It’s time to finish off the inside walls of my 26x40 in N. Indiana. Ceiling is metal with R30 insulation. Walls are R19 fiberglass. One option is putting metal on the walls also. Any pro or con opinions? My first thought was 1/2 plywood to make it easy to hang “whatever” on the walls. Signs, posters, random things……but that metal sure would look good and being prepainted thats one less thing to do.
Interior metal wall opinions
- Thread starter russ455
- Start date
finn
Well-known member
My shop has painted Osb for the first 8’, topped with an 8’ white steel on the upper 8’. Good for hanging things down low, but the painted Osb is pretty rough and hard to clean. It’s time for a repaint.
The 32x54 garage is mostly drywall on the stud wall above three tiers of concrete block., but I am gradually facing the first three feet of drywall above the block with galvanized steel barn tin. I’m doing that more for aesthetics than practicality. I can hang posters and curios off the drywall, and can easily repair any holes created. The steel dictates that I use shelving rather than hanging things on the lower wall, and I’m ok with that, as the garage isn’t where I have most of the tools and supplies.
For a working shop, steel up high and painted osb down low works best, at least for me.
The 32x54 garage is mostly drywall on the stud wall above three tiers of concrete block., but I am gradually facing the first three feet of drywall above the block with galvanized steel barn tin. I’m doing that more for aesthetics than practicality. I can hang posters and curios off the drywall, and can easily repair any holes created. The steel dictates that I use shelving rather than hanging things on the lower wall, and I’m ok with that, as the garage isn’t where I have most of the tools and supplies.
For a working shop, steel up high and painted osb down low works best, at least for me.
Fav Onefour
Well-known member
Noise.
Metal is nice and looks good but the space definitely has more noise with tools. Some people are fine with the noise. I've worked around clanging and banging my whole life. I like to have a break from that in my own space.
There is a long list of pros and cons to any finish. Metal is no exception. It's easy to install without extreme finishing requirements. The downside to the having a clean single surface interior is when you move or modify anything touching the walls. Patching metal means replacing sheets for the most part. My old man liked to keep a few extra sheets on hand stored in the rafters for any metal building we built. You could use the same approach with interior metal.
@finn , beat me to my suggestion. I personally like the idea of using two different materials. Do the metal top section for ease of installation and cost. Do the lower section with a workable surface you can modify over time.
Metal is nice and looks good but the space definitely has more noise with tools. Some people are fine with the noise. I've worked around clanging and banging my whole life. I like to have a break from that in my own space.
There is a long list of pros and cons to any finish. Metal is no exception. It's easy to install without extreme finishing requirements. The downside to the having a clean single surface interior is when you move or modify anything touching the walls. Patching metal means replacing sheets for the most part. My old man liked to keep a few extra sheets on hand stored in the rafters for any metal building we built. You could use the same approach with interior metal.
@finn , beat me to my suggestion. I personally like the idea of using two different materials. Do the metal top section for ease of installation and cost. Do the lower section with a workable surface you can modify over time.
Kaizen
Well-known member
I will assume you don't want to punch holes in it after install.......so biggest drawback is knowing exactly where you want to hang everything so you can have a planned organization. If you don't envision hanging things on your walls besides decorations then fine. Pre covid i hung 5/8 smooth plywood and just yesterday wanted to organize parts for an engine build that I just bought or have been tripping over. I zipped a dozen 3" screws in and all organized. Also like haveing the ply as I don't ever have to worry about weight.
racecougar
Well-known member
With insulated walls, and particularly, with a fully outfitted building (not an empty cavern), noise/echo is seriously dampened; to the point that it truly isn't noticeable.
As far as hanging stuff goes: banners, posters and the like hang with magnets. It isn't difficult to hit a stud/girt/post for heavier items.
If you do metal work, the fire resistance and easy cleaning of metal is a big plus.
As far as hanging stuff goes: banners, posters and the like hang with magnets. It isn't difficult to hit a stud/girt/post for heavier items.
If you do metal work, the fire resistance and easy cleaning of metal is a big plus.
BORING HOP YARD
Well-known member
TurnipTruck
Well-known member
I was a little worried about noise reflection off metal surfaces, but since I had a bunch of this vintage corrugated steel already, and it was too holey for roofing anymore, I used it for wainscoting everywhere in my shop (that didn’t have shelving or benches) to protect the drywall. With all the other things on the walls, it is surprisingly quiet.
finn
Well-known member
I don’t really notice any additional noise from the metal walls in my shop, at least in the work area where the walls are insulated. Granted the lower walls are osb. Filling the shop with cars, tools, and three lifts probably attenuates the noise somewhat.
I don’t really even hear rain on the roof to any significant extent.
The big “however” is the 16x5’ attached enclosed lean to. That lean to abutting the heated shop has no insulation in the three walls or ceiling, and when it was empty, would ring like a guitar string. The rain is a major annoyance as it hits the roof of the lean to.
As to hanging things on steel walls, try ripping plywood into say, six inch (or whatever) strips and mount it to the steel, in strategic locations, bridging the ribs. You can use that to minimize random holes in the steel walls
I don’t really even hear rain on the roof to any significant extent.
The big “however” is the 16x5’ attached enclosed lean to. That lean to abutting the heated shop has no insulation in the three walls or ceiling, and when it was empty, would ring like a guitar string. The rain is a major annoyance as it hits the roof of the lean to.
As to hanging things on steel walls, try ripping plywood into say, six inch (or whatever) strips and mount it to the steel, in strategic locations, bridging the ribs. You can use that to minimize random holes in the steel walls
The only downside of tin on the lower walls is that it does get scratched pretty easily and can be dented. If you can ignore scratches it's generally not a big deal.
A common thing is plywood on the bottom eight feet of the wall in the main work area.
A common thing is plywood on the bottom eight feet of the wall in the main work area.
racecougar
Well-known member
Assuming your building has a foundation, the stem wall will likely protrude at least 1/2" more than the wall panels. I can say I've yet to inflict any wall damage (scratches, dents, etc.) in the 7 years I've been using this shop, but there really isn't any open wall space either. I wouldn't be comfortable throwing sparks against plywood walls regularly.