Painting OSB

[derbycityracer]

Long time lurker, first time poster. Has anyone tried any types of special paint or epoxy on OSB? I have a 30'x40'x10' garage that I built and was wondering if there was some way try and smooth the roughness of OSB. I am trying to stay away from drywall, so I put white metal on the ceiling, and am looking at using OSB for the cost,and I also like the idea of unscrewing it if you want to add or change something.Any imput would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Vicegrip]

paint only seems to make it rougher.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Prime it with Kilz oil based primer first, then paint it.

Charles

 

[JRGSPE73]

for Kilz. It's a little bit more expensive that regular primer, but the stuff works.

 

[tbgallant]

I have done this, just used oil based primer and latex cover. I think it looks fine, much better than I had expected after listening to some of the folks in here on how they 'thought' it would look.

Of course you can tell when you are up close and focusing on it.. but who cares. I choose OSB over giprock for the same reasons (easy to remove, easy to screw into, cheap).

Tim

 

[PAToyota]

Another trick is to use Kilz or oil based primer (to seal it) and then put a coat of "block filler" primer over it. This smoothes things out so that you don't get the "pattern" of the fibers. Then latex paint over the top of that. More work, but comes out nice and smooth in the end.

 

[garagejunkie]

I have to agree with tbgallant.I used osb board & it looks great.I did two coats of kilz oil based primer & two coats of high gloss white latex.I used a roller so it was a little time consuming but the garage sure seems bright.

 

[sharpshooter]

I Have used sheet rock mud to put a thin coat over the texture, a little light sanding and it almost looks like drywall, it will make it alot smooter than it is now. It would take some time but it would get the desired effect that your looking for. I done this in my utility room and just by looking at it you cant really tell.

 

[kbs2244]

Do the math before you buy.
I don't like OSB. I think it is ugly and weak.
If you have to spend a lot of money on expensive paints to cover up the ugly, all you have is a pretty, but still weak, wall.
Compare that cost againt a 3/8 plywood wall with anybodys cheap semi-gloss paint. You will have a smoother, nicer wall with the strengh to put a screw that won't pull out in it anywhere.

 

[Ezzie]

I'm not sure the math works out. 7/16" OSB is $6.27/sheet CDN at the local Home Depot. 3/8" plywood is a lot more flimsy (sagging between 16" joists?) and you still have to prime & paint it to get it white. What is the cost of the plywood + paint?

???

 

[malibu101]

Do the math before you buy.
I don't like OSB. I think it is ugly and weak.
If you have to spend a lot of money on expensive paints to cover up the ugly, all you have is a pretty, but still weak, wall.
Compare that cost againt a 3/8 plywood wall with anybodys cheap semi-gloss paint. You will have a smoother, nicer wall with the strengh to put a screw that won't pull out in it anywhere.

I fully agree. I put up OSB as a cheap wall material (I didn't care about fire resistance). I personally don't mind the look BUT, as you said, forget about putting any screws in and expecting them to hold any weight.
For that reason alone I wish I'd have put plywood up. The way I use my garage, drywall is not an option.

 

[kbs2244]

I don't know your local costs. That is why you have to do it.

What I am saying is that a good, if expensive, substrate that takes an inexpenssive finish coat, may be less expensive overall then a cheap substrate that takes a lot of expensive coating to cover up the ugly.

I have it to be true with women also.

 

[nonhog]

Some resturant in the Tacoma area has some sort of clear on osb and it looks kinda cool , my wife wants me to do that in my new shop I'm not yet sold on that idea , considering it ?
I'll see about getting a pic.

 

[Steve in Mi]

There is OSB and then there is OSB. Different grades available including even a furnature grade which is probably what was used in the resturant mentioned. This FG OSB is pricy. I refer you to the Grant website for details but not pricing. Some OSB material is not a full 4' X 8' (purposly undersize to allow for the use of clips in roof decking installations) so you can come up short for studs if your looking to lay it up tight and some isn't even close to square cut. I had to sort thru a bunch before I found the material I bought.

I know that Kilz is a great product but I went a different route at the recommendation of Gliden/ICI as I was using their finish product. As I see it the main thing to avoid with OSB is prolonged moisture and applying a water base paint can be prolonged enough to cause wood fibers to lift and separate (doesn't look good at all). Another concern of mine was bleed thru from the fasteners (screws in my case and yes Kilz will solve this problem too) with water based products. Gliden provided a product that was geared to eliminating these two potential problems called "Glid-Seal", a very fast drying water based clear sealer that is best applied using spray application because it is thin like water. I wanted to roll it on so the suggestion was to mix the sealer with paint (1:2) for the primer coat. Worked out good!

I had 167 sheets of OSB to hang (bath is drywalled) and saved the larger scrap pieces for the walls in a small electrical repair room where most would be covered with cabinets and cupboards. It was in this last room to be sheeted that I tried skim coating with drywall mud - it is extra work, much more work than I would have been willing to put into the whole shop but it can be done with very satisfactory results. BTW, I can't even imagine the problem a couple of posters mention about screws pulling out.

 

[signshop]

I love the Kilz primer but, I'd use the exterior latex (kilz2) instead. It works the same but it's a bit thicker, stinks less, dries quicker and cleans up easier. Plus with a shop the moisture is less of a problem with the exterior kilz. I use it outdoor version for signs all the time. It really helps to hide some of the texture of many of the woods and foams that I use.

 

[6768rogues]

I used OSB with three quickly rolled on coats of Mr. Seconds latex wall paint. No primer, just roll on the paint. The paint was dirt cheap, in a 5 gallon bucket, and looks great after 10 years.

 

[Donzi4me]

Ceilings and walls are all 7/16 OSB. Caulked the corners and seams. 1 coat of primmer followed by 2 coats of final color. Sanding and Muding drywall *****...

 

[nonhog]

The place was a lil grocery store "Tacoma Boys" heres some pics
(camera phone)

 

[shunting]

I used 7/16" OSB caulked at all seams and corners. Applied 1 coat of Kiltz2 with 2 coats of exterior latex from Lowes. Dirt cheap and looks great.

 

[Tempsho]

Correct me if I am wrong guys, but with OSB, are you supposed to use oil based paint for the first few coats? Isnt Kilz2 water based? Wouldnt that cause issues if you used it for the first coat? I am doing my 24'x14' garage with OSB, just trying to figure out the best option for painting it.

 

[Bevis]

what caulking to use on the seams and corners?? Is it best to nail or use screws??

 

[1320stang]

There's water based Kilz and oil based Kilz.

 

[64merc]

Correct me if I am wrong guys, but with OSB, are you supposed to use oil based paint for the first few coats? Isnt Kilz2 water based? Wouldnt that cause issues if you used it for the first coat? I am doing my 24'x14' garage with OSB, just trying to figure out the best option for painting it.

What's the problem with using water based paint or primer on OSB??

 

[Tempsho]

I thought I read somewhere that the water based paint will soak into the wood chip layers and cause it to bubble or warp. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[AfroSheen]

Hi... new here and like what I see.
But lemme get this straight, Prime with Kiltz oil primer x2 then a latex paint x2

 

[dcjredline]

I used Sherwin Williams primer and paint, dont remember if it was oil or water based but it worked out GREAT! It is what I will be using for the rest of the walls too.

 

[Engineer2283]

I thought I read somewhere that the water based paint will soak into the wood chip layers and cause it to bubble or warp. Maybe I'm wrong.

I finished insulating and covering the open-stud walls in my garage with OSB a week or so ago, with 2 coats of Olympic exterior satin on the OSB. The paint did cause some very minor bubbling of the wood chips... maybe 2 or 3 bubbles per full sheet of OSB. The bubbles were about the size of a quarter, so unless you know they're there they aren't noticeable. If they are... put up some tasty metal motorcycle/automotive signs.

I thought about using drywall, but with the lower cost of OSB and not having to tape and mud the joints I was sold. Plus this is not my dream house, much less my dream garage, so the OSB has worked very well for what I was after.

 

[Defender Chassis]

The only reason I can see as why you wouldnt want to use a water based product for the first coat is because it might raise the grain but since OSB has a pronounced texture I dont see any issue.

 

[Absea]

I hung my osb with the smooth side down. I thought it was supposed to be hung that way. Will I still be able to paint it?

 

[d110pickup]

I hung my osb with the smooth side down. I thought it was supposed to be hung that way. Will I still be able to paint it?

Sure, but it's going to soak up quite a bit more paint. I recently painted the painted the interior in my shop http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10218
and the smooth side sucked up the first coat. I used Valspar Duramax semi-gloss exterior latex and it looks great. You'll also need to spray it or use a roller cover made for a rough surface.
Mike

 

[Dragster Racer]

Which is the smooth side? There is the side that you can really see the chips, and the side that you don't so much see the chips, but is very course feeling. I hung like the above picture with the chips showing. I used a sprayer, and it really hauled ****! One coat of water based primer and one coat of white semigloss. I did my 40 by 40 ceiling in a short work day. Most of the time was covering up stuff and moving the scaffold since the ceilings are 16 foot. The nice thing about spraying that high is that you don't have to cover the floor. It is dry by the time it gets there, and you just sweep it up.

 

[Absea]

Thanks for the reply guys. The side with the lines and rougher texture is the side I have to paint. I plan to use Kilz oil based primer, but should I use some other kind of wood sealer first?

 

[hetkind]

I just hung well over 1,200 sq ft of OSB in the shop...install and caulk, two light coats of glidden "gripper" primer/sealer with very minor bubbling, then a top coat of Behr Ultra White gloss. So far 8 gallons pimer, 3 top coat including shelving and work benches.

I like OSB, it just needs a little extra attention when you go to paint.

Howard

 

[D KRAGER]

Somewhere (I'm sure on this forum) I read about someone mixing in a small amount of drywall mudd in with the primer. This made it thicker and filled in the voids making a smoother finish. ??? Don't know though I've never tried it.

 

[J Stone]

I painted the OSB in my garage 3 years ago. I first primed with Kilz latex primer then 2 coats of pure white latex. Really brightened up the garage. The OSB was in the garage already, not a fan of the stuff but it does look a lot better with the white paint

 

[Absea]

Thanks for the reply guys. The side with the lines and rougher texture is the side I have to paint. I plan to use Kilz oil based primer, but should I use some other kind of wood sealer first?

Any issues with painting the rough side?

 

[Racer_X]

Any opinions on using gloss versus semi-gloss (white) paint?

 

[JOHNMAN]

Some good advice here.

I would advise (as others have) to caulk all nail holes and joints. Then prime, prime again, then paint about 3-4 good coats.

My experience is that it takes several coats to fill in between the strands and make it look like something. After several coats, it looks presentable. I'm still doing a ceiling and I'm not liking it, but it does look better and reflects more light (the main reason for painting it).

Good luck to you.

 

[Shocker]

One good coat of Kilz oil primer. 1 coat Walmart Color Place semi gloss exterior. Looks good to me. I don't see the point in going for the smooth perfect finish for a working shop.

If it is a showcase type of shop, then go with drywall.

I painted my to give me more reflectivity of the lighting. Looks good from 20 feet.

 

[Absea]

One good coat of Kilz oil primer. 1 coat Walmart Color Place semi gloss exterior. Looks good to me. I don't see the point in going for the smooth perfect finish for a working shop.

If it is a showcase type of shop, then go with drywall.

I painted my to give me more reflectivity of the lighting. Looks good from 20 feet.

You think I should go with exterior paint for the semi-gloss? How about the oil based primer.....exterior too?