# Garage interior options??



## Swedishchef (Oct 19, 2012)

Hi guys

I recently began to build a garage. I did most of the work myself and loved every minute  of it (my previous project was finishing my basement, I find building an entire unit itself is more rewarding).

I got the insulation done earlier this week and was wondering how I should finish the inside walls?? I won't be heating the garage all the time. It is not overly insulated (R14 in walls and R21 on ceiling) as it is only a garage. I have a friend who did the gyprock thing to his unheated garage: when the screws got cold they consend forming black spots on the gyprock.

What do you guys have for wall sheating on the inside?

Thanks in advance!

Andrew

PS, Check out my heater! I am kinda of proud of it.. http://www.ouellet.com/residential-heating-specs.aspx?i=56


----------



## FanMan (Oct 19, 2012)

Mine's 1/4" plywood.  I didn't do it, and judging from stenciling on the plywood I suspect it was scrap from large international shipping crates.  Quite adequate though.


----------



## Jack Straw (Oct 19, 2012)

That's a tough one! I like the idea of something that is fire resistant like sheet rock or steel roofing (which would be quite expensive). Sheetrock can be easily damaged in a garage, making  plywood a good idea, but then you loose the fire resistant idea. I guess it depends on what you are gonna do in your garage, ie. weld, use a torch or just for storage.


----------



## ScotO (Oct 20, 2012)

Dude, I'll be doing the same project in the spring and I've already made up my mind....

I looked into every option. Drywall, OSB, plywood, planking.....didn't like any of them. so I decided on metal roofing, for the walls and the ceiling. Low maintenance, fireproof, looks great and it's removeable if you want to run electrical or do work behind it down the road. It's a little pricier than the other options, but for longevity and looks, I'm definately doing it.


----------



## Thomas Anderson (Oct 20, 2012)

You could do the whole thing in pegboard and so have plenty of places to put your tools.  You can get it with a fire retardant paint/enamel or entirely metal pegboard sheets.  For extra fire protection, you could first put an aluminum radiant barrier across your studs, taping the seams with metal tape.


----------



## nate379 (Oct 20, 2012)

Here OSB is cheaper than drywall so that's what I used in my detached building. (I call it a shed but it's 16ftx20ft and I do park my Lotus Elise in there so I guess it's a garage.

I have drywall in my attached garage and I HATE it. I've put a few holes into it over the years.


----------



## StihlHead (Oct 20, 2012)

I do not know about Canada building codes, but here in the states, many states require sheetrock for fire codes with any attached (and some for an unattached) garage, and many require fire resistant 5/8 inch rock at that. Some places require only the common walls to the house be rocked, others require the whole garage interior, including the ceiling. I know that in California the common walls of any attached garage have to have 5/8 sheetrock, even in the attic. Here in Oregon any building within 6 feet of the house (accessory or otherwise) has to meet fire code and any common walls for any buildings that are attched to the house have to have at least 1/2 inch sheetrock on the inside. I have two unattached (to the house) accessory buildings 6 ft 2 inches form the house, and they have a common wall. By fire code here, the common walls had to have 2 hour firewalls, and to meet that I used 2 layers of 5/8 inch rock on both sides of the common wall.


----------



## Swedishchef (Oct 20, 2012)

Thanks for the replies! I forgot to mention that my garage is detached.

Fanman: I like the idea of 1/4 inch plywood because they I can screw/attach anywhere I would like...

Jack: That is exactly my point. Wood won't be fire-retardant...

SCotty: I have never thought of that option. What's the cost like?

Thomas: I love that idea but it must be expensive??? Even if I did certain aspect in pegboard, that would be a good idea.

Nate: 1/2 in drywall here is $8.50 a sheet. I think 1/2 inch OSB is $15.

Stihlhead: I found out while building my house that my local community does not even have building inspectors. They simply don't have any code enforcers. That is not to say that we don't have building codes..lol. But I don't have a wood stove in the garage and I think my insurance is fine with the fact that I would/could use wood (what a rhyme!). Quick question about that: I once was told that drywall isn't really fireproof as the paper can easily burn but it won't spread beyound that..it was the first time I have heard of that and it makes sense. I understand that the fire won't go through the drywall though.

ANdrew


----------



## MasterMech (Oct 20, 2012)

My attached garage has 2ft cinderblock foundation and then sheetrock from there to the ceiling which is a acoustic/drop-ceiling. I didn't do it but it stays cool in the summer and warmish (insulated) in the winter. If I open the door from the house the place warms up pretty quick.

Should note that having the light fixtures recessed into the ceiling is pretty neat too.

I've been tossing around the idea of doing the walls of my shed with slatwall. Just don't know how much load it really can take.


----------



## StihlHead (Oct 20, 2012)

Swedishchef said:


> Nate: 1/2 in drywall here is $8.50 a sheet. I think 1/2 inch OSB is $15.
> 
> Stihlhead: I found out while building my house that my local community does not even have building inspectors. They simply don't have any code enforcers. That is not to say that we don't have building codes..lol. But I don't have a wood stove in the garage and I think my insurance is fine with the fact that I would/could use wood (what a rhyme!). Quick question about that: I once was told that drywall isn't really fireproof as the paper can easily burn but it won't spread beyound that..it was the first time I have heard of that and it makes sense. I understand that the fire won't go through the drywall though.
> 
> ANdrew


 
Yah, sheetrock and drywall are about that here as well. I used OBS on the non-common walls here 2 years ago when OSB was $6 a sheet. Last time I was at HD OSB was $13.95 a sheet! 1/2 inch rock was about $8+ then and is $8+ now.

No building inspectors? Wow... here they have city and county code and building inspectors crawling all over the place. I was flagged for having a non-permit attached garage, so I had to convert it into a detached pair of 'accessory buildings'. Here sheetrock is _the_ material of choice for fire codes, and in many cases it is required. 1/2 inch rock is considered a one hour firewall. They do not care about the paper, paint or flamable material on the walls in any room, but they (fire code) want the gypsum board seam taped and mud sealed to prevent fire from getting from one building to another. In particular, garages are a major source of a lot of fires. In California, they mandate that the common garage side of the walls be sheetrocked with 5/8 rock and that all common doors to the house be fire rated. You also cannot have a door or window from a garage adjacent to any bedroom. Detached garages have different requirements, and they vary from state to state. In Oregon, detached means that it is at least 6 feet from the house. In that case they do not care what it is walled with, if at all. In the 1950s/1960s most attached garages in the west US were built without any inside wall board and the framing was exposed. To sell those houses now, they have to be rocked on the common walls to the house. No one inspects that type of work though. In California termite work is not inspected either, other than by the termite company for the bank (to get loans approved). In Oregon they do not have termite inspections, though there are termites and carpenter ants here munching away 24/7.


----------



## Swedishchef (Oct 20, 2012)

StihlHead said:


> In California termite work is not inspected either, other than by the termite company for the bank (to get loans approved). In Oregon they do not have termite inspections, though there are termites and carpenter ants here munching away 24/7.


----------



## nate379 (Oct 21, 2012)

Now that I think of it, I was comparing costs of 7/16" OSB and 1/2" drywall.  1/2" OSB and 1/2" drywall are about the same price.  Of course the OSB is MUCH tougher... probably would need 1" or more in drywall to hold up the same as the OSB.

Been a few months since I have bought OSB or drywall but its easily 2x your prices up here Stihlhead.  OSB comes in from B.C. so I guess it's cheaper since it not shipped as far as drywall.  The drywall not sure where it comes from.


----------



## woodsman23 (Oct 21, 2012)

OSB camo 
http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oG...aragejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69892


----------



## StihlHead (Oct 21, 2012)

nate379 said:


> Now that I think of it, I was comparing costs of 7/16" OSB and 1/2" drywall. 1/2" OSB and 1/2" drywall are about the same price. Of course the OSB is MUCH tougher... probably would need 1" or more in drywall to hold up the same as the OSB.
> 
> Been a few months since I have bought OSB or drywall but its easily 2x your prices up here Stihlhead. OSB comes in from B.C. so I guess it's cheaper since it not shipped as far as drywall. The drywall not sure where it comes from.


 
Drywall has very little sheer strengh, and thus it would never hold up compared to OSB for strength. Drywall screws do not have any strength either, compared to nails. Interior walls are usually not made for structural strength though, just for asthetics and fireproofing. Drywall is lighter and very easy to patch, you can texture it and get a flat interior wall using it, and it is far easier to cut and screw in place. I have used both OSB and drywall for interior siding, with variable results. OSB is a lot heavier, it is not bug-proof and it is not fireproof (it is flamable). OSB also expands as it sucks up water, so you have to leave 1/8 inch gaps at all of the joints. OSB is short term water resistant, but if it stays wet over time (more than a few months) it is about as bad as damp sheetrock. Ants like wet OSB here (they eat the wood fungus). OSB is so expensive here now I am buying 1/2 inch plywood seconds for less ($12 a sheet) for roof repairs and exterior siding. Plywood is far better that OSB for most exterior applications.

Here we get OSB stamped from local PNW sources, BC and the upper US midwest. Strandboard is a byproduct of cutting dimentional lumber so it comes from lumber mill areas. Drywall is made all over North America, and is cheaper in places where gypsum is mined (like Las Vegas). There is far less variation in price for drywall as it is not dependant on timber prices. 2x4s have almost doubled here in the last two years. OSB is highly variable in price and has gone from 6.50 to over 14.00 a sheet in the past 2 years. Drywall has remained pretty much the same. Here drywall is $9 a sheet for 1/2 inch.


----------



## nate379 (Oct 22, 2012)

I've always kept the OSB seams tight, never had trouble with doing so. My Dad does the same. He has sheathed the inside and outside of 3 garage buildings he owns in OSB, no gaps.
(He has been working for an OSB mill for almost 30 years, I don't think I've ever seen him use plywood!)

Reg drywall isn't exactly fireproof either. It's better than OSB of course, but the paper will burn still. In any case when I'm doing flame producing work in my garage I always so a "firewatch" where if I get done working I don't leave the house for at least 30 mins.

I HATE mudding drywall, so that means I HATE patching as well. You'd have to be trying really hard to blow through OSB. Probably would rip the sole plate off the slab at that point.
Drywall doesn't take much. Tool falls off a bench, creeper scooted a little too far, spring loaded part goes flying across the garage.

I'd have to check costs to be 100% accurate, but last time I bought some this summer 1/2" drywall runs was $18 a sheet and 7/16" OSB was $15.  2x4 8ft runs about $2.50 each.

Normal construction here is 2x6 walls though.  I did do my shed with 2x4s but I don't have any reason to keep it heated.


----------



## semipro (Oct 22, 2012)

I'd go with OSB is fire resistance is not needed.
It will be more expensive but you could go with something like Hardie-Backer if fire resistance and strength are needed.
I would never use drywall in a garage if I could avoid. it.


----------



## Swedishchef (Oct 22, 2012)

I have started to think OSB..can you paint it and make it nicer? lol. Woodchips are not my style..

Andrew


----------



## StihlHead (Oct 22, 2012)

You can paint it (and I have), but OSB usually has a waxy type of "waterproof" coating that does not like to stick to anything that well. OSB will usually absorb water and expand over time and the wood chip patterns will emerge. The rough side seems to stick to paint better, but neither side will stick to joint compound or plaster (I have tried both). I have used siliconized acrylic calk on it and that sticks well to hide the seams.

G-P has come out with camo pattern OSB for building deer blinds and the like. You can have the ultimate hunter's camo pattern inside your garage.

http://www.menards.com/main/p-1676822.htm


----------



## Don2222 (Oct 22, 2012)

Hello

I am doing the same thing to my shed/workshop. Sometimes I will heat it but not all the time. So I put R15 fiberglass in the 2x4 walls with a radiant barrier using Reflectix foil and foil taping the seams. Plywood is good but I am going with wood paneling for a little nicer look


----------



## Swedishchef (Oct 22, 2012)

Thanks for the information Stihlhead... I will have to take everything into consideration and decide over the winter. I am going to be off work for 4.5 months. I will be on parental leave...yay!

Don: good grief! That picture is of your GARAGE? I am quite envious! Super nice!

Andrew


----------



## nate379 (Oct 23, 2012)

Sure you can paint it!  Can also do a skim coat over the walls with drywall mud to smooth it out a bit.  My Dad did that in one of his garages about 7-8 years ago.



Swedishchef said:


> I have started to think OSB..can you paint it and make it nicer? lol. Woodchips are not my style..
> 
> Andrew


----------



## flyingcow (Oct 23, 2012)

Scotty Overkill got it right, IMO. My truck garage is all white metal roofing. Ceiling/walls. I wouldn't do it any other way. Incredibly bright. Put it on and you're done. They also make a plastic?PVC? that looks just like metal roofing for interiors. Some of my farmers have used this for the interior of milk rooms. It also was white and bright.

Also, easy to clean. Quick install, etc.


----------



## Swedishchef (Oct 23, 2012)

I like the metal/PVC interior option. It would allow me to wash a car and not be so concerned. I will have
 to get quotes and prices...

Andrew


----------

