Workshop wall covering?

[Aaron Buys]

I'm sectioning off part of my basement to make a workshop area. I'll just be bringing a wall across a large alcove type area and putting a door in it. Nothing fancy...just need to keep dust out of the rest of the house. What should I use to cover the studs I'm putting up? At the moment I'm thinking about just putting drywall on the outside and leaving the interior of the wall bare (studs exposed) with the exception of some peg board for hanging tools and the like. Is this most cost effective/functional finishing method or should I consider other materials to cover the 2x4's?

Thanks!

[Maurice Ungaro]

Aaron,
I am in the process of finishing up our new construction, which in cludes a workshop for me (of course, AFTER the thing was framed up and sided, my beautiful wife asked "so, where am I going to park the car?").

I suppose the interior wallls of my shop would be most pertinent to your request:
1. The area between the studs was filled with sprayed-in foam insulation (Isonene).
2. The lower 48" of wall space was clad in OSB (cheap and durable)
3. Above the OSB, White peg board is going to be installed.

Try some foam-board type insulation between your studs, backing up to the drywall. It'll dampen sound and offer some dust barrier. Heck for that matter, staple some Tyvek house wrap up on the drywall side before applying the drywall. That'll reall keep dust from getting where it shouldn't.

Good luck!

[David G Baker]

Aaron,
I have built non support walls with 4x8x3/4 inch plywood. The walls were for a photographic darkroom that had to be light tight. All of the plywood joints were nailed and siliconed with black silicone. The door was also made from the plywood sheeting piece that was cut out to make the doorway. If it was light tight, it must have been pretty air tight as well.
David B

[greg Forster]

Also, run a good bead of construction adhesive under the bottom plate and caulk the entire perimeter. This will help control both dust and sound transmission. We use this at party-walls between apartments.

[Brian Dormer]

Check the building codes in your area - I have pegboard over stud walls and I'm told that those do not meet current building codes. I belive they were code compliant when I built them.

[Greg Cole]

I would not use OSB for the simple fact that even when painted, the rough surface of the glued together chips make MANY little crevices for dust, not too mention if it is a wall that isn't completely covered with pegboard it can be pretty abrasive to lean against etc. Sanded ply or even mdf would be my choice, not sure about your shops, but once in a great while there is a high speed projectile or two & I don't like fixing drywall, not sure about the rest of ya's.
Then again 2 of my 4 shop walls are the foundation of the house in stellar concrete. The other 2 are sheetrock & overhead doors, I have painted them all white for reflectivity of light and it just makes the shop "feel" better to be brighter and not like a dungeon.
$0.02 for whatever it's worth.

Greg

[Maurice Ungaro]

The OSB that we get here is slick on one side, and paints pretty well. Yes, youcan tell that it's OSB after painting, but it doesn't have "dust ledges that cake up with gunk.

[Jim Becker]

Half my shop is OSB and half is T1-11. Asthetically, I like the T1-11 better, but the OSB was very cost effective when I expanded the shop. I've not had any trouble with dust and roughness on the OSB after painting, but I don't rub my back on it either... :) The advantage to using OSB or plywood is that you can use it's entire surface to support things on the wall, although shelving, cabinets and other heavy items should always be fastened into the studs. There is no peg-board in my shop, outside of some installed 'backwards' in my DC closet specifically for sound reflection containment.

[Greg Cole]

Guess I haven't seen the "slick" OSB, then again I pass by it at the BORG and never look once at it... mever mind twice. Sounds like a very well a good alternative then.
Maybe I just have something against OSB, or more like some uses of it... like the twit who sided the shed in my yard with it (years ago). The OSB has slowly been disappearing from the bottom upwards..... but after re-siding the house last fall, I have enough cement fiberboard siding left for the shed (roof leftovers intended for the shed too), just need the weather to cooperate and I'd like to get it out of the WW'ing pile of sheet goods.
The shed will go from junk storage to playhouse my 5 years old boy.... "one of these days" anyway.
Let us know how the shop progresses... and the pic police here are sticklers!

[John Ricci]

I've done all of the walls in my shop in OSB and yes, it has a shiny side and a rougher side. The shiny side is supposed to face inward and the rough side has inked lines at 16" & 24" stud widths for installation. The whole thing ends up looking like an 8th grade woodshop version of a "holodeck" before it gets painted:D. I am very happy with the fact that I can hang a cleat for a cabinet anywhere I like and an accidental bash into a wall with a board or a machine is a non-issue instead of a drywall patch. Did anyone mention cheap to boot? In my situation it was a no-brainer but that was just for my own needs of course.