OSB on Garage Walls
 

Hi All,

Does anyone have experience "finishing" a garage with OSB rather than sheetrock? The ease of installation is tempting, and I shouldn't have any code issues as the garage is detached.

I plan on going with kraft faced insulation batts for the walls and ceiling. Garage is in NE Ohio, occasionally heated in the winter.

Thanks!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515037920.jpg

I did sheetrock almost everywhere but did OSB where I hang shovels and other stuff that bangs the walls up.

Yes, did mine with OSB
Took a lot of paint to finish it up.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515038675.jpg

Looks great! Out of curiosity, did you leave gaps between the sheets, or butt them together tightly? I've heard some of it might expand / contract as weather changes.

Thanks...yes butted them up tight.
No prob with expansion, but my garage is heated.

What are you asking him for. He obviously has no idea what a garage is supposed to look like.

Lol..yeah it is a lot more cluttered now..that pic is older.
The lift was there while I was doing the front two stalls...now it's in the back.

I used HardieBacker 4x8 Cement Backboard on the ceiling of my non-working garage. Heavy so paid some guys to come in & do it. Took them about an hour...works good

OSB then sheet rock over that so heavier stuff can hang off that if that's what you are after. I like the finish of sheet rock rather then OSB. I dislike that stuff. I rather have plywood under there then sheet rock, mud then paint over that. It does cost more. My own garage, its bare bone with nothing on the inside but lots of lights

OSB with 1x4's to finish where the boards meet. I personally like the look but It's not for everyone. All the boards are joined tight together. The OSB is REALLY thirsty when it comes to paint. Used a roller when I first painted it but had a power sprayer the next time I was ready to paint which was much faster but it helped that I already had 2 or 3 coats from rolling. Did I mention the stuff is thirsty?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1515063953.jpg

My previous detached garage had OSB on the walls from previous owner . He also installed 1's to cover seams but they were just vertical . Looked good and was easy to hang stuff like wall cabinets , air hose reels , fans etc. without having to find a stud . I am building a new man cave at the new house and I'm going plywood in that one . Main reason for that is I found someone local selling 1/2 " CDX for 10.00 a sheet ! Will paint it and cover seams again with 1x lumber .

MDO (sign grade - smooth) plywood would be the way to go, but it's like 4x's the cost of OSB.

CDX plywood isn't that much more than OSB and might even save you money on paint.

I researched this topic not long ago and found a few examples of black paint on OSB, followed with a semi-dry roller of white paint to bring out the raised highlights. Gave it a sort of Tectum look to it.

Cabmando, that's an awesome look.

EDIT:

I was thinking that a heavy stain blocker primer could seal up the OSB early on so that it would not soak up so much paint on the finish coats. I found this article that has some suggestions, but have to admit that I've never painted OSB myself. I do like the wonders of using stain blocker as a primer in some situations though.


How to Paint Oriented Strand Board
https://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-paint-osb

I did one wall of my added on 3rd car garage with OSB, and the other with pre-painted pegboard. I would totally do it again, both are tougher than Sheetrock, easy to hang stuff, and best of all you don’t have to finish and sand the stupid seams. The OSB once painted looks pretty good.

Don’t know why people use Sheetrock in a garage. I used beadboard. Seams are mostly invisible, easier to paint or oil, and durable as hell. Nail holes nearly disappear. Painting looks really nice but natural wood with a coat of oil takes garage abuse better.

I did one of my old barns in OSB. I'll take pictures when it stops snowing!

No issues at all and I will be repeating the OSB on the second part of the barn that I sealed and concreted a few years ago.

OSB does soak up the paint so I used a hefty spray rig. Easy day.

Has anyone tried the solid version of pegboard “masonite”, no holes?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hardboard-Tempered-Panel-Common-3-16-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Actual-0-155-in-x-47-7-in-x-95-7-in-832780/202404545
I see that some places sell it in 4'x4' sheets so you can do a wall grid pattern with no cutting or 1x trim.

EDIT:
I found this on that idea.

http://www.csme1959.org/re-bench.html
http://www.csme1959.org/img/construc...scade02-rs.jpg
Guess it's just too thin and gets wavy.

Adding 2x blocking between the studs at the horizontal joints would help, but that could be a lot of work and you would still have a thin vulnerable to impact material.

On commercial projects we used MDO plywood typically furred on over a block wall, located on interior walls near loading areas that clients/customers might see. Looked great and durable but expensive.

The pegboard was I believe 3/8" thick, so relatively rigid. There are maybe some subtle waves between the 16" OC studs, but not much. Plus I have a bunch of stuff hanging on that wall (hence the use of pegboard) so you can't see it.

I found a few crappy pics, the wall with the cutout is OSB and the wall with the stuff on it is pegboard. I still need to paint the stem wall.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...pss2yfr9av.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...psdzqonqtx.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...psf2d7ts0p.jpg

I would be a little concerned about unpainted OSB in a unconditioned garage as it may absorb some moisture in the right climate and swell over time.

kachi's masonite (holeless pegboard) option may work for some people. (can't believe I'm agreeing with him on anything;)). It will take paint well and is very cheap. But it won't hold any weight. You need to find a stud to hang something heavy from it.

Chipboard in my garage, sure sucked up a lot of paint, cheap but I wouldn't do it again.

My shop is done in steel above ground pool siding, local factory rejects and end rolls that I got for the price of scrap. Gray finish, wish it was white but not going to complain for the price and not bad enough to paint.

The best solution IMO sheet metal roofing, pre-finished in white. More money but easy to install, already finished, fire proof (good for welding), power washable, mold proof, easily removed if needed. Instantly finished walls, two car garage it would be a one day project.
Here the cheapest is about $1 sq/ft

If you want it's easy to insulate and vapour barrier, walls/ceiling will be same R-value as sheetrock.
My heated shop R-20 walls and R-60 ceiling, cheap to heat at 49*F and costs less to heat than my house at 68*.

My pool siding is easy to hang things, you just screw 5/8 plywood to the wall and hang cupboards on the ply.
Roofing I'd likely plan and put the ply up before the metal, then cut in around the ply.

Remember that OSB is frequently used for exterior sheathing on homes. So while it isn't actually directly exposed to weather, it is frequently used in a non-climate controlled environment. I've even seen people use it on cheapo sheds where it gets exposed to the environment, it holds up surprisingly well. Overall it's really tough stuff.

The corrugated steel roofing/siding is also a great garage idea, my father in law used it on his shop ceiling and it turned out great. I might be a little concerned about denting if used for a wall, and the corrugated finish and thin metal wouldn't be great to hang stuff on.

If you buy masonite sheets to paint, you would have to paint the unfinished side or rough up the finished smooth side. The finished side is a semi-glossy surface that won't take paint. Though you could buy 4x8 sheets of masonite siding and paint it.

Yea, I agree about the OSB and moisture thing.

About tempered hardboard (masonite), I just read that there are five different grades, and one of them doesn't like paint.

https://harborsales.net/Portals/0/docs/hardboard_what_is_it.pdf

In lieu of reinventing the wheel or taking every project as an opportunity to do something a little different, our original poster might be better served finding something already proven in the field.

If he plans to weld or have sawdust everywhere that might cling to trim boards or get stuck in reveals, then these factors shall rule his design solution.

Our detached garage has it painted and it looks pretty bad after several years here in Wisconsin. The PO did it and I would bit the bullet and do something better. Or drop steel or something over it.

I had not thought of that. I am going to look into it.

Thanks!

Mark- by roofing panels do you mean the "5-V" sheetmetal panels like used for a barn roof?

The painted OSB in my garage (post #3) is over 10 years old. No warping, peeling, or discoloring.
It still looks like the day it was painted. I would def do it again.

Steve, what is on the ceiling to make it so reflective?

It's foil backed 1 inch styrofoam sheets. Very easy to attach and helps a lot to keep the heat in.

And you taped the joints with reflective tape. Looks good.
All the insulation board sold in the big-box stores have printing all over them. They are not plain like yours. Where'd you find it?

I bought mine from a local building supply outlet. They delivered enough 4X8 sheets to do my 32X40 garage for less than $300 (10 yrs ago)
I think the name of the place was Foam Plus..not sure of that..

This is what we are doing over the OSB. Will be far more durable.

Neither would OSB as it doesn't hold screws well, either way you have to find a stud or install blocking.
Steel on walls would likely require strapping (1x4") which would hold up light cabinets, heavy if you made sure you hit studs.

I agree that OSB isn’t as good as plywood for holding screws, but it’s ok for light stuff. Still easier to work with than thin steel siding I think. Totally agree that either way for heavy stuff you need to find a stud.

I've done both ;)
You have to strap walls and metal is more expensive, but hands down metal is easy. You order it cut to length so only need to trim around odd bits. Metal sheet is light, just don't work it in a good wind.
I just put a metal roof on my house and garage, my shop (12' ceiling) is metal inside and out. All done by myself, the odd help if available.

When using metal on the walls is all the electrical surface mounted?
Seems like a PITA having to cut the metal for your electrical boxes for switches/outlets.

In our building, yes, it is in solid conduit with the outlet/switch boxes mounted to the face of the metal liner panels or attached to the columns.

It could be routed behind the liners with recessed boxes, but as you said each would need cut-out, which isn't that bad--you can use a grinder with a cut-off wheel, nibbler, or good old tin snips (most liners are 24 gauge or lighter).

Or what goes in 'em.

Thanks for the replies, All. I think I will end up going with OSB. Since I'm not heating the place all winter, I will probably leave small gaps and seal with paintable caulk to allow for some movement.

Now I have to wait for warmer weather to move the cars out!

My garage is unfinished and I have a thermometer out there, the temp ranges from 20 in the winter to 100 in the summer. My OSB is butted together and it is totally fine.

What do you do when you want to get into the wall to add/or change some wiring? Drywall might not the the strongest but it patches really simply. That said, I had a few dents but nothing out of place in a shop.

I take the screws out of the OSB, remove the panel, add or change and put the panel back in.