Interior Wall Sheathing - Why Use Metal?

[lakeroadster]

I've built 3 shops and am working on building the 4th. I've always used t&g 5/16" thick T1-11 for interior wall sheathing because it's more durable than drywall, goes up quick and it looks good for a shop.

I see here on GJ that a lot of folks are using metal sheathing.

For you folks that are using metal for the interior wall sheathing, why did you decide to do so?

Curious what the pro's and con's are of steel? Seems like it would show dents and abuse much more so than a wood product?

Thanks

 

[yaidunno]

It comes pre-painted, requires zero maintenance, easy to install, virtually fire proof, easy to remove if you need access to the inner wall...

I'm always a bit baffled when people talk about abusing or roughing up walls. How exactly does one manage this? Only once in my 15 years of working in a garage have I managed to put a hole in a wall. It involved a wet floor, garden tractor with an open diff, and excessive speed...lesson learned. Never during daily garage tasks such as fabricating, welding, and repair work have i dented or perforated any wall, of any material.

 

[Crusarius]

I just don't like the echo I get especially when grinding steel. I always preferred pegboard but since it is impossible to get good 1/4" pegboard now I am liking cheap OSB and french cleats painted white.

 

[Steve from Socal]

In an all metal building using combustible sheeting kind of defeats the purpose. I have drywall and metal in my building and I haven't had any issues. I know some folks like to use wood so they can screw stuff directly to any part of the wall. I don't have that inkling so, it adds no value to me. I really prefer having as little burnable stuff in the building, If something did catch fire it would have little if any additional fuel.

Steve

 

[INTMD8]

It comes pre-painted, requires zero maintenance, easy to install, virtually fire proof, easy to remove if you need access to the inner wall...

I'm always a bit baffled when people talk about abusing or roughing up walls. How exactly does one manage this? Never during daily garage tasks such as fabricating, welding, and repair work have i dented or perforated any wall, of any material.

^^Agreed.

 

[rieferman]

It comes pre-painted, requires zero maintenance, easy to install, virtually fire proof, easy to remove if you need access to the inner wall...

I'm always a bit baffled when people talk about abusing or roughing up walls. How exactly does one manage this? Only once in my 15 years of working in a garage have I managed to put a hole in a wall.

Good post. This is basically what I would tell customers when I was in the industry.

A couple other "pros" are:
- Very reflective (nice bright shop)
- and, if you ever do dent a piece, very easy to replace

The common con I've heard is the noise... In my experience, an insulated shop with interior steel panels is as quiet as any other space I've been in. Besides, most that I know wear ear protection during especially loud tasks, so it doesn't really matter either way.

 

[rieferman]

I know some folks like to use wood so they can screw stuff directly to any part of the wall.

True...

Plus side with steel is that you can see where studs are easily, and can easily add blocking wherever you need (remove a sheet, add blocking, replace sheet). This is handy for permanent install items like cabinets.

Many former customers used "rare earth magnets" to hang a multitude of things-that-may-need-to-move on steel walls. Surprisingly strong little buggers with lots of hook options etc.

Down side is that if you put a hole someplace and change your mind, there's not really a great "patch option". But, easy to replace a panel if needed.

 

[nine4gmc]

My new shop is bare walls ATM but I put a center dividing wall up and used old rusty tin for the lower. 4' and old recycled fence boards for the top half. The reason I did it like that was so I can screw to the top half easily where things would normally be screwed and have metal up to 4' for the sparks created from my grinders, welding machines, plasma cutters, chop saw etc. The reason I went with old tin and fence boards was price. It was all free, picked up curbside. I repurposed the 2x4s from my old shop for the studs, I had to buy a box of staples for my air gun but that's about it.
The repurposed look isn't for everyone but most of my stuff is old anyways so the wall fits in and I get compliments from friends and customers all the time on it. I plan to do the outer walls the same as the center wall once I find some insulation at a good price.


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[MisterMike]

I used T1-11 on the interior of our pole shed. It's a work in progress, but I like the rustic appearance, and sound doesn't bounce around.

 

[78scotts]

I am putting steel inside mine for the same reasons as stated above and also because I am going to have a wash bay in the back and can just wash the walls down when they get dirty.

 

[Crusarius]

My new shop is bare walls ATM but I put a center dividing wall up and used old rusty tin for the lower. 4' and old recycled fence boards for the top half. The reason I did it like that was so I can screw to the top half easily where things would normally be screwed and have metal up to 4' for the sparks created from my grinders, welding machines, plasma cutters, chop saw etc. The reason I went with old tin and fence boards was price. It was all free, picked up curbside. I repurposed the 2x4s from my old shop for the studs, I had to buy a box of staples for my air gun but that's about it.
The repurposed look isn't for everyone but most of my stuff is old anyways so the wall fits in and I get compliments from friends and customers all the time on it. I plan to do the outer walls the same as the center wall once I find some insulation at a good price.


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This I like alot. maybe that will be the hot ticket when I build my real shop. I would love to see a pic.

 

[homebuilt burner]

When my dad had his shop built, we had them put 3/4" plywood up for the bottom 8' and steel above that. We can screw anything onto the 3/4' ply for hanging stuff and the steel up top looks good and reflects the light.

 

[EdT]

OK. I'll bite. I've never seen pre-painted steel wall panels that I can recall. Any details?

 

[NUTTSGT]

OK. I'll bite. I've never seen pre-painted steel wall panels that I can recall. Any details?

pole building siding.

 

[Jo Diesel]

Here is what my ceiling looks like now

I like the nice bright white. Came white and 16' long. Used a roofing coil nailer and painted roofing nails white with a small brush. It has over a foot of insulation on it and I have Power washed an area after I had a RV fridge catch on fire

 

[mrpowderkeg]

Once it's up that's it, no taping, sanding, texturing, priming, painting, no nothing. The cost for me to do it in sheetrock or t&g siding, was the same as metal, the time saved imo was worth it.

 

[nine4gmc]

This I like alot. maybe that will be the hot ticket when I build my real shop. I would love to see a pic.

I have cabinets up against the side that looks more finished. Still need to trim it out and I want to add metal shields on the base boards on a 45* angle to keep sparks/slag from landing there and also make things easier to clean up.
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[GS-Louie]

lit my new garage in half. One side is storage and workshop, it has steel walls and ceiling. The other side is a meeting room, heated, cooled storage for my GS and washing in cold weather. The larger steel side is quieter than the smaller drywall side. They both have 15' ceilings with white metal.

The steel was cheaper, faster, brighter, and easier to keep clean than the wallboard.

Lou

 

[shortykorte]

Not flammable, no termites, no wood rot, easy install, easy removal, no finishing, no painting, easy cleaning and you get to do a lot of screwing

 

[INTMD8]

OK. I'll bite. I've never seen pre-painted steel wall panels that I can recall. Any details?

This is menards 'dura panel'. Similar to the exterior steel but lighter gauge. This is what they call white but looks more light gray to me. Would have preferred bright white. Pretty easy to work with.

 

[600SL]

OK. I'll bite. I've never seen pre-painted steel wall panels that I can recall. Any details?

Yes it is pretty easy to hang but kind of a pain to hang things on.

 

[D45]

I used rolling metal galvanized metal and had the lengths cut to height

Each edge overlaps one seam, so there is not any horizontal or vertical seams......looks great and holds up to dings, dents, and abused

I hate drywall...........these sheets are 24 gauge

The sheets were expensive for the 25 I needed, but it will outlast me

I bought a 5 lb box of self tapping screws made just for panels...... another $22

 

[trailnablaze]

I have the ceiling done right now, but there is a hell of an echo in there. Hoping once I get the insulation installed on it that echo will go away... Debating on doing the walls until I get this echo figured out...

 

[Jackfre]

I put 1/2" plywood 4x8' vertically and covered the lower 4' with galv sheet metal from the local HVAC supply house. I can get into any section of the wall in about 10 min. I left the galv finish. I can screw anything anywhere. I used a 2' strip at the top of each 8'ER to make the 10'. Could have put that at the bottom, but I like the look. Price of 10' sheets of ply drove that decision.

 

[TonkaJoe]

These guys all hit the nail on the head with the pros and cons.. Here's a picture or two of mine, definitely brightens up the work area with proper lighting, cleans up easily and looks great!.

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[bjcouche]

I did my walls and ceiling with metal "liner panel" which is basically just white exterior pole building metal.

I might also add that the panels are significantly lighter than a sheet of drywall, by a factor of 2 or 3. So if you are concerned about adding extra weight on your roof trusses, metal has that advantage.

I'll admit that drywall can look better, however, I'd estimate that drywall takes 3-4X the labor due to the multiple process of:
Hang the drywall, mud it, and wait 1 day.
sand it and skim coat, wait 1 day
sand it and then prime it, wait 1 day
paint it.

So a small job in drywall would take a minimum of 4 days, whereas the metal could be installed in 1 day.

 

[coljar]

This is menards 'dura panel'. Similar to the exterior steel but lighter gauge. This is what they call white but looks more light gray to me. Would have preferred bright white. Pretty easy to work with.

WOW!!! That is too nice to put cars in.................I can't believe I said that.


What kind of trusses are those? The picture cuts them off.

 

[atthebeach]

My wood shop was built with open stud walls. I attached 1/4" pressure treated plywood with screws from the floor up to the fire-blocking. It looks good, keeps things from rolling off the back of my work benches, and the fire-blocking provides a shelf that runs all around the shop. It is more durable than sheet rock, less work to install, and sections can easily be removed to gain access to electrical components.

 

[lakeroadster]

Thanks for all the input.

I looked at steel at Home Depot yesterday. Just seems way to flimsy for a shop wall and when I price it all out steel is more expensive than 4' x 8' sheets of SmartSide or Hardboard Cedar T1-11?

Seems like it might make sense for the ceiling due to the reduced weight, as Bjcouche points out.