Garage Shop Walls: Drywall or OSB? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

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Steve Canada

11-21-2006, 3:22 PM

What do you guys think? (24x26 unheated detached garage.)

OSB is about 3-4 bucks cheaper a board, but pretty ugly. I think I'd still have to paint both anyway.

Since I have 9' walls, I thought I could get a few sheets of aqua board cut to strips to run along the bottom for added moisture protection. (Previous owner who built garage never installed sill foam, so I sometimes, get a little water between the sill and the pad during heavy rain, although I plan to use a bead of caulking under the sill to help alleviate this.)

Lars Thomas

11-21-2006, 3:28 PM

I’d go with drywall and install a cleat around the perimeter for hanging stuff. Although it doesn’t matter in a detached residential garage, the drywall offers some degree of reduced fire-spread. Plue, I hate the look of OSB – even painted

paul aubin

11-21-2006, 4:29 PM

i have been having this same debate with myself for the last month. HD has OSB for $5.25 a sheet vs $9.85 for drywall plus i do not have to do any mudding and taping :) the one thing holding me back is i have 8'8" ceilings and would have to do some kinda base or seam at the top. one thought is to put 24" cabinets across the top for storage and not worry about the gap or seam. I know that painted osb does not look great but i can decorate it with tools, saw blades, jigs plans ect ...

/paul

Kurt Strandberg

11-21-2006, 4:32 PM

Most of the lumber yards around here have 4'X9' sheets of OSB,

So I would go with OSB

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/kurtsara/DSCN2933.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/kurtsara/DSCN2926.jpg

paul aubin

11-21-2006, 4:41 PM

i looked at the 9' sheets of OSB and Plywood a whole bunch more per sq/ft than the standard 8"
paul

John Gregory

11-21-2006, 4:43 PM

In my shop I used OSB, but it was the T&G flooring, about 3/4" thick and I painted it white. If you paint, use oil base primer on OSB, water base raises the grain which is ugly on OSB. I used the thicker OSB so I could hang light things without needing to find a stud. Anything heavy, I find a stud.

Tyler Howell

11-21-2006, 4:45 PM

It's a little pricie but how about both:eek: . OSB will give you strength and something to screw into while the drywall repairs and finishes up real well.
Just a thought.
That's what we did in one of the shops at work and it turned out real well.:cool:

Ted Baca

11-21-2006, 5:10 PM

What I did in my shop 9' cieling was used OSB on the walls and uses 12" lap siding against the floor. That siding can handle getting wet when I wash the floor. You can't hang anything that low. If you plan to paint the OSB try painting and priming (not in that order of course) befor you put it up. Reason easier to work with, less splinters, and easier than painting around outlets, windows. etc.
What I did in my garage was used the white melamine pegboard over most of the garage walls so i can hang stuff anywhere.
Just another suggestion to consider.

chris del

11-21-2006, 5:40 PM

The going rate for Drywall in Canada is $30-40 a sheet. (installed and primed) I used drywall in my shop, but if I was to do it again, I would use T&G pine at about 1.29/sq' its not far off the price of drywall, and looks 10 times nicer. Choosing between OSB and drywall, from a cosmetic, sound, and insulating properties (air infiltration) perspective I say drywall all the way.

Chris

Brad Townsend

11-21-2006, 6:06 PM

There is no question that OSB isn't as pretty as nicely finished drywall, but after all, it is a shop, not a family room. If you want to remove some of it to run a wire, it's simple and straightforward. You can pound stuff in it virtually anywhere and not worry about damage. The biggest downside to it is that unpainted, it is dark. Still, I chose it over drywall, and am happy for it. No right or wrong here, just personal preference.

Also, could you trench around the outside and run a drainage tile? The best way to deal with the water problem is to get it going somewhere else.

Benjimin Young

11-21-2006, 6:24 PM

I speant 15 years in commercial construction and did my share of flogging drywall sp perhaps I can finally give soming back to the group.

Drywall
- Will give you better fire protection by decreasing the exposed combustible surface.
- It will create a slightly better sound barrier than wood as it is denser.
- Can also be finsihed nicer if you want to put the work into taping
- Will be easier to paint, especially if you want a white color to increase light in the shop.
- Not friendly when mounting cabinets, hanging brackets, shelves, etc.

Wood
- Will not do much to protect the studs and joist from fire and will also support combustion in a fire
- Will be more durable
- More friendly for fastening cabinets, hanging brackets, shelves, etc
- Slightly more resistent to moisture

Moisture at wall plates
If it is leaking or wicking up from the ground I suggest attacking that before closing up the walls. I think you eluded to doing this. I like your idea of using aqua board or maybe even cement board for the first foot of wall and I would still stop this just short of the "wet" areas.

Do the ceiling first. Then, when you do the walls, start at the ceiling laying the sheets horizontally, two rows of 4ft plus the final 1ft piece at the bottom. A little more lifting this way but a lot easier to create nice corner joints at the ceiling, especially if you use drywall on the celing and wood on the walls.

What I did
I have a wood frame, 2x4 on one course of block, on a floating concreat slab, 16 x 32. This gives me a 9ft celing. The wall is hardboard siding, 5/8 sheeting, building paper, 2x4 studs, fiberglass insulation, 6 mil vapor barrier and 5/8 fire rated drywall. The extra drywall thickness was for additional fire separation as well as additional sound barrier as a coutesy to my neighbours. I later covered some wall sections in 1x2 straping and pegboard (not sure I would do that again). The ceiling is constructed from 10" joists, 16"OC, fiberglass insulation, vapor barrier and 5/8" FR drywall. I laid 5/8 sheeting on top of the joists for additional "attic" storage and insulated the trap door. There is no permanent heat, just portable heat, so the insulation makes a big difference in the Toronto winters. An aside - I built a small 6x8 ft room in the garage with a raised insulated floor and partition. This room is very well insulated and has a fixed baseboard 750 watt heater set at 50 degs. I call it my warm room and anything freezable gets stored there, no paint or chemicals come into the house.

Hope this helps.

Richard Niemiec

11-21-2006, 6:31 PM

In my shop I used osb on one 16 foot wall and never regretted it. I bought the cheapest white paint I could find and rolled on two coats, no primer. 6 years and it looks fine. I similarly did not want to tape drywall, etc., and it was cheaper. If asthetics are important, then drywall, but for me, its a shop.... not a family room. My 2 cents. rn

Dan Mages

11-21-2006, 6:53 PM

I would do drywall just for the fire resistance. You should also be able to find extra strong drywall in your area to help guard against damage.

Dan Drager

11-21-2006, 7:59 PM

I have paused to wonder after reading a few of these posts.....Are you guys working with open flame in your shops? I fail to see how the added fire resistance is of any consequence whatsoever. I have OSB covering ever wall in my shop with the electric running inside conduit outside the walls. Painted white it looks as good as it needs to and was far easier and cheaper to install than drywall.

GO OSB!

Bobby Tompkins

11-21-2006, 8:36 PM

Ben Grunow

11-21-2006, 8:58 PM

I vote against drywall in an unheated structure as weather conditions could cause condensation and really cause problems.

I would use osb horizontally for the first layer and CDX for the second layer with a strip of CDX to finish and paint the whole thing the same color. The osb will be mostly hidden by your stuff and you can save some $ plus get the ability to screw anything anywhere and not have soggy drywall later. You could fill any voids in the plywood with bondo or even joint compound if they bother you (before paint obviously).

Think of how much work there is in muding the joints and painting in place (you will have to paint the drywall as it will darken over time and look dirty) versus painting the plywood/osb on the ground and screwing it.

Joe Trotter

11-21-2006, 9:11 PM

I am using OSB. My reasoning was cost, strength to hang items, no taping, and it is lighter and easier for me to put up.

I agree it isnt the best looking. I did one section of my 10' ceiling myself, wasnt much fun. My wife helped me with the next section.

I did splurge and use some nice siding along the back wall. It was 20 dollars a sheet, ouch.

Joe

http://bigbikeriders.com/photopost/data/500/5629after.JPG

glenn bradley

11-21-2006, 10:03 PM

Looks vs. functionality vs. the budget . . . hmmmm. When I finally get around to re-doing my shop walls (the previous owners though one more nail or one more screw fixed everything, it looks like the valentine's day massacre in there) I will fill the holes, rough sand and paint glossy white. Once I "season" the surface with a light sprinkling of sawdust and cover most of it with clamp racks, jigs, sleds, etc. I think it'll look fine. Your's probably will too no matter whats under the paint.

Seth Poorman

11-22-2006, 12:22 AM

I've got a 20 x 40 with 10 foot ceilings and plan to use T-111 for the first 8 foot vertical and then a ply product (not sure yet) for the last two feet.

Yep it's more expensive but I saw a shop done that way in a book. Looked mighty sweet.

T-111 What the heck is this stuff ? Looks like Redwood or cedar??
I think this would look good in my shop..:) I have to be picking somthing to use.. Just cant deside:confused: But I do like the Idea of drywall fire retardent and light reflection

Steve Canada

11-22-2006, 1:47 AM

WOW!

Super thread. So many great ideas and viewpoints. Looks like I'm not the only one who's considered this question. I appreciate you responces.

keep em'coming.

Kristian Wild

11-22-2006, 2:03 AM

Hi Steve,

Well all of my suggestions have been more than covered by everyone else. Welcome to SMC too, I don't think I ever got a chance to say so before. BTW we use our real whole names here. Although if "Canada" is your last name I apologise for insinuating otherwise. Could you update your profile with where you're living? There's not too many of us Canucks on here and it's nice know where others are callin' home and who's nearby.

Kris

Jim Becker

11-22-2006, 9:30 AM

T-111 What the heck is this stuff ?

T1-11 is an exterior plywood product that is embossed/milled to look like vertical boards. 'Has a textured surface. I have it on the walls in half of my shop and it looks quite pleasant. My only regret was using the thin version, rather than the heavier sheathing stock.

Al Willits

11-22-2006, 9:43 AM

Not much more I can add, but after 30 years of working with metal, I found metal and sheet rock do not get along, doesn't take much of a hit to put a hole in sheet rock, I ended up with OSB and a couple of coats of on sale white paint, and although not as pretty as sheet rock, it was more functional, cheaper, easier to install, and though the paint I can still make out the nails that are holding it to the studs, makes hanging stuff easier I think.

If ya like pretty, go with sheet rock, if ya like function, try OSB...imho

Al

Derek Tuchscherer

11-22-2006, 9:57 AM

I am currently in this process and here is what I am doing. I also have 9' walls and when doing the electrical I put the outlets at just over 4'. I will then run OSB horizontally top and bottom and have a 1' strip from 4'-5'. This allows me easy access to my wiring in the future should I ever need to make any changes to the circuits. I have also found that the price is a factor as well ie $12 per sheet drywall vs $7.50 per sheet OSB. I also like the impact resistance. Paint and primer...going to need it either way!

That's my two cents...no refunds.

Art Mulder

11-22-2006, 10:05 AM

I'm puzzled by all the people who mention "no taping" in their post.

Who says you have to tape drywall? Is it a law or something? This is a detached garage. If you can put up OSB without taping/patching the seems, then why can't you put up drywall without taping/mudding it?

Oh, I know that taped/mudded drywall will look better - nice and smooth and all that. But the comparison is with OSB... I don't think that untaped drywall with exposed screws is going to look any worse than untaped OSB with exposed screws.

When I moved into my house, the basement playroom was unfinished - no ceiling, and drywall on just the top-half of the wall. (I know, silly, but that is all that the code requires). The drywall was bare, unpainted, and untaped.

I just painted it as is. It is just a playroom, and I had no intention of finishing it at this time. The paint makes it look nice and bright, and you hardly notice the seams or screw heads. (they're painted, after all).

...art

Al Willits

11-22-2006, 10:18 AM

Art, I don't think anybody HAS to tape sheet rock, but I think people generally go with sheet rock because its nicer looking and if that's your goal, taping is almost mandatory, untaped sheet rock is not pretty.
There's also the fact that your sealing the edges, might make some small difference for those who heat or cool ?

Like I said, pretty or functional...ya get to chose.

Al

Laurie Brown

11-22-2006, 10:27 AM

Steve Kohn

11-22-2006, 10:31 AM

I have my shop attached to the house. It has 9 foot wall heights. To meet code I had to have fire-resistant drywall on the wall common to the house. The remainder of the walls were insulated and I covered in 8 foot high 9/16 thick beadboard. The beadboard was screwed to the studs so I can remove a sheet if necessary.

The beadboard was seamed 8 foot from the floor. The seam is covered with a 1X4. This 1X4 is the hanging rail for cabinets and other things. Then I spray painted everything with semigloss white paint.

Joe Trotter

11-22-2006, 10:36 AM

Ok, stupid question for the day - What is OSB?

I too have been debating what to cover the walls of my shop with, and don't want to go with heavy difficult expensive drywall. I want something lighter and easy for one person to hang, that doesn't need a lot of maintenance and is durable.

Laurie,
OSB is oriented strand board. It is made up of chips / chucks of wood scrap and glue. It is oriented in random directions for strength.

Scroll up a little to my post with the picture. It is the brown stuff on the ceiling that is still unpainted.

Joe

Al Willits

11-22-2006, 10:38 AM

Laurie,
Oriented Strand Board. A piece of wood made of layers of wood chips laminated together with glue under extreme pressure. The standard size is a 4'x8' sheet and it is typically used for the same aplications as plywood.

Kinda think rough plywood, cheap, easy to cut, lighter than sheet rock but not as pretty.

Doesn't look real bad with a couple coats of paint, but prime first, it does absorb paint fairly well and will bleed though.

Al

Steve Canada

11-22-2006, 10:39 AM

OSB = Orientated Strand Board

There are a few types, but essentially is those plywood boards which look like a million wood chips pressed and glued together.

Laurie Brown

11-22-2006, 11:26 AM

Laurie,
OSB is oriented strand board. It is made up of chips / chucks of wood scrap and glue. It is oriented in random directions for strength.

Scroll up a little to my post with the picture. It is the brown stuff on the ceiling that is still unpainted.

Joe

Ahh, ok, thanks for the clarification. My dad made an entire shed/shop out of this stuff, using it for the exterior walls. He painted them red and white like a barn, and the thing has been standing for over 20 years. Never knew what that material was called. If you put screws through it won't it tend to chip or shred pieces?

Matt Day

11-22-2006, 12:05 PM

Okay okay, enough people have said what OSB stands for! :p

My opinion: it's a shop=OSB, you'll make holes in drywall by accident=OSB, you can nail into it easier to hang stuff=OSB, it's cheaper=OSB.

Just watch out for splinters, they're particularly nasty on that stuff!

Jerry Strojny

11-22-2006, 12:23 PM

If you put screws through it won't it tend to chip or shred pieces?

No really Laurie, there is some "blow out" from screws, but all wood has some of that. There is so much glue in OSB it holds together just fine.

Ron Jones near Indy

11-22-2006, 8:09 PM

Check with your insurance company. Your choice of materials may determine your rates. For me, drywall was the less expensive option in a stand alone shop.

Leo L. Lariviere

11-08-2012, 8:26 AM

Hello Kurt...
Wonderful garage...I have a few questions for you,
1 - What did you install first...the tin on the ceiling or the OSB on the walls?
2 - Did you install a vapor barrier (plastic) before installing the tin?
3 - Is your tin painted or galvanized?
I am about to undergo a similar project with my garage; however, I have a tin roof and it sweats with condensation....

Recommendations?
L3 in Sudbury

Mark Blum

11-08-2012, 10:19 AM

Welcome Leo. You may not realize it but you are replying to a thread that is 6 years old. You may want to start a new one to ask your specific questions.

Marius Titulescu

11-10-2015, 9:26 AM

OSB is the way to go, no doubt about it.
__________________________________
Marius

Gregory King

11-11-2015, 7:00 PM

Yep, an old topic for sure but still good reading. I am working a bit in my Garage/shop repairing some cracks in the joint fill on the walls. Building was new in 2000, 40' x26' with 10' high walls. Covered everything with 1/2" drywall. Made a big mistake and used mesh tape on the butt joints on the ceiling. As you might guess, wrong move. Cracked badly. Going to pull the old stuff and replace with the paper tape. A joint filler told me so just a week after I installed the dang stuff. After I repair and paint, I'm going to try my hand at some PVC conduit on the wall surface. Intend to run a couple of 20 amp. 220V receptacles for my 14" planer [ I have] and for the 8"jointer [ I hope to get after x'mas] . Greg

Chris Padilla

11-11-2015, 7:26 PM

Folks,

This thread was raised from the dead so be aware of that. I don't think this forum existed way back then so I moved it here from the GWW/PT Forum. :)

Terry Wawro

11-12-2015, 7:49 AM

Just finished my new 15x25 attached garage / shop about a month ago. After debating the sheetrock vs OSB etc around for a month I went with sheetrock. It is a clean white surface that reflects light well, easily repairable and will enhance the resale value if we ever sale. If I end up needing to hang something heavy between the studs I can always throw up a sheet or 1/2 sheet of plywood first.

Patrick Harper

11-12-2015, 8:54 AM

Are there any other options that provide the fire resistance of sheet rock but the convenience of OSB/T1-11?

Tom M King

11-12-2015, 4:49 PM

Patrick, I used an exterior panel in our dogroom that goes up just like T111 with the rabbeted edges, but has a primed surface that's ready for painting. http://www.starbornhavanese.com/images/DSCN5733.JPG

Here is the link for it. It's not as cheap as sheetrock, but you would have to try really hard to knock a hole through it, and it does take a lot less time and mess putting it up through finish painting. I hand nailed it with 6 CC sinkers, hit the nailheads with oilbased primer so they wouldn't bleed through, and sprayed it the same day. No sanding of any kind. I wanted to be able to find the studs easily without bothering with a stud finder, and you have to look for the sinker heads in the wall texture.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/SmartSide-48-in-x-96-in-Composite-Panel-Siding-Actual-0-315-in-x-48-56-in-x-95-87-in-27874/100055901

I also used it in closets in the latest addition on our house.

John K Jordan

11-12-2015, 8:03 PM

I went with 1/2" plywood on shop walls and ceilings on 2x6 stud wall with PT bottom plate on concrete. I like being able to mount anything anywhere. If I smacked it with a board it wouldn't make a hole. I raised it about 3/4" off the concrete. My ceilings are 9' so I added a band around the top. Far easier to paint than OSB. I bought a whole bundle for a discount.

I put up all plywood with deck screws. This lets me take sheets down easily if I need to get to wiring, AC drain pipe, or compressed air lines. I took one piece down to run an extra power outlet.

JKJ

Art Mann

11-12-2015, 8:22 PM

I believe I used the same product as Tom King several years ago and it has worked out very well. Actually, the primer looked good enough that I didn't paint it at all. I really like John Jordan's idea of using screws to mount the sheets. I have wished a hundred times that I didn't have to pull nails to get to the wiring in the walls.

Jim Andrew

11-17-2015, 12:41 PM

It occurs to me that there would be no concern for the impact on a fire if you could buy waferboard treated for fire. They already treat cellulose insulation, and panels for suspended ceilings, so it would require nothing new, just a waferboard treated for interior wall use.

Patrick Harper

11-17-2015, 1:21 PM