OSB or drywall in the garage?

[xFullThrottlex]

Hey guys,

going to be moving into a home soon and the garage has a lot to be desired. Have been trolling other forums about osb vs drywall walls for the interior of the garage. Right now there is no insulation or drywall just bare studs. My dad has drywall in his shop and it looks great... don't really want to spend the time taping the joints and OSB appears to be more durable. Any comments? Should note that the garage is also detached so I don't believe there is a firecode that I need to follow(will need to verify this as well.) Also, am going to be contacting the insurance company to verify that OSB is good to go if indeed I decide to go that route.

[Wagonbacker9]

Like you mentioned, an attached needs a fire rating on the common wall and 5/8" drywall typically fulfills that. A detached structure shouldn't need one, and for utilitarian reasons, I would lean toward OSB personally, unless you care more about look than function.

[JOHN 86GT]

I started putting OSB in my garage ( wanted something stronger than drywall) but I wish I would have used 1/4" or greater plywood. You can use a good sealer/ primer with the OSB and painting it will be ok.

If you use OSB and don't paint it , you will be breathing the formaldehyde from the OSB.

[BoosTT]

Osb

[Firefighter Z]

I would look for someting with a "Fire rating" but that is just me, but also check with your citys codes to see if they have a code since it's a structure by itself... You dont want any trouble if your not in compliance later on down the road if something happens. But I doubt that there is a code.

OSB doesnt offer any fire protection (not fire rated) at all compared to drywall. So I would go with drywall if you want to save some of your structure in case there is a fire....
Taping and mudding may take some time but it does look better. I've seen garages with just drywall itself, it doesn't look bad.

[UnderPSI]

Drywall for fire proofing

[JOHN 86GT]

plywood is nice because you can put a nail or screw anywhere (unless you are hanging something heavy and need to go into a stud)and it is strong.

[Firefighter Z]

Drywall for fire proofing

No such thing there bud. Nothing is fire-proof just fire-retardent.

[JOHN 86GT]

And plaster beats drywall .

[Reverend Cooper]

if mine wasnt drywalled already when i moved int osb it would be

[Lash]

They make a fire rated plywood.....but it's reddish colored. I think it's paintable.

[xFullThrottlex]

thanks for all of the responses... I'm thinking painted OSB is a go. Plywood would be nice (for fastening things easier) but the price of a 1/4" 4x8 sheet of BCX is $13 and a 1/2" 4x8 sheet of BCX is $15 compared to a 7/16" 4x8 sheet of OSB coming in at $7 a sheet and a 1/2" sheet at $8 at Menards. I have to cover a 2.5 car garage (roughly 22x20) The city is West Allis and I couldn't find anything in their online municipal codes that said I couldn't do it! Remember... ignorance is bliss.I don't care too much about aesthetics, function more then anything... i'll have enough stuff hanging from the walls to hide a lot of it anyways.
Also have to figure out what type and how much insulation to use and a vapor barrier! All this and I was thinking about building a custom workbench mounted to the studs of the garage (on a series of 45 degree angles)

[Cryptic]

My Dad's detached is half and half. About 6ft up is OSB, then a border 1x6, then drywall to the ceiling and a drywall ceiling. Looks good to me. Very functional and durable. If you are going to do any welding or grinding, consider where those sparks are going to fly... OSB could light up long after you left the garage.




I would also recommend bright (white) walls so there's lots of light in your shop

[wrath]

I was contemplating the same thing. I went with 5/8" Type X drywall. I think I paid $6.50/sheet last year. I decided to go that route because it's easy to repair yet is durable.

The fire/insurance reason and the aesthetics was what pushed me towards it, plus it was cheaper at the time. I have two courses of concrete block so fire from welding or the torch is limited.

I haven't done the ceiling yet though.

[xFullThrottlex]

thats one badass shop

[WickedSix]

At my folks house all but the common walls are insulated then covered with peg board. Nice for hanging up tools, shelfs, hoses, cords, etc but I think OSB would serve the same purpose

[xFullThrottlex]

quick question... would you guys hang it vertically or horizontally?

[Wagonbacker9]

lot easier to stagger seams (less waste) hanging horizontally.

[xFullThrottlex]

^ see thats what I was thinking... a couple of guys at work said they did it vertically and a few more said horizontally.

I did stumble across this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5d9FdQ77c
and noticed that he hung it vertically

[77thor]

I hung my drywall vertically and it worked out very well.