Hadn't been following this thread, but let me first say that BOTH ways of thinking are correct.
We live in a wetlands area and have some outbuildings with concrete floors. Can't tell you how many times I've gone out and the concrete is saturated with water! Also, the ground is soft and every time you take a step, you leave a wet footprint behind. So if the water table is high enough, not even concrete will prevent the upward wicking of moisture! Poly sheeting in the floor will definitely help, but avoid having rock with sharp edges as it will puncture the sheeting over time and you'll be almost back where you started, except that the now-leaking poly will retard the flow of moisture in BOTH directions! If you have rain/snow that gets inside, it will then have a more difficult time draining into the soil with the poly barrier there.
The advice about condensation on the ceiling is also spot-on. I had set up a small, portable building one winter to keep the truck parked in. I figured it would save be having to brush the snow off every time. Well, that part was correct, but there was another problem instead. As the temp inside the building was warmer than outside air temperature, melting snow and ground moisture would evaporate, then condense on the uninsulated ceiling of the tarp-like fabric. It would continually build up, then rain down on the truck. Ended up spending a lot of time chipping/scraping ice away!! Needless to say, I started parking outside after that, just like usual. Sure was glad I didn't have any open tools left in that place!
Ventilation is probably going to be the key element here. If your building is ventilated, then the outside and inside temps should stay relatively close to each other. Yes, there WILL be times when the outside temps cool down so quickly that condensation will still form, but the more the building can breath, the less you have to fear from water staying any longer than necessary.
You never mentioned how high your water table is or whether the pole barn is on high ground, so I'm going to guess that you fall into the majority, which is NOT like us with our extremely high water table. Ventilation will be the key to the overall health of the inside of the building and anything stored in it, but I also like the suggestion of insulating the ceiling of your pole barn!! Not just any insulation will work, though. If you use blown-in (cellulose) or batt (fiberglass) insulation, it's simply going to get wet and hold water, which will cause even more problems! Best thing would be to have a spray foam insulation company come and spray the ceiling. If you could afford it, would also help to spray the walls as well. If you do this, THEN adding poly in the floor will nearly stop any and all moisture problems you may have. The spray insulation will help prevent leaks, will STOP the condensation, will regulate the temperature moves in the building, and will make the building much stronger as it sorta glues the metal sheeting together. It will also make the building much quieter inside. It also adds value to the building if you should ever move or choose to convert the building into a workshop. Be sure to include ventilation, with the vents near the peaks of the building, or use a continuous ridge vent along the top.
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