.

In doing some internet research, I found where contractors mix PVA sealer into cement to increase flexibility, reduce cracking, allow the cement to bond better, and yes to increase its ability to resist water penetration.

All of the things I am looking for. The particular paint I am using is sold as a drywall sealer, so I had no issue mixing it with mortar.

It sticks better than the other paints I have tried, costs the same as the mis-tinted paint I have been buying at a discount, and, being new paint, I can tint it. I choose a light brown color so it would look like adobe plaster because I have always been fond of that color.