questions

[dnifong]

Greetings. I just stumbled on this site. I building my first garage/work shop. 24 X 32 with 10 foot walls. attic storage with stairwell. My son and law have muddled through the whole thing. we didnt do the concrete or the shingles but everything else.

Now its time to "wall" the inside. insulation is done and the ceiling is up. "plywood"

Questions: I know this has been asked before. Should I use Sheetrock or something else on the walls?

what is nice to have inside the walls before they are closed?

Can I put PVC inside the walls for the air lines?

Central Vac?

thanks,
Dale

 

[autowerks9]

1. run away from the pcv for air lines..best is black pipe or copper. I would not run them inside the walls, expecially pvc. ( do a search on this, has been discussed here at length)

2. central vac is a good idea. I have a single unit with a 20" hose inside my 22x24 garage.

3. Drywall should work for standard day to day work. Although plywood is pretty cheap now a days. If you burry alot of the piping into the walls it will be harder to get through unless you screw the board down and leave the screws exposed.

4. before you close the walls.?? Internet, CATV, telephone, hand wash sink, urinal, Stereo speaker cable..ect

 

[ghnl]

Put in lots of electrical outlets & plan for adequate overhead lighting. Seperate them & the lights into different circuits so if you trip a circuit breaker you won't lose the lights. Plan for at least 1 or 2 heavy duty outlets for an air compressor &/or welding machine.

PVC is not advised for compressed air - even though many have used it and not been hurt (yet...).

Sheet rock/drywall is fast & fairly cheap. It paints well and painting the walls/ceiling a light color helps keep the garage bright. Some have sheated the inside walls with OSB. It is not expensive, very sturdy, can be painted (but it will always look like painted OSB) and - perhaps a big plus - you can mount things anywhere easily.

How about heat &/or A/C?

BTW, we need to see some pictures. We likes pictures.

 

[Kevin54]

Greetings. I just stumbled on this site. I building my first garage/work shop. 24 X 32 with 10 foot walls. attic storage with stairwell. My son and law have muddled through the whole thing. we didnt do the concrete or the shingles but everything else.

Now its time to "wall" the inside. insulation is done and the ceiling is up. "plywood"

Questions: I know this has been asked before. Should I use Sheetrock or something else on the walls?

what is nice to have inside the walls before they are closed?

Can I put PVC inside the walls for the air lines?

Central Vac?

thanks,
Dale

Probably one of the most discussed subjects in the history of airlines. DO NOT USE PVC!!!!!!!!!
Do a search for PVC air lines and you will bring up a buttload of threads about it. PVC is for running water and draining ****. PVC will shatter, If you want to run air, do it the proper way and either use copper or black iron.
You should have let the sleeping dog lie.

Move along people. No PVC air lines mentioned here....Move along now.

 

[little d]

dnifong, since your doing it yourself, and ya got the time, get a copula chairs and your son-in-law, and maybe your wife. set in the middle of your shop and relay think it out. whats going to be in there, and where is everything going to go. get some chalk, or markers and lay everything out. once ya get everything nailed down, ya can put in your outlets, central vac, cable, Internet, air, ect... now is the time to get it right, ***** to have to go back and redo something. as far as the walls, rock, or osb works just fine, just remember to keep it off of the floor, i like about 3/4 of a inch. good luck, and post some pics when ya get done, little d.

 

[Zrexxer]

what is nice to have inside the walls before they are closed?

If you're going to put in cabinets, it's sure nice to put in nailers before you drywall so that you don't have to worry about hitting the studs when you screw them to the wall.

 

[dnifong]

thanks for all of the inputs. Ive blown most of the budget all ready. Economics might drive the sheetrock decision.

as far as pvc air lines. What about metal leaving the compressor for 10 feet or more, and then switching to pvc for the long runs? also, if they are behind the sheetrock, does that provide much protection? just asking? my buddy has had pvc in his shop for 16 years. about 10 years ago the plastic connection to the compressor split, but did not cause any damage. he replaced that section with metal. he works in the shop almost every day.

thanks again,
dale

 

[Sokoloff]

PVC piping for compressed air is a pipe bomb. Lots of people get away with, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

 

[akdiesel]

If you put the air lines in the wall I would suggest copper lines. Many of years use with copper in the walls for water lines and no issues of leaks if done correctly. Threaded lines like the steel pipe can produce leaks when the pipe dope breaks down over years. Go atleast 3/4" or 1" in the walls if you can afford it.
It may not be a bad idea to wrap the piping with the black foam pipe insulation that has the sticky back to lock together. This will keep any condensation that may build on the lines close to the compressor and create mold in the walls.
These lines will contract and expand more than the water lines since air compressor cycles in broad range. Make sure you allow for that in the walls. If not you may get squeeks or buckling.
As for the central air vac lines in the walls, I wish I had that in my shop. That is an excelent Idea for a 3 or more car garage.

 

[ghnl]

You can use PVC if you insist. The problem is that when under pressure if the PVC pipe fails if might shatter. Imagine plastic shards flying around like shrapnel. Those pipes are designed for water under pressure. If a pipe holding water under pressure bursts, all pressure is immediately gone. Compressed air holds a lot of energy.

In theory even typical copper pipe is only designed for water. But it is stronger than and much less likely to shatter vs PVC. I use copper pipe. IIRC, it is sold in two versions, one having a slightly thicker wall. Use that one.

 

[dnifong]

thanks again. I had already purchased the PVC but did not do the install today. I went to Home Depot and priced other options. It will be a couple hundred bucks to use black pipe but i'll feel better. the rep said run down the wall metal and use pvc in the attic. . "dont know bout that" but it would save about a hundred. another rep said to use the flexable plastic pipe and the push connectors. I could not find a pressure rating. I'll have to save the bucks somewhere else

 

[tonydanzah]

nylon air brake line is the way to go flexible and tough "the flexible plastic pipe with push connectors" is rated at 275psi

 

[brownbagg]

drywll is fire code but no cheap anymore, everytime you lean a shovel handle against it , it will poke a hole. Alot of people dont like it but plywood the way to go, you can always paint it white.

now if you trying for a pretty boy garage to park your porche in. of course go with sheet rock, and the stupid red stripe painted around the room. it be purity

 

[ghnl]

TP Tools has a diagram of how to run air lines. Keep in mind there will be some moisture in the compressed air. You need to plan for that - how to get rid of it and how to keep it out of your tools or painting equipment.

And you can paint a red stripe if you want.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I just did my compressor room with drywall, and it looks really nice, but I decided to go with 1/2" BC plywood on the shop walls, because I had a concrete block shop before, and I loved being able to hang things anywhere I wanted to. I am running mine right now, and installed it vertically for less staggering of seams. It is $18.35 a sheet here at Lowes. I was sick of drywall dust by the time I got through with the compressor room. I put all the convenience outlets in the wall, but will surface mount the heavier welder circuits, air lines, and such, because I can place and position equipment until I'm satisfied, then run the circuits in conduit or pipe vertically from the attic down the wall. I've had a shop all my adult life, and I have found that a shop gets rearranged as it grows and equipment is added.

RJ

 

[XSive]

I just sheeted the ceiling and a couple of walls in my garage with this Pro-Rib sheeting, in bright white of course, and bought it at Menards... I love it. Very bright and nice looking. Super easy to install. No taping and dust etc as well!!

http://www.midwestmanufacturing.com...tLine.do?groupId=7&productTypeId=45&lineId=23

 

[kbs2244]

What everybody looks at on the PVC is the pressure rating and thinking that will work for an air compressor.
But that rating is a shock rating, for water hammer, not a continuous rating like a compressor set up.
Go with the black pipe.
It will be one of the best $100.00 you ever spent.

 

[brokenknee]

First I will admit I did not do a search on the topic of air lines. But I thought about using PEX tubing, it is rated for 300PSI and is not suppose to get brittle like PVC. Another plus is you can get it in 500 foot rolls right from the home center without special ordering.

Just a thought.

 

[dnifong]

OK, you've scared the heck outa me about the PVC. I'm taking it back. Can I use type M, thin wall copper safely? thanks, dale

 

[RbrtAWhyt]

what is nice to have inside the walls before they are closed?

Lots of insulation...

 

[Shocker]

Use L copper.