Interior OSB installed wrong

[Cinch01]

I literally just put a coat of Kilz primer on my newly added bathroom area in the shop last night - the outside of the bathroom is OSB "rough" side out. After much research I found that using the Kilz oil-based is the way to go - some even say 2 coats - I'm undecided on that because it will be painted another colour yet. The rough side out took the one coat of primer just fine and smooths it out - I think it probably paints better on the rough side. If I'm rambling it's because I am still under the influence of the fumes... lol

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

FYI

Nuts speaks from experience as a fire fighter.

Have you ever seen a building after it has burned down? Tell me you see piles of drywall there?

I have seen buildings after they burnt down. I've also been in them while they are burning. We carry tools on the big red truck (the one with the flashing lights and sirens) for tearing down drywall to get to the framing that is burning. I've seen the studs, joists etc. pretty much completely burnt away inside a wall, or above a ceiling that looked pretty normal.
Yes, the dry wall ends up in big piles (usually wet and crumbly) because we don't take the time to clean it us and haul it away.


As for the OP, leave it rough side out and paint it. Either way OSB is going to **** up paint.

 

[DWinTX]

Well, I did a little experiment yesterday. I took a scrap and painted both sides. Frankly, I couldn't really tell the difference that much. A little less showing of the wood chips on the rough side, but I could still see them. They both soaked up about the same amount of paint. I used a high-quality thick exterior paint/primer in one on the exterior and used it on the OSB.

About the only difference I saw was that on the smooth side, as Mxrcr mentioned, a wood chip or two raised a little. So I told the contractor to go ahead and finish it with the rough side out. I guess all's well that ends well.

 

[Showkey]

I did walls in my commercial building with corrugated metal. LOVE IT!

I was worried about noise/echo but the corrugated ripples actually cancel noise. LOVE IT!

No spark worries, or fire worries and it looks good with surface mounted elec conduit and metal boxes. LOVE IT!

+ 2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Looks great, strong/Solid, bright reflect the light and heat, easy to clean, no need to ever paint

 

[James-W]

That would be a ton of work and likely would never look half as good as drywalling it. Especially if this person has zero experience in mudding/top coating.

It really isn't difficult to coat the OSB with drywall compound. The pictures below show a wall that was done this way. It took maybe 10 minutes to cover a wall that is about 12 feet long with the first coat of drywall compound. The second coat went even quicker. But it was done by a guy who does drywall everyday. Someone who has little or no experience would not be able to do it as quickly, but it would not be any more difficult than if it were regular drywall. When it is all finished you can't tell the difference between the OSB wall and a wall made from regular drywall.

 

[gj67stang]

7/16" OSB; left wall is with smooth side in, right wall is smooth side out. Both were painted with 1 coat of tinted Kilz oil-based primer and 1 coat of latex Valspar semi-gloss. Can't tell the difference from more than 5' away.

 

[Morrison]

It really isn't difficult to coat the OSB with drywall compound. The pictures below show a wall that was done this way. It took maybe 10 minutes to cover a wall that is about 12 feet long with the first coat of drywall compound. The second coat went even quicker. But it was done by a guy who does drywall everyday. Someone who has little or no experience would not be able to do it as quickly, but it would not be any more difficult than if it were regular drywall. When it is all finished you can't tell the difference between the OSB wall and a wall made from regular drywall.

It looks ok, personally I think textured finishes are ugly and I finish all the drywall I do with a smooth finish. The seams and corners would not be as good of a finish as drywall.

 

[unslow1]

I have two garages. One in drywall and the other OSB. I think I am going to go over the OSB with FRP. The plastic/fiberglass white board you usually see in commercial restaurant walls. This will save me from painting and it's washable.

 

[DWinTX]

I have two garages. One in drywall and the other OSB. I think I am going to go over the OSB with FRP. The plastic/fiberglass white board you usually see in commercial restaurant walls. This will save me from painting and it's washable.

I thought about doing that too. But it was out of my budget.

 

[James-W]

It looks ok, personally I think textured finishes are ugly and I finish all the drywall I do with a smooth finish. The seams and corners would not be as good of a finish as drywall.

I don't know about a corner, but for the seams all that was done was a belt sander was used to sand down the seams so they were smooth and slightly indented. The drywall compound filled everything in and when primed and painted you do not see any "wood chips" in the wall. The end result is you have a wall that is smooth just like it would be if it was drywall. The texture is optional, some people like it and some don't.

If we are talking strictly about looks and not functionality, I would go with the drywall rather than OSB. The you don't have to screw around trying to make the OSB look like drywall. But the opening poster already has the OSB up on the walls. He has to either deal with it as it is, or tear it down and do something different. I am just making him aware of an option for leaving it up just as it is and when completed the walls will look really nice.

 

[James-W]

7/16" OSB; left wall is with smooth side in, right wall is smooth side out. Both were painted with 1 coat of tinted Kilz oil-based primer and 1 coat of latex Valspar semi-gloss. Can't tell the difference from more than 5' away.

It looks very nice, although you can see the seams if you look closely. If you were to take a belt sander and sand down the seams so they are smooth and there is a slight indent, then apply some drywall compound to make it all flat and smooth, after it is primed and painted you will not see the seams at all.

 

[DWinTX]

It really isn't difficult to coat the OSB with drywall compound. The pictures below show a wall that was done this way. It took maybe 10 minutes to cover a wall that is about 12 feet long with the first coat of drywall compound. The second coat went even quicker. But it was done by a guy who does drywall everyday. Someone who has little or no experience would not be able to do it as quickly, but it would not be any more difficult than if it were regular drywall. When it is all finished you can't tell the difference between the OSB wall and a wall made from regular drywall.

That looks really good. Was the drywall compound sanded?

My main goal with the wall is just to make it bright white for light reflection. If I can make it look better easily, then I probably would if for no other reason than to make it more attractive resale-wise. But it is just a garage, so it probably won't matter.

My plan at this point is to Kilz it (oil based) and then paint it with a good quality exterior latex satin. If I can smooth the OSB relatively quickly and easily, I guess I would, but I don't want to spend a ton of time on it. I've seen two options. Drywall compound like you did is one.

Another one I've seen is to use a block fill primer that is normally used for priming concrete block, brick, etc., for painting. Anyone ever use this? What consistency is it? I'd never even heard of it. I'm guessing it would not build nearly as much as drywall mud, but it would be easier to apply as it could be sprayed. Kind of like using polyester hi-build primer vs. body filler on a car.

 

[Norcal]

5/8" drywall is fire resistant not fire proof, & 1/2" drywall is of limited value for fire resistance, once the contents starts burning I really think it's over 'cept for putting it out, & cleanup/rebuild time.

I am in the drywall camp, but OSB has it's place, I just don't like the stench of new OSB.

 

[James-W]

That looks really good. Was the drywall compound sanded?

Yes, it was sanded, but only very lightly to knock off any high points. The first coat took a little longer to do because the guy worked the compound around to make sure it got into all of the little nooks and crannies and would adhere better. Then after it dried the light sanding took down any high spots. The second coat went on quicker and was then followed by another really light sanding after it was dry. You can then texture it if you want to, or just prime and paint it if that is what you prefer. Different people have different tastes so whatever fits your individual taste is the way to go.

 

[Brichter14]

Rough side osb. Two coats of kilz oil based. Two coats of regular paint

 

[indyjps]

I used osb except shared walls got 5/8 drywall. I do enough rough work that drywall would get beat up, my shop is a shop, not an extension of the house, welding, grinding, shooting paint, tearing apart and rebuilding cars is the use. It is unheated except when I'm working, so bringing the building from 10 degrees to 50, will definately pop all your drywall seams over a few years.
The smooth side of osb has a wax coating and takes a lot to prime and paint, the first coat will go on greasy yellow looking as you dissolve the wax.
I'm glad I used osb, I've added and moved electrical, no problem to pop the sheets and modify something.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My plan at this point is to Kilz it (oil based) and then paint it with a good quality exterior latex satin. If I can smooth the OSB relatively quickly and easily, I guess I would, but I don't want to spend a ton of time on it. I've seen two options. Drywall compound like you did is one.

Another one I've seen is to use a block fill primer that is normally used for priming concrete block, brick, etc., for painting. Anyone ever use this? What consistency is it? I'd never even heard of it. I'm guessing it would not build nearly as much as drywall mud, but it would be easier to apply as it could be sprayed. Kind of like using polyester hi-build primer vs. body filler on a car.

I used two coats of Kilz oil based primer and followed it with a coat of their Pro-X 170 interior latex which is a semi-gloss. I'm happy with the results.

 

[Sask dude]

6 of one and half dozen of another on opinions of wall coverings.

Most guys are using 1/2" drywall when they DIY their garages unless it's shared wall with the house, then it's 5/8" alot of times. I believe most of the guys here have used 7/16" OSB on their walls. That's a difference of a 1/16 of an inch so I'm not sure why you're calling it "thin"

As far as the screws go, OSB holds them quite nicely. I have yet to see a screw pop out of OSB like I have in drywall.


I don't believe you statement about getting done easier, faster or cheaper is quite accurate either unless you're a drywaller by trade. OSB can be hung and done, maybe caulk the edges. Drywall needs to be hung, taped, mudded and sanded (the latter two a couple of times). For most people that takes more time and finishing drywall is not appealing to alot of people. Currently in my area, 7/16" OSB is $7.45/sheet while 1/2" drywall is $8.98 add in tape and mud pushes the drywall cost higher. Priming and painting is moot as they both will need it. If you're breaking out the check book for the drywall work it will be faster and easier but that option eliminates cheaper too.

most homes are using 3/8 osb for walls 1/2 drywall inside unless it's for a ceiling then it's 5/8. Most roof sheeting is now 7/16 osb

 

[NUTTSGT]

most homes are using 3/8 osb for walls 1/2 drywall inside unless it's for a ceiling then it's 5/8. Most roof sheeting is now 7/16 osb

Materials used in building will depend on the region. I'd guess you are talking about 3/8" osb exterior walls for the homes ? I've never seen osb used for interior (well I have honestly) and drywall over it as this thread is talking about interior wall coverings.

Locally around here, like I mentioned above, guys use 7/16" osb on their interior walls. 1/4" is priced about 40-50 cents cheaper than 7/16" so it's a no brainer to spend a few cents and get almost double. I haven't seen 3/8" osb around here in years because nobody would use it. Generally it was more expensive than the thicker 7/16" because it wasn't bought in bulk like the others.

Honestly, I'm surprised that 7/16" is used in Canada for roof with the snowloads you guys get up there.

 

[Whitworth]

FWIW, dent-resistant & abuse-resistant drywall is available, has been used for years in commercial construction.

I think to a certain extend it's "making a virtue of a necessity" in regards to OSB. The taping, mudding and sanding that's associated with drywall is what's the real issue.

Gary

 

[Sask dude]

Materials used in building will depend on the region. I'd guess you are talking about 3/8" osb exterior walls for the homes ? I've never seen osb used for interior (well I have honestly) and drywall over it as this thread is talking about interior wall coverings.

Locally around here, like I mentioned above, guys use 7/16" osb on their interior walls. 1/4" is priced about 40-50 cents cheaper than 7/16" so it's a no brainer to spend a few cents and get almost double. I haven't seen 3/8" osb around here in years because nobody would use it. Generally it was more expensive than the thicker 7/16" because it wasn't bought in bulk like the others.

Honestly, I'm surprised that 7/16" is used in Canada for roof with the snowloads you guys get up there.

Most of the garages that don't get done in drywall are done with osb 3/8 up around here anyway. I was also surprised about using 7/16 on the roofs I used to work at a lumber yard before becoming a millwright