Weird shop rehab question???????

[Joe Meazle]

Some of you may know that I have been rehabbing my 80-year-old garage. Just this past weekend Dennis Peacock graciously helped be wire the entire shop:) . I need to choose an interior wall material. I refuse to pay $13 a sheet for OSB. I don’t really want to use drywall. OK here is what I am thinking Fiberbrace is $7 a sheet it will help deaden sound, provide some r-value, and help keep moisture from coming through the walls (the building is brick with no sheathing just studs and brick) and rusting my cast iron. The snags are I do not want black shop walls and what is the fire rating on this stuff? Does it hold paint? I emailed the manufacturer here is that response:

<TT>Thanks for the inquiry. We do not have any experience of how well Fiber Brace will paint or how long the paint would last. You are correct though in that it would be very good for insulation and sound proofing your structure. As long as the sheathing is not exposed to open flames then it should be okay for fire concerns as well. You might want to experiment with a small area to see how it paints.

Sorry we couldn't help more.

Gary Keeling

So what do you think? Should I give it a go? Not?:confused: Thanks in advance for the input and opinions in advance.

Joe

</TT>

[Jim Becker]

I'd still go with at least drywall. The fiber brace (and similar materials such as homasote) are very soft and will quickly get damaged in a shop environment, IMHO. If you're willing to pay a little more than the OSB, you can likely get the thinner T1-11 like I have in part of my shop or beadboard panels, both of which will look nice and paint well. If you stick with a French cleat system for hanging things, all of these softer materials should work well. Do it right the first time as it's a real pain to do over later...and more expensive, too.

[Dennis Peacock]

What about 1/2" plywood? or even some cheaper 3/4" plywood? Is it more expensive than OSB right now? I would want some kind of solid wood or OSB on my walls so I could screw shelves and pegboard to it without fear of it pulling out. Just another idea to ponder.

[Steve Cox]

Also you need to check with your local building codes. Most (in my experience) require drywall that has been firetapped for fire protection. OSB or something else can be installed over that but you need at least the drywall.

[Michael Stafford]

I know money is always a consideration. When I built my shop 20+ years ago I had neither time nor money as I was moving into a new home and had to hastily builld a place for my tools. There are many things I wish I had done differently. Spilt milk... Anyway I think like some of the others that you should use a better material initially and be done with it. 3/4" plywood is expensive but it will allow you to attach cabinets or anything else anywhere you would like. If you paint it a nice light color you will brighten up the shop. It is a lot easier to start with a good base than it is to go back and retrofit. IMHO.

[Frank Pellow]

I too, recommend the use of plywood. And, paint it white. Half or three quarter inch is good becuase things can be nail to it but, to save money in my new shop, I opted for thin (5 mm) plywood and it was cheapter than OSB.

[John Miliunas]

I'm with the guys on trying to get some type of wood-surface material on the walls. I inhereted my shop with drywall and 24" OC. It's a bit tough in hanging stuff, especially the heavier items. :cool:

[John Bush]

Hi Joe,
I used 5/8" slotwall on all my shop walls. I'm lucky that the sheets are produced locally and I got a trailer load of "2nds" for $10 /sheet. It was much easier than drywall-no taping,mudding,sanding,PVAing and painting. You can get hangers for any type of tool or shelf system from used display suppliers. You could paint it white if you wanted to help reflect light, but the tan MDF color isn't bad as is. The nice thing is that I can hang stuff everywhere and reorganize very easily. One interesting point, the sheets weigh 90# each and my trailer was so overloaded it took 3 hrs to get home on side roads for a usual 45 mn drive. Some day I'll get a digital camera and post pics. Good luck, John