Need advice for residing my workshop

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Morning all;

Well, it's almost time to work on my workshop. Old building 20' by 12', siding is the pits, needs to be resided and some re-framing. I already redid the roofing.

What I am thinking of is replacing the framing as needed, then sheeting the interior with 7/16" OSB, priming and painting. That should be fine.

It's for the outside I need advice. My thought is to sheet it in 7/16" OSB, prime and paint, then vapor barrier then 1/2" shiplap fir, stain or paint.

Any thoughts?

Shawn

[Art Mulder]

Isn't this a bit of a "personal preference" area?

For instance, plain old siding doesn't do much for me. Boring. I really like the look of Board-n-batten.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Not sure about personal preference, mostly just wanting to know if I am overlooking anything, and if this makes sense.

[Jim Becker]

OSB isn't really designed for continued exposure, even with paint. Consider T1-11 if you want a wood-based product. It will soak up the paint, but is a common material for shed and outbuilding siding...and even on some homes. There is also a siding product that looks similar, but is more of a hard-board material and sold specifically for this purpose. It comes pre-primed which saves work and looks very nice when installed. A shed kit I bought for my previous residence came with it and it painted up wonderfully.

[Joe Chritz]

It appears you want to add shiplapped fir over the exterior osb? If that is the case that works fine.

Siding is a very personal decision and it should match or complement the other buildings as much as possible.

I like board and batten but most of my place has plain vinyl. The porch has sawn cedar shake and those are very nice but not for the cost and work involved for an entire house.

You don't need to prime the OSB before the vapor barrier but it wouldn't hurt anything but a few extra gallons of paint.

Joe

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Thanks Joe;

That confirms it for me, Shiplap fir over the OSB, I will still prime the OSB, a little protection never hurt.

What are peoples thoughts on using vapor barrier? I have had a few people tell me that it's not really a good idea as it traps the moisture against the wood, instead of letting the walls breathe.

[Thom Sturgill]

House wrap is not a vapor barrier. It helps water shed down the wall without penetrating into the sheathing, but still allows the wall to breath. Vapor barrier goes on the INSIDE closest to the warm space to prevent condensation (and mold) inside the wall. It only works well if all penetrations are sealed.
Be sure to prime the back side of the fir too.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Ah Ha;

That clears a few things up, thanks Thom.

So the material order would be as follows, inside to outside:

7/16" OSB / Vapor Barrier / Insulation and Framing / 7/16" OSB / House Wrap (Same thing as tar paper?) / 1/2" Fir.

Right?

[Thom Sturgill]

Tar paper would probably work, its what was used many years ago. I think it did act as too much of a vapor barrier. Tyvek is one brand of house wrap that can be bought at the BORGs.

[Jim O'Dell]

I had a rehab job for my shop that sounds similar to what you are doing. I peeled off 1/4" plywood, changed from 24" on center to 16" on center, sheathed it with 7/16" OSB with the radiant barrier on it, wrapped with Tyvek, then finished with Hardiboard planks. The Hardi took the sealer and paint very well. Has been on for 3 years now, and, except for the dirt from the splatters of rain from the roof and the dogs feet, it still looks the same. Just a thought. Jim.

[Chris Padilla]

Stucco, Baby, stucco! Lasts FOREVER!

[Bart Leetch]

So if your putting a vapor barrier on the outside of the OSB why paint it?

Another thing if you use something like craft faced fiberglass or rock-wool insulation & install it with the craft facing inward you will already have a Vapor barrier remember this structure has to be able to breath. Don't go into overkill.

I don't know much about building but I did start following Dad around at a young age & all the way up through 2 years of college, as he built houses, apartment buildings, schools & restaurants. I have also seen what trying to seal a building up to tight can do. I wouldn't paint the OSB exterior sheathing either.

I guess what I am saying don't complicate the job, sometimes more isn't better

[Shawn Honeychurch]

Thanks Bart;

Complicating things is one of my crosses to bear in this life .

I was going to prime/paint the OSB just to ensure it does not come apart if it does get damp. I live on Vancouver Island, we have 2 seasons here, dry (3 months of the year) and wet ( 9 months of the year). Seems a small thing to do to ensure long years of happiness in the workshop.

[Josh Bowman]

I've hung vinyl on mine and find it very, very easy and not to expensive, plus no painting. I've had it on my house for years, I do find it needs washed a couple of years.

[Brad Sperr]

I'm also in the process of sheathing and siding my garage/shop with hardipaneling. I went with 15# tar paper (roofing felt) for my weather resistant barrier, because it's considerably cheaper than Tyvek. Just be sure to overlap your layers shingle-style by around 6 inches. You may also want to consider putting up a rain screen in between your weather resistant barrier and your siding to promote drainage and drying. I'm using 7/16 inch ply strips for my rain screen, but this may not be necessary with the ship-lapped fir.