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Painting OSB

71blackcheyenne

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Jan 6, 2008
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55
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Raymore, Sk
I sheeted the inside of my shop in OSB instead of drywall, mainly so i didnt have to mud and tape, what do you guys recommend for painting it? Spray or roll? Gonna be a semi gloss white, the building is 40x48x16, ceiling is white tin, but i cheaped out on the walls lol.
 
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1921runabout

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Oct 9, 2012
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57
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Portales, NM
I've painted large areas of OSB shelving using roller and brush and have turned out really nice. I would apply a coat of good primer and a coat of good paint. I'm one that would rather roll and brush. I always seem to do a better job with the roller and brush, and no worries of over spray on ceiling, floor, and anything nearby.

Orlando
 

tankd0g

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Mar 14, 2013
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Nova Scotia
Goes pretty quick if you have access to a sprayer, but otherwise a thick pile roller works well on OSB. Make sure to prime well first.
 

TOOL_MONGER

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Oct 23, 2012
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182
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So. Dak.
Lots of paint and an airless sprayer. My shop/garage is 28x36 with 2 9x8 garage doors and 2 3' man doors + windows and it took over 20 gallons to cover. OSB ***** it in and some parts sseem to bleed through. good luck
 

Vegaman_Dan

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Pacific, WA
Lots of paint and an airless sprayer. My shop/garage is 28x36 with 2 9x8 garage doors and 2 3' man doors + windows and it took over 20 gallons to cover. OSB ***** it in and some parts sseem to bleed through. good luck

A good sealing primer will solve that issue by sealing the surface for color coats on top.
 

Bib Overalls

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Dec 4, 2006
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Jonesboro, Arkansas
I usually give OSB two coats of Kilz II before I apply the finish coats (usually 2).

The other day I had a couple of 4'x4' OSB panels to paint white and decided to skip the Kilz and use some latex that I had sitting around. I had a yucky brown bleed through and I wound up putting of 4 very heavy coats to get coverage.

I use a rough texture roller and keep a paint brush handy. There are always spots that need to be "dabbled" a bit.

Walls in the picture are 2 coats of Kilz II and 2 latex top coats.
 

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Samiam1017

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Mar 22, 2013
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I would have them tint a good sealing primer to close to the color you want. Spray and backroll it. Then put on two coats of finish. Spray and backroll them also.
 

911mike

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May 22, 2010
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michigan
Always used non waterbase primer as the OSB is water base glues. The solvent type primers leaves smooth surface. I used a 3/4" nap roller and it went really fast. 90 minutes a coat for a 25 x 48 garage and that just me painting.
 

M3rl3n

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Apr 23, 2011
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911mike - I've thought about OSB over 1/2 in ply, but I would hate seeing the texture of the OSB through the paint... especially using a semi -gloss or gloss. In your post you're implying that you can get the surface smooth with just the primer and paint? I have thought I could always smooth out the OSB with bondo or drywall mud. Thoughts?
 

shaune

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Dec 5, 2006
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186
Location
La Ronge Sask
I have tin on ceiling and OSB on walls. Painted with a roller, one coat primer. One coat white. There is some bleed through and you can certainly see the texture but for my requirement....... Good enough.
 

hgmjbkfm

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Mar 28, 2013
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Goes pretty quick if you have access to a sprayer
6h.jpg
 

Zeke

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Long Beach CA, the sewer by the sea.
Lots of people are fond of spraying. I have a very nice professional Graco and seldom use it unless there are ceilings involved and more than 5 gallons. Otherwise the set up and clean up is an hour that you could be painting. That's not to mention any masking involved. I've been painting professionally since 1970 (along with other construction).

I recommend Zinser over Kilz. My paint store won't sell Kilz because of the complaints. Just sayin'. Wasn't my decision.
 

ddawg16

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Jul 11, 2008
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S. California
I have a less expensive airless unit....I only use it when I have a lot of painting to do....as Zek said, the clean up takes longer than the actual painting....but if you have a lot to do...it's great.

71....one question...please confirm that this is a detached garage?
 

MarkG

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May 23, 2012
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Elgin, IL
hmmmmm..........if I were you, I would re-think that. OSB is very rough and coarse-textured. If your reasoning is to 'avoid taping', then why not just go ahead with drywall and not tape it? At least then you'd still have a nice smooth surface (just not the un-finished joints and fasters), which you'll never get with OSB!! Then, down the road if you or someone else wants it smooth, it would at least be possible to really finish it off with proper drywall taping and re-paint it.
Another more durable alternative would be MDO (medium density overlay) plywood, which we use in the sign business to make sign faces. Basically, plywood with an impregnated paper face which will be smooth as glass, if you want it to be! Of course, this doesn't have the tapered edges that drywall has, so taping it at some point in the future would not be a good option if you went this route.

OSB is just a rough, nasty, dirt and dust-trapping, splinter-filled mess that I'd avoid as a 'finished' wall surface at all costs, but everyone likes something different! It's basically rough, large splinters pressed and glued into a wafer-----something you'll remember every time you brush against it! :S Do it once------do it right. It won't be much more work.
 
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creativecars

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Nov 15, 2010
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Indiana- where horse and buggies still roam
hmmmmm..........if I were you, I would re-think that. OSB is very rough and coarse-textured. If your reasoning is to 'avoid taping', then why not just go ahead with drywall and not tape it? At least then you'd still have a nice smooth surface (just not the un-finished joints and fasters), which you'll never get with OSB!! Then, down the road if you or someone else wants it smooth, it would at least be possible to really finish it off with proper drywall taping and re-paint it.
Another more durable alternative would be MDO (medium density overlay) plywood, which we use in the sign business to make sign faces. Basically, plywood with an impregnated paper face which will be smooth as glass, if you want it to be! Of course, this doesn't have the tapered edges that drywall has, so taping it at some point in the future would not be a good option if you went this route.

OSB is just a rough, nasty, dirt and dust-trapping, splinter-filled mess that I'd avoid as a 'finished' wall surface at all costs, but everyone likes something different! It's basically rough, large splinters pressed and glued into a wafer-----something you'll remember every time you brush against it! :S Do it once------do it right. It won't be much more work.

Simple:

He can hang moderate weight items anywhere he wants.
Cant do that with sheetrock.
Way more water resistant than MDO.
 

911mike

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May 22, 2010
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494
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michigan
911mike - I've thought about OSB over 1/2 in ply, but I would hate seeing the texture of the OSB through the paint... especially using a semi -gloss or gloss. In your post you're implying that you can get the surface smooth with just the primer and paint? I have thought I could always smooth out the OSB with bondo or drywall mud. Thoughts?

I'm sorry to miss lead you. I mean't it will be smoother using a oil based primer. The water base makes the wood separate a little. I have read where people mix in drywall compound into latex paint and roll it on with a thick nap roller. I think a good paint job on OSB does make it look much better but let's be honest it like perfume on a pig.
 

GRX

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Dec 4, 2006
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2,032
Location
MD
Did the inside of my garage with OSB. An industrial sprayer which drops into the 5-gal bucket was employed to apply two layers of ultra white paint. Turned out rather nice.
 
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arnwoodwheels

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Jan 18, 2012
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132
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North of San Diego South of LA
I hate the look of painted OSB.
At a factory I worked at we decided to try OSB on some walls because everyplace that was drywall was constancy having holes punched in it from carts and such.
The OSB sucked up a lot of primer and after painting the texture looked like ****.
So we covered the OSB with a wallpaper under-lament product (forgot the real name).
After paint it looked really nice. The under lament product was cheap,pre-plastered and went up really fast. I think the product came 36" wide. Costs less than painting. I think you can now get it pre-finished so you don't even need to paint.
That is what we used all over the place afterwards in place of drywall.
 

cburnscrx

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Jan 15, 2013
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Indianapolis
Lots of people are fond of spraying. I have a very nice professional Graco and seldom use it unless there are ceilings involved and more than 5 gallons. Otherwise the set up and clean up is an hour that you could be painting. That's not to mention any masking involved. I've been painting professionally since 1970 (along with other construction).

I recommend Zinser over Kilz. My paint store won't sell Kilz because of the complaints. Just sayin'. Wasn't my decision.

+1

Zinnser over Kilz every time! I've had way better luck with Zinnser, and there's really no difference in price.
 

plym49

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Sep 11, 2008
Messages
32
I would varnish it with the clear of your choice. A good,heavy coating will fill in the voids and the rich wood color really comes out - with the 'flakes' reflecting light at different angles. Try it in clear first and if you hate it you can always paint over it.
 

jvitez

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Nov 30, 2009
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2,429
Location
Big Sky Country, Canada
1. Cover all the OSB with 3/8 drywall. You'll still have to mud/tape/paint, but it'll be a breeze to paint using cheap PVA drywall sealer and a top coat of your choice. Plus, you'll still be able to hang brackets anywhere you want with the OSB underneath.

2. If you really want to paint the OSB directly, I agree with Zeke: use a roller. I'd use a thick nap roller with an oil-based stain-blocking primer, put it on thick, you might need a second coat, then two coats of latex top coat paint. This will last for a very long time. I always use upper-quality paint. Cheap paint fades/flakes/looks bad really fast and your labour is the same.

Around here the best balance between price and quality is buying the second or rarely the third best from the paint company's top of the line paint. I doesn't matter much which company. There seems to be more similarity between the same level of paint across different companies than there is between levels of quality within the same company.
 

Jamech

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Jan 28, 2010
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213
Location
Tennessee
I've wondered about painting my osb walls with some type of concrete (cinder) block paint or masonry/stucco paint to smooth out the texture.

Oil base primer is a good idea as a first coat.
I would use a thick nap roller.
 

jvitez

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Big Sky Country, Canada
tankd0g: why bother with OSB plus Weldbond? If you want a smooth finish get G1S plywood, or construction grade plywood and skim coat with drywall mud.
 

jvitez

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Big Sky Country, Canada
Oh, if you need waterproof just use vinyl siding like carwashes. OSB is the worst thing for flaking if exposed to water. Even if the Weldbond works, what if it cracks or a hole is punched into accidentally, and water gets in through there? Are you planning to wash vehicles in your garage?
 

tankd0g

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Mar 14, 2013
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Nova Scotia
Oh, if you need waterproof just use vinyl siding like carwashes. OSB is the worst thing for flaking if exposed to water. Even if the Weldbond works, what if it cracks or a hole is punched into accidentally, and water gets in through there? Are you planning to wash vehicles in your garage?

I have seen sofit mounted vertically for a garage interior before and it looks really good and washes easily but I'm not going to go that far. I'm not going to be washing them but will pressure wash the mud off the underside when it's on the lift occasionally. I'm going to put all my outlets above this 4 foot section, so whatever I put on there is going to be easy to replace because it will get holes in it, burnt, and stained with undercoating etc. just like the stuff in my existing garage. I used ranchwall there but I didn't coat it with anything. I've got some sheets of 1/2" OSB left over from a shed I was going to expand but didn't, so that's getting used first, after that maybe I'll spring for plywood. I wasn't even going to paint it with anything but I am curious to see how well that Weldbond works, I'm going to try it on a section of floor also to see if it's the real deal. Thank you for your suggestions.
 

roofingquotes

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Feb 15, 2013
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San Francisco, CA 94124
In painting OSB choose the best primer first. Choose paint that are oil-based. Don't use water-based paints because they'll peel off over the time and make the OSB look unattractive.
 

laser3kw

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Nov 17, 2012
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7,276
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northen IL
I will be doing this by the end of the month. Good recommendations. I googled the Zinsser and came up here
zinseer paint
which one am I after? I will be doing the interior of a 30 x 40. I plan on white and maybe a color accent after the base coat.
 
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Fortress68

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Oct 23, 2012
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56
Location
Norfolk, VA

Icky1911

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Mar 31, 2013
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I went with T1-11 and didn't stain or paint it. Drywall is subject to getting dirty and if you have young kids its subject to getting holes in it!
 

Fortress68

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Oct 23, 2012
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Norfolk, VA
I used the "deck restore" product i posted earlier on our front walk today. It goes on super thick, and looks like it has traction additive added already (which the directions hinted at) it isn't bad price wise and covers well. I don't know about longevity, and it supposedly does not work the best on vertical surfaces, but I have seen stairs risers done just fine, and you could always "paint" the OSB before mounting it. It is no more expensive than average paint, coming in at $25ish a gallon, but expect a gallon to cover maybe 2 4x8 pieces of material. (It recommends two coats, but covers fine in one for non-traffic surfaces.) It's available in a large variety of colors as well.
 

M3rl3n

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Apr 23, 2011
Messages
19
I'm sorry to miss lead you. I mean't it will be smoother using a oil based primer. The water base makes the wood separate a little. I have read where people mix in drywall compound into latex paint and roll it on with a thick nap roller. I think a good paint job on OSB does make it look much better but let's be honest it like perfume on a pig.

"perfume on a pig" I like that!!

Thanks!!
 

jlckmj

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Dec 7, 2009
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SE Wiscosin
I just sprayed two moderate coats of normal latex paint on mine with great results.

Where I had a gap between sheets I caulked with cheap painters caulk and spread it out with a putty knife, you cant see the seems unless you are looking for them.

Jim
 

arrowhead

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Dec 11, 2008
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681
Location
Stillwater, NY
I used this product before and was toying with the idea of using it to cover over osb. It's washable and pretty durable, but you couldn't use it with out some kind of substrate. Might get expensive if you have a large area, but would eliminate multiple layers of paint and give you a real smooth surface. Plus you can use it as a dry erase board!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202090...ling&storeId=10051&N=25ecodZ5yc1v&R=202090193
 

Jamie V

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Jun 10, 2012
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Atco, NJ
I'm getting ready to paint my garage today. I did 7/16 OSB on the ceiling and stapled it up with 2" staples. The walls are 3/4" T&G OSB. I hope it turns out good.

uta4yda3.jpg


ranu8e6u.jpg
 
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