Garage Wall Material

[BLACK'98DSM]

Just wanted to share a bit of what's happening in my home garage. In the midst of fully rewiring and refinishing the interior, I also decided to switch up the material used to cover the walls. When the place was built they used some sort of cardboard-like paneling that really sucks for a garage. I could never get paint to stick to it, it swells up from any moisture in the air, it's extremely soft and thin so easy to damage. Had to get rid of that. I considered sheet rock but have that installed in my other garage and it gets really beat up. Any time it gets bumped with tools/toolboxes or car parts there's a new dent or hole. It sounds easy enough to be careful around the walls but sometimes they take a hit outside of my control or attention. So after consideration I decided to use OSB for the new setup. I tested a piece by knocking it around with a hammer and it's nowhere near as fragile as sheet rock. It is also considered a decent moisture barrier which is why it gets used under roofing I suppose. I think if I were to coat it with semi gloss black or dark grey paint, the look would be very nice. Especially with the wall decorations I have planned. A dark color may be a little too dark for the taste of some, but I've accrued many dark finger prints and stains on my lighter colored garage walls. I did install full LED strip lights to brighten the place up anyway. I've still got to remove a ton of unnecessary electrical before the entire wall goes up but with the first 2 pieces I'm still liking the idea. The texture is ugly with bare board, but will probably look alright once fully black or grey.
I'm not a builder or contractor by any means, but definitely needed to figure out a better wall solution. I can at least cut wood for God sakes.

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[curt-s]

OSB being a moisture barrier? no
OSB is used because it's a solid surface and it's cheap. Exterior sheathing grade plywood is superior. OSB will rot and mold with moisture like any other organic building material.

A 6mil vapor barrier with proper sealant like acousti-seal is what you want behind. That doesn't solve moisture issues inside the building envelope though. For that, you need humidity control otherwise that OSB can breed mold just as fast as drywall.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

The moisture I was referring to is basically just stagnant moisture in the air. Like if I were to leave the bay doors open on a humid day, or spill something on the floor that will partially evaporate. There is plenty of other material to separate the OSB from outdoor conditions like rain contact etc. I wouldn't say it's a perfect material but definitely less susceptible to damage from mild moisture than this other paneling I removed. Especially if fully coated with paint. I see how plywood is a better material, but can't justify spending the extra funds when it would act the same as an interior wall material. Cost per equal sized sheet is 15% more expensive, which adds up fast when you need truck loads.

 

[curt-s]

that panelling I bet is some kind of fiberboard which soaks up moisture and moulds even faster than OSB
It's just not a good moisture barrier at all. Given your climate, your dew point isn't really an issue. If you were to get snow and intend on keeping the interior warm, that would be a different story.

I'm not a huge fan of OSB interior sheathing just because it tends to splinter and separate over time with humidity changes. If you're going to paint it all, you should be good.

Post pics when you're done the cave

 

[92Turbski]

How about a roll of house wrap/ty-vek?
Slam jam that on with a slap stapler and put your OSB over it. Boom, done!
Yeah, drywall in a shop, no bueno.
Good luck on your project.

 

[curt-s]

Tyvek is designed to breathe, so that it can shed water yet allow moisture in the sheathing to evaporate. It wouldn't do anything good behind interior sheathing

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Thanks for the input. I used thick black construction plastic behind the walls of my basement, but it is underground. I didn't see that necessary with the garage being fully above ground besides the concrete foundation. Nonetheless it would not hurt anything to have some additional barrier, just didn't seem like a requirement for a fairly dry and climate controlled space. I will definitely post more pictures as progress is made. I'm slowly building the garage of my dreams. And it has turned out to be a bigger project than most 30 year old vehicles

 

[92Turbski]

Tyvek is designed to breathe, so that it can shed water yet allow moisture in the sheathing to evaporate. It wouldn't do anything good behind interior sheathing

Tear the exterior off, then the tyvek?!?
@BLACK'98DSM your to do list just got LONGER. Hahaha.
Surely there's got to be a solution the interwebs/YouTube has for ya.

 

[curt-s]

Thanks for the input. I used thick black construction plastic behind the walls of my basement, but it is underground. I didn't see that necessary with the garage being fully above ground besides the concrete foundation. Nonetheless it would not hurt anything to have some additional barrier, just didn't seem like a requirement for a fairly dry and climate controlled space. I will definitely post more pictures as progress is made. I'm slowly building the garage of my dreams. And it has turned out to be a bigger project than most 30 year old vehicles

Tell me about it, I've been working on my basement for 7 months and just finishing the drywall stage, hoping to start priming the walls this week.

When it comes to buildings and weather, codes exist to make sure it's a stable structure and is healthy to be occupied. The last thing you want is a lot of growth behind the walls in a place you'll be spending hours in (almost) daily.

When it comes to basements, it's even more important to keep moisture under control.

Good luck!

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Doing the wall on the backside will be the most fun. I have multiple shelves and cabinets to take down that are full of random shit collected over the years. This is just one little corner of things to move out of my way. Great time to reorganize and clean up I guess. I still have some steel shelving waiting to be assemble so I can put some of the random stuff on it.

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The point of OSB developing splinters is valid. For most of my work table, smooth wooden counter tops were used but the table visible in this image has an OSB top and gets hung up everytime I lay a rag or something soft on it.

 

[99dsmer4g63]

If you haven’t started the install of the OSB yet I would recommend taking two small pieces and sticking them under your sheets while installing to keep them from contacting the concrete.

After you you tack it up simply remove the pieces and now you have a small 7/16” gap under it for a small bit of water and no direct ground contact.

OSB is far from a moisture barrier. Personally it’s kinda junk but it’s “cheap” and it gets the job done which why I will continue to use it. Yes I said it was kinda junk but yes I still buy entire hacks of it.

Personably I would stand corrugated metal panels up if I had a choice. I own/run a residential construction business so if you have any questions I could answer feel free to ask. Not saying I’m the best by any means but I’ve been doing this since I’ve been 16 and unfortunately don’t see me getting out of it any time soon.

Good job on not using drywall. Your doing better than most homeowner Joes would.

-Daniel

 

[curt-s]

No sense using drywall unless it's a temperature controlled space or the space is attached or in near vicinity to an existing structure, in which case it acts as a ~30min fire barrier.

 

[99dsmer4g63]

It looked like this was a detached garage I thought.

If it’s not and it is connected to a living space “technically” yes it should be fire rated. Which would be 5/8 drywall, tape coat and all penetrations fire caulked. This also is for carbon monoxide as well.

The wall posted in the first picture you can clearly see outside so it would not be required there. Only on the walls connected to a conditioned living space would require such work if your worried about that type of thing.

I work in south central pa and only work there. Codes change tonwship to township state to state though. So best to your own research in your own independent area and be sure you are meeting their requirements if you care about that type of thing.

-Daniel

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

I've had to pause the project a few times but have made good progress. I built myself an inset paint shelf before hanging the rest of the boards. Once all the boards were hung, I sealed all of the seams with caulk. Rolling paint on OSB seems like and endless task. 3 coats deep with barnwood paint and there is still visible wood. I think for the other 3 walls I will be buying a paint sprayer to apply paint. And I'll also do one final coat on this wall with it if it works well. Things are coming together though.

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[BLACK'98DSM]

Decided to paint my tool board the same as the wall. I think at some point when the rest of the interior is done I'm going to apply some sort of epoxy coating on the floor to protect it. But slow progress in here right now, I'm trying to focus on my home basement project and the newest engine swap project. This will probably pick back up during tax return season. Despite having multiple 1099's, I should still get a decent return.

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[1BAD98GSX]

I use plywood around my tool chests and were my cabinets are hanging. Just easier to put hooks and hangers up and not having to worry about finding a stud!

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Just picked up some new shop doors for $150... What a steal. We're talking over a thousand dollar value here. The guy said "I ordered the wrong color"... Why he would order a whole new set instead of painting these, beats me. But a blessing for me. The current door panels are fiberglass installed in 2003 when this place was built. These will be stronger and insulation compatible, should I find that necessary.

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[DSSA]

Just picked up some new shop doors for $150... What a steal. We're talking over a thousand dollar value here. The guy said "I ordered the wrong color"... Why he would order a whole new set instead of painting these, beats me. But a blessing for me. The current door panels are fiberglass installed in 2003 when this place was built. These will be stronger and insulation compatible, should I find that necessary.

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They look similar to some of the doors I picked up recently to replace wood & non-insulated doors around here (10 of them on the property). Great score (color me jealous!!!).

The only thing I'd suggest is reading/rereading up on locating the hinge mounting points before you start loading them into tracks and buying/installing springs for them. Rushing that aspect cost me some issues with having to go over work/buy different springs
a second time

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Slow progress but the doors are going up. They are about a half inch thicker than the old fiberglass doors so I had to space the track assemblies back a bit. I also had to get heavier springs. I went with 90lb, I'm not sure what the old ones were rated at but not quite enough. Soon I'll be searching for another door. I only purchased two but needed three. I'm not going to special order whatever color this is, so unless I find another like these I'll be painting them all a color of my choice.

Also, has anyone else had terrible luck trying to find good pieces of lumber? I had to rummage through the 2x4's for a while to get four straight boards.

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[BLACK'98DSM]

Started adding hooks so I can hang my tools/equipment. The back wall is plywood instead of OSB, and I painted it with a spray gun. MUCH quicker than rolling it on.

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