Cement board Qs

How thick are the idiots, and what tools will they have?

:) A random assortment I guess. If the thing can withstand unarmed personal violence I tihnk that'll do for now.

NT

Cement board is quite fragile, certainly wouldn't keep anyone out. One tap with a hammer would break it.

I guess the cheapest strong thing might be corrugated iron. If that's not acceptable aesthetically then how about 18 mm stirling board or shuttering ply. Sufficient paint/varnish will make that weatherproof.

bugger

Corrie doesn't look accceptable. Wood boards are vulnerable to fire & easy to cut, and rot. I'm somewhat tempted to look at OSB3 + intumescent paint + scrap timber reinforcement, cant really thnik of anything better at the moment.

thanks, NT

Build the shell from corrugated iron sheets for security and line on the outside with wood.

What about these ecosheets?

They are intended for projects such as building pig arks so they should put up with a lot of misuse.

Nick

If I went with OSB3 + intumescent paint + scrap timber reinforcement, what sort of life could be expected from osb? And what to roof it with? If I end up with OSB shipping crates, are they OSB3?

NT

They look interesting, with the obvious advantage over cement board that the corners could be screwed. Hope they make it into the mainstream market. Quite fancy them for plant troughs etc

About 20-odd years ago I covered a water butt with ½" OSB from window shuttering. It's horizontal, in the shade for most of the year and, of course, always wet underneath. It's a little spongy but still sound. As vertical cladding, especially if the top edge is protected, it should last for decades.

Compressed cement sheeting is very tough (Used for wet area flooring etc) can be got in varying thickness.

In message , stuart noble writes

Google Stokbord.

Just checking - do they need to be (trans)portable or will they be built in situ and stay there long term?

There is also a suggestion that you want it to be fire resistant.

Steel (as used in cargo containers) seems to meet your requirements apart from 'cheap'.

Oh, and of your 4*4*6 which is the vertical measurement?

Oh, and what kind of access do you require (hatch, door, lid off etc.).

Oh, and what sort of base are you planning to put these on?

Cheers

Dave R

Interesting as a cheaper version of stockboard, but ouch prices. A definite possibility - though currently I'm chasing relatively cheap used OSB sheet. If it is indeed OSB3 I reckon I'll go for those. Cheers.

NT

Either will do. Transportable would be a plus, but I think unworkable. Weights of designs looked at so far come in at anything from 50kg to 200kg. Cost is more important.

Cheap is critical in this case.

the front will be one large door

anything & everything. They'll have their own floor & fixing holes, and feet to keep them off wet surfaces.

My eyes are very much on used OSB at the moment, probably with intumescent paint.

NT

Cheers, but this (from a farming forum) is a little worrying.... ===================================================================== Expands by 2.5mm every m for every 10 degree temperature change. So a 20 degree change, it will expand by 12.5mm along the 8ft side and 6.25mm along the 4ft side. It has the power to sheer tek screws too....

Now you know why your plastic gutter has expansion provision:-)

These things are going to be incredibly ugly. What sort of use do you envisage?

Probably too big for your purpose but I have done several construction jobs using Crittal grain bin sheets.

Galvanised steel, 'kin heavy; just about one man portable.

Usually fetch around £10/sheet second hand. The smallest I have used makes an 8' x 8' bin including the corner pieces.

The top of the grain bins uses flat galvanised steel sheet with a folded edge for stiffness. Around 8' x 3'. I have some of those festering on a pallet under a log pile. You might be able to halve them and fold up a fresh join or use L angle.