Walls...

[John K Jordan]

I like the painted 1/2" plywood on my shop walls. Set vertically it is very simple to gain access back into the walls for the things I did not anticipate during the build. No adhesive, just screws

Same here, 1/2" plywood put up with screws. I can mount shelves, cabinets, etc anywhere. I removed one panel twice to get inside to add a new outlet and to run a 220v line to a new lathe. I put the ply on the ceiling too.

JKJ

[Andrew Wayland]

Just curious: what about MDF? Does it not have the same holding power? (Just thinking it could easily be painted to look nice...)

[Frank Pratt]

Just curious: what about MDF? Does it not have the same holding power? (Just thinking it could easily be painted to look nice...)

MDF does not hold screws nearly as well as plywood or OSB. I'd want to use at least 3/4", but that's getting a lot more expensive than OSB.

There have been comments about how rough OSB is, and how much paint it soaks up. I used 9/16 OSB for the ceiling & 13/16" for the walls. One face is fairly rough, but the other is very smooth. When painted, the outline of the chips shows, but otherwise is smooth. 2 coats of semi-gloss white paint gave thorough coverage. 1 would have been sufficient, but I had the paint & sprayer, so more is better, right

I do agree that it's not an attractive look for a living space, but it looks great in my shop. If I was building a new shop, I'd probably do the same again.

[John K Jordan]

Just curious: what about MDF? Does it not have the same holding power? (Just thinking it could easily be painted to look nice...)

Maybe do a test. Put some screw eyes in both MDF and plywood. I'd probably do it with a hydraulic press and watch to see the pressure reached when they failed. Or support well and hang weights. Or put in screws and try prying them out with a crowbar to get a "feel" for the strength.

One wall of the back room of my shop is MDF. I didn't trust it when hanging heavy cabinets so I made sure they were fastened to studs. I hang things everywhere on plywood. But I have no data to prove the MDF is worse. I do like the smooth texture of the plywood.

JKJ

[Peter Kelly]

Unless it's that green Medite MR stuff, MDF would not be a good choice. Smallest amount of moisture is introduced, it swells like a sponge and loses what structural integrity it normally would have. Drywall with blocking would be the thing if your just looking for a smooth surface.

[Jim Becker]

Call your local plywood distributor and see what they might have in material that's got minor boo-boos on it and what they will sell it to you for for your application. You never know what you might score.

And no way would I use MDF for this application, even the Extera/Medex versions.

[Andrew Wayland]

Understood on the MDF: Again: Just thinking out loud on that one.


I’ll try calling plywood distributors to see what they say: But with prices what they are, I figured I might as well just go with the cheap big box store stuff (they’re walls, not furniture)

[Frank Pratt]

Unless it's that green Medite MR stuff, MDF would not be a good choice. Smallest amount of moisture is introduced, it swells like a sponge and loses what structural integrity it normally would have. Drywall with blocking would be the thing if your just looking for a smooth surface.

Moisture resistant MDF (Medex) is the only kind I use. It's so much better than regular MDF.

[John K Jordan]

Call your local plywood distributor and see what they might have in material that's got minor boo-boos on it and what they will sell it to you for for your application. You never know what you might score.

A local building supply sold me $25 sheet goods for $5 each when they had a slightly dinged corner or a bump on an edge, basically any type of damage. Saved me a lot of money.

[Jim Becker]

I’ll try calling plywood distributors to see what they say: But with prices what they are, I figured I might as well just go with the cheap big box store stuff (they’re walls, not furniture)

I only suggested it because quite often the slightly damaged stuff goes for pennies on the dollar and they are happy to get money for it.

[Andrew Wayland]

Anybody have anything to say about Radiata pine? The price is right... but usually that means something...

[Jim Becker]

Radiata pine is, I believe, farm raised and is what is quite often sold as "just plain pine" in clear/premium board form at the 'borg. If you can get radiata pine sheet goods, it should look nice and will be the equivalent of "sande" pine plywood, etc. I'd buy it if the price was right.

[Peter Kelly]

Anybody have anything to say about Radiata pine? The price is right... but usually that means something...

Those Selex 3/4" Radiata sheets from CPMC Maderas that HD carries are difficult to work with at best, not at all the same grade as the Arauco plywood they used to carry. I'd still go with T1-11 which is meant to be used as a wall sheathing material.

[John K Jordan]

Those Selex 3/4" Radiata sheets from CPMC Maderas that HD carries are difficult to work with at best, not at all the same grade as the Arauco plywood they used to carry. I'd still go with T1-11 which is meant to be used as a wall sheathing material.

I used the Arauco plywood (1/2") everywhere in my shop, walls and ceilings. I love the stuff (for indoor use). Supposed to be good on one side but I didn't even find patched defects on either side of any sheets. I bought mine from a builders supply company. If buying a lot of material some of these companies will give a discount for the asking.

panel_jack_IMG_20150106_185527_791.jpg

JKJ

[Peter Kelly]

If I knew Arauco plywood was going to altogether disappear from almost all suppliers around me I would've bought a couple skids of it. Great while it lasted anyway.