Radiant Barrier Inside of Coop

[21hens-incharge]

Note if you do paint it, you will lose the radiant barrier component and it would just be OSB (basically). Probably a bit more moisture resistant.

Good to know.

 

[Airyaman]

Good to know.

Seems it can work both ways. It is not as effective as insulation in providing a thermal barrier, but it functions to reflect heat on either side (from roof in summer, interior space if there is a heat source [chickens] in the winter)

Heat wants to move to cold. It's how HVAC cooling works. So the radiant area reflects heat instead of blocking it.

If you cover it up or paint it, it is rendering ineffective. It needs air on one side to work, and in this case, that's the interior of the coop.

 

[25Chickmom]

Have you tried asking the person or company you bought the coop from? If they are in the habit of building chicken coops this way, they may already have the answer.

Failing that, here are my thoughts:

Is that just a thin layer of foil on something solid? Or does it have some kind of foam or fluffy insulation behind it?

If it is just a thin foil layer on a solid surface, it would probably be fine to cover it with plywood as long as you put the plywood tightly against it (no space for the "mouse hotel" @nuthatched warned about.)

If there is a layer of fluffy insulation or foam, I think it would be a problem to cover it (mouse hotel) and a problem to leave it (chickens pick it apart), and a nuisance to remove it. I can't say which of those would be worst and which would be the least problematic.

I would not expect paint to stick to it, but you could try and see what happens. Paint will not protect it very much, but could make it less shiny, and thus less interesting to the chickens.

When I try to look up whether you can paint it, I find that you are not "supposed" to paint it because then it doesn't work right. You aren't supposed to put anything tightly against it either. But if the options are to do one of those things or rip it out, you aren't getting any real benefit from it in either case, so you might as well go with whichever is easiest for you.

And again, you might try asking whoever built the coop, before you make any firm decisions. Hopefully they know more about the product and its use in chicken coops.

Thank you so much for all of the detailed information! There is no fluffy layer. It's just a thin silver foil sealed to the plywood. I did read where a metal paint might stick to it ok. I'll have to check in with the company who made it. Thank you!

 

[25Chickmom]

So we used this stuff under the tarp roof of our run, and it made a 10 degree difference in the heat of summer. But yes, I agree with the others that have said the chickens will peck it (and likely eat it). Maybe keep it on the ceiling if it's inaccessible.

I thought about covering it part the way up and leave it alone in ceiling so it will have benefit. It's good to know it did help!

 

[25Chickmom]

Seems it can work both ways. It is not as effective as insulation in providing a thermal barrier, but it functions to reflect heat on either side (from roof in summer, interior space if there is a heat source [chickens] in the winter)

Heat wants to move to cold. It's how HVAC cooling works. So the radiant area reflects heat instead of blocking it.

If you cover it up or paint it, it is rendering ineffective. It needs air on one side to work, and in this case, that's the interior of the coop.

I wondered if painting it would make it ineffective. I thought about just covering the bottom half and leave it alone higher up. Maybe it will still have somewhat of a benefit.

 

[25Chickmom]

Good to know.

That is good to know. I just wonder how the chickens will do with it.

 

[25Chickmom]

I looked closer at the product. It does appear to be factory applied to the OSB as @Airyaman said above.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TECHSHI...as-4-x-8-Roof-Sheathing-Panel-39960/202106242

I recall buying some siding that had a shiny silver side. I painted it with outdoor BEHR paint and 10 or so years later it's fine.

If that's what you have paint with primer will stick. I used 3 coats to get good coverage.

Thank you!

 

[25Chickmom]

Wondering if there is any ventilation in the coop since they went to the extreme of using a foamboard insulation.

I would remove it here in Colorado.

There is good ventilation actually. Two windows and also vents in the ceiling. It's like a thin layer of foil attached to the plywood. It's not foam board.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you!

I painted it because the silver side bugged me. I didn't want birds pecking at it.

If you don't need the radiant barrier aspect of it you can paint it.

 

[25Chickmom]

It's just a radiant barrier (the silver stuff) covering OSB sheathing. It provides no real insulation but it does reflect heat in the summer. Not sure if it would actually make the house cooler in the winter too, so if you care more about that, then it might not be a good option.

Thank you!