Shop Walls

[daniel lane]

Hello, again, all. The (!) icon in the subject is because this is a time-sensitive question, so responses in the next 12-18 hours would be great!

Basically, I have what I think is a good idea, but must be a stupid idea because I've not heard of it being done. I was originally planning on using T111 siding for my (basement) shop walls, because (A) I hate drywall, and (B) wood in a woodworking shop seems like a good idea. I've started to wonder about the T111, though, because of a couple of things - including Jim's comment about the thinner stuff being "wavy". I was walking through the BORG today (had to pick up some foam paintbrushes for LOML) and I stopped to look at potential wall material and had a crazy idea: What if I used 1/4" birch ply for the walls? It's priced halfway between the thin and the thick T111, it's a much smoother, lighter surface, and it looks a heck of a lot better than T111. My thoughts:
Drywall, T111, whatever I put on the walls, I will never hang anything from them without going into studs (16" OC). So strength isn't really an issue, is it? (Besides, drywall dents, where wood does not, unless I hit it REALLY hard.)
I was thinking of putting 2x4 wide-face-out blocking between the studs at a fixed height so that regardless of where I drilled/nailed/screwed, as long as it was at that height I would hit 2x4.
The lighter surface will go a long way towards keeping my 10x24 workshop bright - I have no windows, and the HVAC soffit in the middle will block some lighting (and limits me to 4' strip lighting on one side...the soffit is 7' from one side of the shop).
At first glance, installation should be as simple as finish-nailing it to the studs - world's fastest wall installation!
Since this is a new installation, all electrical can be mounted to the studs, and I just have to cut an opening in the ply.Now, I've always been good at brainstorming some new idea, but as with most brainstorming sessions, I usually come up with good reasons to exclude most of my ideas. In this case, I haven't come up with one yet, so I thought I'd ask all of you.

What are your thoughts? Is this crazy?



daniel

[Jude Kingery]

Daniel, Think it's a good idea - not that I'm a contractor nor building specialist by any means, but my Dad did something similar in our shop years ago. Just framed, then insulated outside walls, then put up 1/4" ply, and anything he hung, he put into studs. Ran all his electrical within the walls, cut outlets, as well as the air compressor pipe behind the ply, then external jacks. Seemed to work just fine for about 25 years til we grew up moved away, house sold, etc. Hope that helps. Jude

[David G Baker]

Daniel,
I tore into an old mobile home that had a thin interior wall covering that was glued and nailed. The plywood was similar to 1/4 inch birch and the walls were very strong. I think the glue made a lot of difference in the strength.
Moisture in your basement would be the only thing that would stop me from using a covering that was not moisture resistant.

[Art Mann]

Here is my experience. I have a stand alone shop that is 24' X 28'. The side walls are premium prefinished true 1/4" oak paneling I bought for a ridiculously low price at a going-out-of-business sale at a building supply place some 20 years ago. The material had been in storage until about 3 years ago when I insulated and finished out the shop with it. The ends are covered in 1/2" X 4' X 9' siding that is made of OSB with a wood textured masonite like face. If I had it to do over again, I would put up the siding everywhere. I don't like the flimsy feel of the thin walls, even though they have presented no real problems so far. I like the ability to just screw anything to the wall anywhere I like without having to locate studs.

[Greg Peterson]

You might check the building codes in your area. Local authority may require a fire barrier (sheet rock or cinder block).

[patrick anderson]

ever considered using mdf on the walls?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Daniel....I put 1/2" plywood on the walls of my shop and drywall on the ceiling because of cost. I wished now I'd put plywood on the ceiling too!

[Jerry White]

Daniel,

I have used the thicker T-111 before, and liked it very well. You can install hooks and hang hand tools, lighter jigs, etc without regard to studs. It makes a very sturdy and durable wall. For heavier items such as shelves, cabinets and such, anchoring to studs would be a necessity, of course. I'm sure 1/2 inch plywood would do just as well.

[Ron Coleman]

I used T-111 on the shop walls. Love it. Drive a nail, a screw or whatever any place you want.

My shop is built in a block garage so I built stud walls on the floor, tipped them up into place and added R-13 insulation and then topped it all with T-111. All electrical is surface mounted.

Still needs painting after 19 years.

http://mrcol.freeyellow.com/shop-photos/shop1.jpg

http://mrcol.freeyellow.com/shop-photos/shop5.jpg

[daniel lane]

Thanks to all for the replies so far.

Ron, looking at your photos, everything looks great, but the concern I have if *I* were to do what you have is that my shop would be dark. Basically, the lighter birch ply walls would be much closer to the white cabinets that you have versus the ply walls that you have. The 1/4" birch I looked at sure does make a huge difference! (The 1/4" oak next to it looked much darker, I would never consider that!)

Jerry, what I was thinking about having the face-out (vs. edge-out) 2x4s behind the wall was that I could hang everything you talked about at a certain height without regard to location, or I could put cabinets anywhere using the studs for mounting. And to have the ability to put anything anywhere, I've even considered 3/4" plywood for the walls because the BORG has '3/4" cabinet grade plywood' 4x8 sheets for about $25, and that's only very slightly more than the thicker T111 siding. But I really like the lightness (and perceived ease of installation) of the 1/4" birch ply...still thinking about it.

Patrick, I have not considered MDF for the walls because I can't find anything in the price range in which I'm looking, although I admit I didn't look THAT hard...maybe a second glance would be in order.

Art, thanks for the input. I've wondered if I would prefer a thicker material, I think I'll have to see something installed to make a decision...I'm going to look for options.

David, no moisture issues in the basement. In fact, I'm irritated beyond belief that the local inspector is demanding I insulate the basement walls, when I have a dry (and Drylok-painted) basement. I have ZERO concerns about using regular ply in the basement. The glue is an interesting idea, I may do that.

Jude, thanks for the info. It sounds a lot like what I have in mind will work fine, especially considering that I plan AROUND the thin walls for mounting!

To everyone, thanks, and KEEP THE RESPONSES COMING! I have until tomorrow late afternoon before I have to make a decision, and I'm sure I'll even wind up dreaming about it tonight as I come up with my final decision! :D


daniel

[Stan Smith]

I replaced a bunch of t111 siding at our prev. house with innerseal siding. It comes pre-primed in light gray. Stuff can be attached to it since it's pretty strong but you can do that with t111, too. 1/2" plywood sounds good to me but I would put white primer on it before putting it up. I have drywall in my current shop and to hang stuff, I had to add stringer boards to nail to where there were no studs. Also did if for pegboard.

[Gene Michael]

Daniel, here's a couple of thoughts. My shop is currently in the garage and the lathe is against a T-111 covered wall. The texture of T-111 is nice, but it holds dust better than the filter of the shop vac. If you're interested in a smooth surface that could be painted or stained, you might consider Tucker nut luan. Used this in a basement room for my wife's work. The grain is beautiful and it's far less expensive than oak or birch. Good luck with the shop!

[daniel lane]

If you're interested in a smooth surface that could be painted or stained, you might consider Tucker nut luan. Used this in a basement room for my wife's work. The grain is beautiful and it's far less expensive than oak or birch. Good luck with the shop!

Gene,

Thanks for the suggestion. I noticed that I can get luan for about 1/2 of the cost of the birch ply, but it's also thinner - it's only about 5mm, 3/16". I'm concerned with using something *that* thin, figuring I'd put a sheet goods corner through it someday while trying to turn it around in the narrow shop. My second thought was that the birch is much lighter than the luan, so the shop would be brighter.

That said, if in your experience the thin sheet isn't too thin, that is a good money-saving option!


daniel

[jason lambert]

I am planning on using slat bord in my next shop, easy to hang stuff and reconfigure, wipes clean easly and is bright.

[daniel lane]

I am planning on using slat bord in my next shop, easy to hang stuff and reconfigure, wipes clean easly and is bright.

Heh, I forgot about this stuff. I considered slat board a while back, but thought it to be too costly. IIRC, unpainted MDF sheets were ~$30/sheet (plus paint) and the nicer laminated sheets were ~$35-45 depending on color. At the time, I decided that since I can get 3/4" cabinet grade plywood at the local BORG for $25/sheet, it didn't make sense. However, while I'm (still) unlikely to use it for my shop, I think it would be a great addition to a shop.


daniel