Mary writes from New Boston, Michigan: "Need recommendations for insulating between an exterior steel (pole barn) wall and an interior cement block wall being planned to finish the interior. Radiant heating in cement floor in place."

Answer: The typical pole barn is not designed to be insulated. We can provide a couple of recommendations for insulating your pole barn but the recommendations are based on the assumption that the building will be conditioned and maintained like a typical home. If the building is not going to be maintained at a constant temperature with low relative humidity, you need to consult with a professional for information about insulating it for your special use.

Option A. Using Residential Batts: If you use standard residential batts, you will need to add framing and cover the insulation with a vapor retarder and whatever finish material the chose. If the insulation has a Kraft-paper facing, drywall is a recommended cover material.

Option B. Metal Building Insulation: A second option is metal building insulation, which is only available from a laminator or metal building contractor. Your pole barn supplier might have a list of contractors they use to insulate such buildings. Owens Corning manufactures six-foot-wide Metal Building Insulation, which is the widest insulation we make. However, metal building insulation is designed to be installed before the exterior metal is attached.

Always Note: The most important thing is that you have a sealed vapor retarder on the interior if the building is going to be heated. Kraft paper is probably not a sufficient vapor retarder in many pole barn applications in northern climates. If you do have to retrofit metal building insulation from the interior you will likely have to use some sort of mechanical fastener. This will likely be stick pins attached to the metal, then the insulation is be pushed over them and a cap put on the end to secure it.