What do you guys use for your wall?

[Dragster Racer]

Corregated white metal is my first choice if it is in the budget. Next is osb and paint. Spraying makes quick work of it. Plywood would be my second choice, but it is pricey. Drywall in my house garage for looks. Won't cut it in my shop.

 

[Aberdale]

Garage:
Drywall. Currently painted white, but after visiting this site, I'm considering an upgrade.

Shop:
Poured concrete with "brick imprint" 4' high, then drywall above. The concrete lower walls allow me to hose out the shop when it gets really dirty, and I don't have to worry about torch/welder sparks. All the drywall is painted white semi-gloss to reflect light and allow me to wipe it down.

Dale

 

[Gary S]

How are these OSB walls passing code? Are they all non connected garages? I thought it was common to require 5/8 sheetrock on the shared walls?

My garage is detatched from the house, so the firewall between the house and garage doesn't apply.

 

[Kapn]

So, does anyone have advice on the following questions? Thickness of T-111? The seam between drywall and T-111?

I too have been searching and reading quite a lot about sheet metal, t-111, drywall, osb, etc. I think I've decided to go with t-111 on the lower 4' and drywall on the upper 6'. I've got 16" 2x4's and I was going to use 1/2" drywall.

What thickness T-111 should I use?
What about the seam between the two? Cover it with a 1x3 trim board? Will there be an offset if I use 3/8" T-111 and 1/2" drywall?

What about the T-111 contacting the concrete block. The bottom of the wall has pressure treated 2x4 at that interface. Should I hike the T-111 up 1/4" so it's not touching?

 

[Poncho Villa]

I, too, put up all OSB except for my bathroom that was drywalled as part of the bathroom deal. Then I painted it exterior gloss white. I've been known to, uh, sling a wrench in a fit of rage so the drywall would not hold up to my temperament.

You sold me!

 

[Kevin54]

So, does anyone have advice on the following questions? Thickness of T-111? The seam between drywall and T-111?

Originally Posted by Kapn
I too have been searching and reading quite a lot about sheet metal, t-111, drywall, osb, etc. I think I've decided to go with t-111 on the lower 4' and drywall on the upper 6'. I've got 16" 2x4's and I was going to use 1/2" drywall.

What thickness T-111 should I use?
What about the seam between the two? Cover it with a 1x3 trim board? Will there be an offset if I use 3/8" T-111 and 1/2" drywall?

What about the T-111 contacting the concrete block. The bottom of the wall has pressure treated 2x4 at that interface. Should I hike the T-111 up 1/4" so it's not touching?

You'll have an 1/8" offset if you use 1/2" and 3/8". So any trim board you use will not lay perfectly flat.

You can let the T1-11 go all of the way down as you should not have moisture come in contact with it. If you pull it up a 1/4" you would still have a trim board touching anyways. I have never had water on the top of my blocks yet. Besides that, if per chance they would get wet it would dampen the treated 2x4 znyways and make its way to the T1-11. If it is down to the block it will help keep the spiders and bugs from nesting in the gaps. And you may be able to get by then without a bottom trim board.

 

[Kapn]

Thanks for the info. I'll run it all the way down to the block. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't doing something that everyone would look at and think "amateur" . I've also thought about marking the block someway so that I know exactly where all my studs are, for future cabinet and shelving additions. I guess it's usually easy to find them again, but there seem to be lots of additional studs around windows, doors, random points in the middle of the wall, that I may want to utilize in the future.

 

[NUTTSGT]

How are these OSB walls passing code? Are they all non connected garages? I thought it was common to require 5/8 sheetrock on the shared walls?

Not everybody has codes to follow, even though some have codes, some don't follow codes.

Myself being a firefighter living in an area protected by volunteers, (knowing that their response time can vary from what our times are being full time) I have already come to the conclusion that I need and have my garage well insured, my Mustang will be gone and I'll lose alot of what I have.

Just because there is drywall on the walls and ceiling doesn't mean it's going to stop the fire. A fire can very easily start in the wall, run up into the attic and the structure is basically done.

 

[mcdtommy23]

I use FRP over 1/2 plywood.

 

[FNFS2000]

Don't miss this recent relevant thread:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55451

Or the one about the garage fire... Sheetrock inhibits the spread of fire, anything wood helps the spread of fire...

 

[jeepnut24]

Not everybody has codes to follow, even though some have codes, some don't follow codes.

Myself being a firefighter living in an area protected by volunteers, (knowing that their response time can vary from what our times are being full time) I have already come to the conclusion that I need and have my garage well insured, my Mustang will be gone and I'll lose alot of what I have.

Just because there is drywall on the walls and ceiling doesn't mean it's going to stop the fire. A fire can very easily start in the wall, run up into the attic and the structure is basically done.

I would bet it would be an interesting insurance claim process if the walls weren't up to code.... I understand the drywall isn't going to stop a fire, but I would rather not have the insurance not cover me if there was a problem.

 

[santagary]

I use plywood on the bottom and pegboard on top. the plywood keeps me from banging jacks and bumpers etc through the wall and I like white pegboard then I can hang stuff anywhere.

ditto...drywall should be illegal if I ruled the world...pegboard rules (white) $9 per sheet at home depot. santagary

 

[MomentumPhoto]

Not everybody has codes to follow, even though some have codes, some don't follow codes.

Myself being a firefighter living in an area protected by volunteers, (knowing that their response time can vary from what our times are being full time) I have already come to the conclusion that I need and have my garage well insured, my Mustang will be gone and I'll lose alot of what I have.

Just because there is drywall on the walls and ceiling doesn't mean it's going to stop the fire. A fire can very easily start in the wall, run up into the attic and the structure is basically done.

My boss had a garage built 4 years ago fully compliant to whatever codes existed at the time. He still woke up at 2am to his garage lit up and could do nothing but watch the whole thing burn to the ground. All the firefighters could do was prevent the big tree in the back yard from going up too.

What I've learned from other firefighters since then is that it's not what your garage is made of - it's what is stored inside that determines how fast it burns to the ground.... While I understand the scientific properties of drywall being more fire resistant, I don't see it being any more safe than OSB when shelf full of chemicals goes ******.

That being said - I live in Minnesota and I need both insulation and humidity resistance. There are other threads on here that talk about moisture affecting OSB, but does anyone from my neck of the woods have any firsthand experience they'd like to share? Thanks!

 

[dirttracker18]

I went the OSB route as well. It was the least expensive as I had a lot of area to cover. Instead of priming and then painting I went with white wood stain. Two coats did a great job. If you have ever tried to through a scape piece in the fire you would know that OSB does not burn well either. I have done lots of grinding and welding near the walls and it doesn't even leave a mark. Dry is paper covered and actually lights with some ease. I had drywall in the old garage and had some burns as well as lots of dings from stuff bumping the wall.
Also, no moisture issue yet. But I put a row of blocks on the pad before putting up the walls. Keeps any water off your walls and bottom plate. I have seen moisture on the walls in the winter when I bring the truck in to melt. No issues on the OSB so far. Just make sure the paint (stain) covers well.
My two cents.

 

[Iroc-Z]

I just finished mine in sheet rock. I was considering sanded plywood for a bit but I just like the clean look of a garage that is sheet rocked.

 

[djd99]

OSB only because I can mount anything more secure than drywall.

 

[camarotoolman]

recycled plywood and recycled paint, cheap and environment friendly. If I lived up north, I would tear down an old barn and use barn siding.

 

[JimVonBaden]

slatwall over sheetrock.

I like that idea! Clean, tough, and more durable than pegboard, but just as useful.

Jim

 

[dirttracker18]

I personally have drywall on my walls, Mildew resistant paint and the lower half is grey. It has never been a problem, but then I have installed a lot of drywall and I don't have a problem with taping,

This is the real reason many guys don't like drywall, even though they won't say it. I like smooth walls, and I felt compelled to cover the insulation.

Painted OSB here and not because I did not want to tape!

I have had both in the past (OSB and Drywall) and now would only opt for OSB in a working garage.

My last shop looked great with finished drywall but after 10 years it was very rough with damge to the drywall in many places (no always my doing) water damage in lower sections and other minor scrapes and gouges.

If I were building another garage at my house strickly for parking I would go with Drywall and a nice finish but I work in my shop and damage happens way to easy to drywall.

Yes you can fix it but with OSB I don't have too. Worst case for OSB (unless you back into a wall or something) is a little touch up paint.

The arguement about fire is totally unfounded. The paper on drywall will lite up way faster than OSB. The drywall may contain it but the paper will still burn. Ask me how I know that!

Have you ever tried to put a piece of OSB in a fire? It does not catch very well. It takes a long time to start up. The biggest issue in most garages for fire is sparks and the drywall paper will lite up. The OSB will just bounce right off.

My experience

 

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

...
After a certain point, all the choices become inhibiting, and stop you from moving on...

AMEN!

That's where I am right now...well, plus lack of funding.

 

[Nova_Guy]

I used OSB on the ceiling and walls on 3/4 of new garage. On the shared wall of the old garage I used 5/8 sheetrock for fire protection.

 

[Outlawmws]

I did sheet rock hin my garage before we even moved in. Insulation first, then Sheetrock screwed in, used manic marker down Low to tag all the stud locations (this will show through paint...)

Taped it and finished it smooth, primed and painted with High gloss white, and a thick roller which gave it a light stipple effect. This was 24 years ago. Grease splatters wipe off easily, and I've never needed to repaint it yet. The white makes a little light goes LONG way, and reduces the "Flicker Fatigue" florescent is reputed to have, as reflected light overlaps the direct light frequencies.

 

[Timsj]

I love your shop! That's what I want mine to look like.good job sir!

 

[smitty357]

Used 15/32" plywood on the walls in my detached garage. Looks great. You can hang anything anywhere. If the object you are hanging is heavy, obviously you look for a stud - if not heavy, don't even worry about looking for a stud. Thought about OSB but this stuff looks better.

 

[lzicc]

This thread is questioning on how I want to finish my walls now. I was all set to do drywall, but I do like the OSB look fro some reason and the lower cost factor. I already did my ceiling with sheetrock and now am thinking about doing my walls with OSB. The cost savings isn't the big factor, but OSB walls would be allot more solid I would think.

 

[internetdude]

I went with drywall because I wanted a clean, bright looking garage. Oh, and I wanted some practice mudding & taping drywall before a bigger (interior) job...