Welding/Fab shop

[Augydog1]

I have Finally purchased my first two car garage, which just so happens to come with a house! Anyways, I have a question about garages/drywall/paint that all have to do with sparks and fire.
Some back story, I've been in the industrial maintenance / fabrication / engineering industry my whole life it seems, I've lived in worked in Long Island, Washington DC, Miami, Jamaica (2.5 years), and now I have finally settled in Baltimore md and just recently purchased my first house. Because of the traveling and never having a place of my own, I want to make my two car garage into my own personal shop for my hobbies and projects. I do a lot of Tig and Mig welding(wouldn't stick weld in my garage)/ Grinding, cutting, torching..ect (all things revolving around metal and mechanics) which almost always involve something really hot or sparks.
My problem is, is that I am petrified of catching my house/garage on fire. If I had the option, there would be a fire extinguisher every two feet, which would leave me with no room for my tools or machinery...Anyways, I guess my question is, what kinds of material, paint, precautions do you take in your garage to prevent fires from taking place?

I was thinking of siding my garage walls with 36" high Corrugated steel panels, caulking the base with some sort of fire resistant caulk, and keeping everything up off the ground??? I don't know, pretty stumped here so I am asking you guys what you do to make your shop/garage the safest it can be?

 

[daturbosix]

ever think of those fiberglass 4 x8' panels?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbrande...0-FRP-Wall-Board-MFTF12IXA480009600/100389836

but for what its worth, my shop walls are 1/2" plywood painted white. and my welding table is right against the wall, no issues as of yet.. 5 years and counting.

 

[Augydog1]

Ive never thought of using that. My show where I work has dry wall for the main portion of the interior of the shop and is framed out along the bottom with 4x8 sheets of plywood and we've never had a problem. Im just over cautious when it comes to a garage that's attached to my house...My two welding tables are on casters so when I go to weld, I usually move them into the center of my garage however, because more of my shop equipment is starting to arrive and my area is shrinking! which eventually is going to leave one of my tables permanently against a wall.

Just asking to see what other people have done...

 

[Falcon67]

I put the table that I use for welding in the middle of the work area. If it was against a wall, I'd go buy a sheet of HardiPanel or bathroom concrete backer board and screw that to the wall for a backstop. They also sell welding curtains. My old shop had exposed paper backed insulation on the walls and ceiling and a little 1/4" OSB in places on some walls - being careful with welding and torches never caused a problem. I had a small welding table against the wall - it was a 2x3 piece of Formica counter top with a left over chunk of Hardi screwed to the wall to deflect sparks and grinding. The new place is all OSB. I do have two 5 lb dry chemical ABCs and a couple of 2 1/2 lb units scattered around. There is one within a few steps of all work areas.