Seeking help and opinions

[jkrswld]

So here's some pics of the current state of my garage. I scored some free insulation from a friend and got 2 of the walls done. I need to do the 3rd and the ceiling yet. I plan to throw OSB on ceiling and walls when done. The floor is going to get some drylock paint + flakes. I'm 25 and will not be staying here forever, so I don't want to invest the time/money of epoxy. With my basic usage I think the paint will be fine and 100% better looking than it does right now, even if some bits come up now and then.

Usage: Basic car maintenance and projects. Oil changes, brakes, tune ups, etc. No welding and likely very little grinding. I have a small propane torpedo heater that I'll use when I'm out there in the winter. It is detached and I have no need to have it stay at a particular temperature - I just want it to hold the heat a bit better when I'm out there. I'm in Wisconsin so winters can get pretty silly.

So, what would everybody recommend for doing the ceiling? I found some insulation on craigslist that seems to be the right width for the walls (16") but the trusses are more like 22 or 24" if I remember right. I think the ad on craigslist said 6 inches thick - so it is possible it may compress just a bit. Will that destroy the insulation value? With my usage, would it be worth it to just throw the 15" wide insulation into the 24" space, or should I cut strips off and make sure the space between trusses are filled? I mean, I know it would be best to do so but with my usage - is it going to make a noticeable difference?

Also if anybody has any tips on storage/organization please let me know. I've used some things I've found here already but am always looking to maximize space and efficiency.

I can take more pics as requested. Sorry for huge size, I didn't resize them before uploading. Would it be better to just link?

 

[ddawg16]

Drywall and paint on both the walls and ceiling.....you would be amazed at how much light it will give you and how much cleaner it will stay....

 

[dittle fart around]

Fiberglass insulation is made in 24 inch wide rolls. Your ceiling is built on 24" centers, so the actual space is 1-5/8" less that 24. If you use the 15" from craigslist, it's going to be pain to cut it all up into 24 inch chunks. Insulation is cheap buy some that fits.

 

[jkrswld]

Alright, I'll have to find some 24" wide stuff. I do plan on putting up OSB and painting it all as well. I don't want to mess with drywall because I 1)don't have a clue how to do it properly and 2) don't want to hassle with having to find studs anytime I want to hang something up. I also like the idea of the OSB being more "replaceable" should a piece get water damage or something.

As far as putting the OSB up.... The walls are (I'm at work so not 100% sure) a bit over 8 feet high by 24 feet long. What's going to be the best orientation, and also the best way to accommodate for that (potential)few inch strip?

 

[slickgt1]

Yea get insulation that fits. It will make a difference.

OSB will look like **** in a year, and how often do you expect to be hanging stuff on a wall.

If you plan ahead, make some blocking between the studs where you expect to hang stuff. Painting OSB will be a pain in the *** too, and just won't reflect as much light as sheetrock.

 

[jkrswld]

I'm not terribly worried about the light. This pic is a bit older but my lights are the same. There's three 4 foot 6500k tubes and 5 65w or 100w replacement 6500k CFLs. It is quite bright and I know it'll only get better once I paint surfaces.
edit: resized

 

[slickgt1]

Sheetrock is also to code. OSB is not fire rated. Its up to you though.

And all the imperfections in OSB will be a dust trap. If you going to go through the effort of making is smooth, you might as well do sheetrock. And speaking of which, you can order yourself 10' sheetrock, cut to size and stand up entire sheets.

 

[jkrswld]

Hmmm. I'm not terribly worried about code, since it is detached and constructed with 2x4 and OSB sheeting as it is....or am I an idiot assuming adding more of the same is OK?

 

[mdbeck1]

Alright, I'll have to find some 24" wide stuff. I do plan on putting up OSB and painting it all as well. I don't want to mess with drywall because I 1)don't have a clue how to do it properly and 2) don't want to hassle with having to find studs anytime I want to hang something up. I also like the idea of the OSB being more "replaceable" should a piece get water damage or something.

As far as putting the OSB up.... The walls are (I'm at work so not 100% sure) a bit over 8 feet high by 24 feet long. What's going to be the best orientation, and also the best way to accommodate for that (potential)few inch strip?

Sorry for the lengthy post.

Yes, buy the 24" wide insulation.

Buy a stud finder. They are cheap. They make finding studs pretty easy. BTW most walls have studs every 16" so once you find one just measure over 16".

Get real on the water damage. I've lived in this house 17 years and about 2 years ago finally remodeled the bathroom. Most of the sheetrock wasn't a problem. The studs next to the leaking water line were reduced to dirt. The sheetrock was fine. You don't replace wall covering very often but if you want OSB by all means put it up.

My garage also has walls that are slightly over 8' tall. If you look closely it probably also slopes toward the doors and gets taller. The original designer of my garage put the ceiling in first. That reduced the overall wall height by 5/8" (yes they used 5/8" sheetrock EVERYWHERE in my house that I have found). Then they stood up 8' tall sheets of rock against the ceiling. The remaining couple of inches were covered with 5/8 plywood with a piece of 1X4 for trim as baseboard. The 1X4 covers the plywood and an inch or so of the sheetrock.

When we remodeled the bathroom our plumber put us in contact with a crew that did tape and bed. They charged us under $200 to do the whole bathroom and utility room. They were in for part of a day for three days and matched the texture on the ceiling and walls of the rest of the house. It removed a fight between the wife and I. Well worth the money.

 

[mmurphy]

Learning to do drywall is easily learned. Best place to learn would be in a garage. If you have imperfect cuts and joints, fiberglass tape an mud does miracles. Just do not try to put to much on at a time and make gradual tapers. I have watched people (including myself for a few projects) put mud on, sand it off, put it on, sand it off. Now when I do a project very rarely do any sanding.
Some one already mentioned stud finders, and there is a cheap little magnet style that is nice to find nails or screws.

 

[slickgt1]

Did you ever see threads where people's garages burnt to the ground. Yea that extra 10 minutes of fire resistance could be the difference between a bonfire and a saved structure. OSB will burn like you don't know. Plus a garage, with a **** load of chemicals, electrical, working tools, a fire can happen. Me personally, I would not leave just OSB. If you really really want OSB, at least cover it with sheetrock. But if you do that, its double work, and money, might as well go with just sheetrock.

Yea find a company that will put it up and tape it. Trust me, it won't be that much, and will look great.

 

[jkrswld]

Pretty compelling arguments for sheetrock. I guess my biggest mental hurdle is the fact that its just OSB right now...but maybe you guys are saying that if I'm going to put in time and money I might as well add the fire resistance too? Decisions decisions...

 

[Falcon67]

You should be able to find the 22 1/2" R-19 insulation at any of the home centers. R-19 is for a 2x6 wall, which is what the bottom of your trusses look like from here. It will come as batts and not as a roll - at least I can't find 22 1/2" rolls anymore locally. Most construction is 16" OC, so why carry the 24" OC stuff except for older retrofit. Lots of older houses here, so we at least have some available.

 

[Will67]

I hired the sons of a Sheetrock contractor...these guys worked years and years for their father who is a licensed and bonded contractor. They said if I want they will do my garage is a side job after hour or on weekend. I got my entire garage done with 5/8" Sheetrock taped and textured for $1,900 (parts labor materials). Garage is 24x40 with 12'8" ceiling height. I had to use 5/8 for fire code. These guys did it in four days one weekend and two days during the week to tape and texture.

I would strongly recommend installing insulation in all exterior walls and in ceiling. You will not regret it!

 

[slickgt1]

I keep forgetting to mention this here. OSB does not really hold that great if you try to screw something into it. You might as well glue and screw to the studs anyway. So why bother with OSB?

 

[jkrswld]

You should be able to find the 22 1/2" R-19 insulation at any of the home centers. R-19 is for a 2x6 wall, which is what the bottom of your trusses look like from here. It will come as batts and not as a roll - at least I can't find 22 1/2" rolls anymore locally. Most construction is 16" OC, so why carry the 24" OC stuff except for older retrofit. Lots of older houses here, so we at least have some available.

---- I have OSB on top of those trusses so there's storage up there - would I just string some fishing line or something across the trusses to support the batts before I put up my choice of cieling?

I keep forgetting to mention this here. OSB does not really hold that great if you try to screw something into it. You might as well glue and screw to the studs anyway. So why bother with OSB?

And as far as what I'd be hanging - the big stuff (shelves, tire rack, etc) would for sure be going into studs either way. I'm more thinking along the lines of light duty things for just diving into the OSB - beer signs, maybe small peg board, etc....

 

[mdbeck1]

---- I have OSB on top of those trusses so there's storage up there - would I just string some fishing line or something across the trusses to support the batts before I put up my choice of cieling?

The insulation should have a paper backing. That goes toward the interior of the garage between the trusses. There will also be "wings" on the insulation so that you can staple it to the trusses. The staples will usually hold the insulation good enough until you get sheetrock up.

 

[slickgt1]

yea small light weight stuff will screw into the sheetrock no problem at all. I mean I have a 55" TV hanging off a 50+lbs articulating mount, with only 4 Hilti toggles, didn't even bother finding studs. The space for the TV was so precise, that I just used toggles. The Sheetrock is still going strong 3 years later. And I extend the tv out all the time. Sheetrock is plenty strong for a peg board, beer signs and all other stuff. The heavier items I would glue and screw to the sheetrock, as well as studs. Sheetrock just looks a million times better and is fire rated. Which is a must in my book.

 

[jkrswld]

Thanks guys! I seem to have misunderstood what batts meant. I'm assuming its just lengths of the paper-backed stuff I'm used to seeing (and already have on some of the walls) but it just isn't in a roll?

 

[slickgt1]

You are looking for this.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13012-1722-...t_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=Johns Manville

But I would highly recommend this. FIRE RESISTANT TO 2150 deg. F. It is also non-itch. You can cut it with a huge $15 bread knife. It honestly cuts like bread with that knife. YOu can get the knife on amazon. Plus this is made from rock/metal slag, so no mold and **** like that.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_89017-1278-...l__0__s?Ntt=roxul+24%22+insulation&facetInfo=

 

[dvracer4life]

i did my 30x50 with osd and painted and love it way more then my granfathers dry wall shop i can hang anything anywere

 

[dvracer4life]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77200