Paint my OSB ceiling or leave as is?

[mikec35]

Part of me wants to paint it, the other part thinks it looks pretty good the way it is. I know painting will require one to two coats of Kilz primer plus paint, so the labor aspect is swaying me towards leaving as is. Any pros/cons one way or the other? I know white paint would brighten it up some, but so would some bright lights. The garage is pretty much empty so I'd like to make a decision before I start moving stuff in. Any advice? Thanks

 

[James-W]

If you put a thin coat of drywall compound on it first it won't soak up paint like a sponge. If you have any doubts whatsoever about this, take a small piece of OSB and try it.

 

[MrElectric03]

I'd paint it. It would make it brighter and more efficient. When I did my garage I bought one of the harbor frieght sprayers on eBay for $100, best money spent. If the roof is tall you can get an extension and paint it from he ground. Nice and easy.

 

[kbs2244]

Paint it white.
Walls too.
Just put drop cloths over everything and go to town with a rented spray gun.
2 coats of the cheapest big box white latex.

You will not belive the difference it makes.

 

[Kaizen]

Usually has to be sprayed or brushed on as a roller won’t get in the divots. I like painted ceilings but that’s a pain with osb. I’d do something before you move everything in.


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[bctexas]

The second page of my build thread for the Ten Pound Garage has some before and after pics of painting my OSB walls. It was well worth the effort. I rolled on two coats of exterior latex - about 9 gallons. Really improved the looks of the place. Used a 3/4 nap roller - it was a lot of work!

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=380383&highlight=ten+pound+garage&page=2

 

[shelteredV]

Spray it and you will be really satisfied with it/

 

[ddawg16]

Coat of primer first....it's cheaper than paint.....
I'd use a semi-gloss exterior paint. Reflects more light.

 

[Notgrownup]

I painted mine with Kilz white sealer, it makes it really bright, I painted the panels while on the ground.

 

[bctexas]

Hi John - I used the stuff that is both primer and paint - Valspar "Season Flex". Lowes had a sale a while back and it was $90 per 5 gallon bucket. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and it was going to take 2 coats in any event....

 

[OccupantRJ]

Paint it. It will make it much brighter in there. I am painting a room in my shop now. It took a gallon and a half of zinsser 1-2-3 to prime 250 sq ft of osb. I beveled the edges of all the sheets and aligned and caulked the joints to give the illusion of giant 4x8 ceiling tiles.

These pics are from when I did the main room in the shop.

 

[Bert_]

Paint for sure, spray it if you can.

I'd be tempted to pull those trim pieces and paint them a light gray or something with a little bit of contrast. I'm thinking that would look pretty nice.

 

[shedfullatools]

I just used exterior paint instead of interior, two heavy coats rolled was all mine took and it looked/looks 100x better and brighter

 

[PhysicsDude]

Paint it! If you don't do it now, you'll regret it when its practically impossible to paint it after all your **** is in there!

 

[TTTTTT]

Like many. 2 coats Kiltz oil primer and then paint of your choice. I used an oil gloss white. Painted everything before installing. Used a drywall lift to install. Nice tight seams. Touched up with a brush after, all the screws and seams that weren't perfect. Nice and bright and never have to touch again. Did the walls exactly the same but with a different colour. Caulked the wall/ceiling joins with white to match the ceiling.

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[NUTTSGT]

While I like the look of wood, I'd paint it.


I've said it before and would recommend it again for 2 coats of oil-based Kilz followed by some paint.

 

[BruceMc]

I painted mine, and that would be my first choice, but I've also seen OSB finished with a poly/Varathane to seal it and add a semi-reflective finish. It looked pretty good (in a rustic sort of way).

 

[JOE.G]

I left mine un painted, I built my shop to look like a old barn and I like the wood look. I add enough lights where I do not even notice it being dark.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I just finished installing osb ceiling, painting, and lights in my 10x26 machine shop room today. I have 142 lumens per sq ft in there. The main shop is 100. Better light is needed for machining. I am thinking about painting the floor while the machines are out.

 

[BuffettFan]

I recently primed my 40 year old unfinished drywall in my garage. It makes all the difference in the world.
Paint it, you'll be happy you did.
And I'd spray it too.
Mine's 600 SF and it sucked painting it.

 

[Slednut]

I like what you did with the seams, I did the same on the ceiling of our patio cover which is also OSB. I painted it 6 years ago, one coat of oil based primer and two coats of latex.

Keep a look out for this stuff (bolt pic), I don't know how it gets there.

 

[johnnyradiant]

Paint with exterior paint. Sprayed and back rolled.

Spray a section and roll it while still wet and carry on. Use a very deep nap roller.

 

[BruceMc]

Keep a look out for this stuff (bolt pic), I don't know how it gets there.

I've got a couple of those. In the final stage, the sheets are formed in massive hot presses, consisting of huge, muliple stacked plates. A piece of hardware got into the final mix and dented one of the plates.


https://www.weyerhaeuser.com/blog/behind-scenes-osb-manufacturing/

 

[bad_idea]

Paint it! Will look more finished and will reflect light better. It amazed me how much brighter it was in my last garage after a coat of paint.

If you decide to paint it, please post up an after shot in this thread. Would like to see how it looks painted.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I've seen OSB finished in some commercial applications. I'm not sure if they just clear coated it, or if there was some stain work prior to bring out the differences, but I was surprised with how good it looked.

Of course, you'd have to experiment with some scraps to figure out the best look. The stuff I've seen gets sort of a bright, almost reflective quality in some of the chips. I think it would look sharp. Especially with the way you've trimmed out the seams.

Pic found online:

 

[Stea1thNinja]

I just went through the same thing and am glad I decided to paint. 2 coats of Zinsser bullseye 123 and exterior Conco from Menards. All sprayed and back rolled.

Before


After



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[mikec35]

I painted the OSB walls in my other shop and they look real nice, but painting the ceiling is a more difficult task, plus my other shop was totally empty. I'm leaning towards painting the ceiling but I'm just so strapped for time, plus my arthritis is in overdrive with all the moving I've been doing lately. I saw where Kilz and Zinsser both have a ceiling paint and primer all in one. It's latex and a lot of posts show that folks use the oil based primer. Not sure about latex as a base on OSB but 2 coats should probably work. Heres a pic of my painted walls in my other shop.

 

[mikec35]

I just went through the same thing and am glad I decided to paint. 2 coats of Zinsser bullseye 123 and exterior Conco from Menards. All sprayed and back rolled.

Before


After



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Looks great!

 

[mikec35]

I've seen OSB finished in some commercial applications. I'm not sure if they just clear coated it, or if there was some stain work prior to bring out the differences, but I was surprised with how good it looked.

Of course, you'd have to experiment with some scraps to figure out the best look. The stuff I've seen gets sort of a bright, almost reflective quality in some of the chips. I think it would look sharp. Especially with the way you've trimmed out the seams.

Pic found online:

I like that look. I wonder if one coat of some type of poly of some other coating would achieve that look?

 

[unpaintedhuffhines]

+1 for Paint it. Yes, it's a pain, but you'll thank yourself later.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I like that look. I wonder if one coat of some type of poly of some other coating would achieve that look?

I've just seen it, never tried it. But looking at it I think the lightest of the chips look like nothing more than clear, & the other color variations are probably just the way color comes up once a finish is applied. I'm curious now & will probably experiment with a hunk of scrap next time one comes up.

My guess is that it would take more than 1 coat. OSB seems pretty dry & will probably soak up a lot of the 1st coat. Plus working overhead it would be tough to put it on very thick.

 

[rburke65]

It’s entirely up to you but I’d paint it

 

[ishiboo]

Spray it. Much easier to clean (wipe it off) and much better reflectivity for lighting.

 

[6768rogues]

I bought cheap 5 gallon buckets of white paint at the seconds store. Then I put on three coats of paint with a roller, no primer. The first coat soaked in, the second started to look good, and the third is perfect. It took very little time with a roller and it is now 20 years later and it still looks good.

 

[mikec35]

I think I'm going to spray it. I found Zinsser ceiling paint and primer at Walmart for $20. I have an airless sprayer so I purchased a 2ft extension so I can spray from the floor. I'm hoping this latex paint primes the OSB well. I also have 2 huge work wood benches the previous owner left. I think I'll spray them while I'm at it with the same paint so I can put them on the porch of my other shop and use as outdoor benches.

 

[svrider]

I think I'm going to spray it. I found Zinsser ceiling paint and primer at Walmart for $20. I have an airless sprayer so I purchased a 2ft extension so I can spray from the floor. I'm hoping this latex paint primes the OSB well. I also have 2 huge work wood benches the previous owner left. I think I'll spray them while I'm at it with the same paint so I can put them on the porch of my other shop and use as outdoor benches.

Make sure you don't use water based primer for OSB. It will cause peeling. Prime with oil/alcohol based paint and then top coat with whatever you please.

Oil/alcohol based primer is more expensive than a water based equivalent but it is well worth it in time and headache it will save. you.

 

[mike93lx]

Once you paint it, you have to maintain it...

 

[JOE.G]

To me White would drive me nuts, all the finger prints around the outlets and switches and what not, I try and keep my shop clean but it is still a work area.