The house that I purchased this year includes a garden shed, built in 1984, and the interior of it was never finished. It has 2×4 wall studs on 24″ centers. I am finishing it out, however, the only wall insulation batting I can find for 24″ centers is R-19,…meant to be used with 2×6 studs and which is THICK for 2×4 wall studs.
My question is: I’ll have to compress it down a bit when I put up the sheetrock walls. I’m using 5/8″ fireproof sheetrock, for the extra strength. Will it hold? Or, will the insulation cause it to bulge or pop out screws?
As you probably know, the R-value is based on how well the insulation captures and repels heat. If you compress the insulation, it’ll have a much lower R-value. Adding a 2×2 to your existing stud on the interior wall side would be a good move for your R value, but you’ll lose square footage. Finally, if you use compressed insulation, which is an option, but more expensive, you’ll keep the R value and won’t lose square footage.
To answer your question, though, if you use a 6-inch screw pattern on each stud line and use 5/8 drywall with just dimpling the screw, you’ll be fine. It’s important to have a good mud tape and texture guy to hide any flaws.
Thanks for the question. Sorry for the delay in my response. I’ve been on vacation for the last few weeks, plus the holiday.
First, I want to talk about using 2x4s for a structure that are 24 inches on center. If your spacing is more than 16 inches, you should always use 2x6s. You might find it’s just as cheap to add extra 2x4s and fill the gaps, which would make your studs 16 inches on center. This would make the structure stronger and let you use R-13. Using an R-19 will compress the drywall and reduce the R-value. It’s not always true that more is better, especially when studs are so cheap. I think that would be your best option. You can order R-13 if you really want it, but it’ll cost you.
If you have any other questions, just let us know.