Walls and Ceilings - OSB Walls in workshop / garage - Opinions?

I am building a new home. I was working at the new house the other day when it occoured to me that OSB interior walls in the garage could be pretty cool. I do most of my "handyman" work in the garage and the solid walls would be handy for hanging stuff, etc. (Not to mention quite a bit cheaper than finished drywall!)

My wife isn't so crazy about the idea. She was concerned about how it would look. Fortunately she's a good sport and has agreed that the garage is "man space" and I can do what I want.

SO here's my question: Would painted OSB interior walls in a garage look cheap, corny, cheezy, etc?????

As much as I would like the function, I don't want it to look bad.



Thanks for your input!

How would you treat the seams? I also think sheetrock would be quite a bit cheaper.

IMO painted osb in the garage wouldn't look all that good but varnished/poly might look kind of neat.

If you substract the cost of finshing, osb would be cheaper. Wrong cuts can be forgiving with drywall but osb or paneling would require precise cuts - especially around elec boxes.

Go just a little better, and use BCX plywood, then have it 'skim coated' by a good drywall finisher.

You get the sturdiness of plywood and the finished look of drywall.

I LOVE it in my workshop, and have _seriously_ considered one day redoing the house interior with it.

OSB will look like painted OSB.

Plywood is also more soundproof than drywall.

I have a friend who has it. It looks a little odd to me, it screams I did it myself or something similar. It was painted and took me a little while to notice it. If you did it yourself the cost difference would be minimal. I've seen 7/16 OSB on sale for $6 and 1/2 drywall for $6.??. I think I could do the drywall in less time overall and use less paint for a better look.

I used to paint for 1 builder that use peg board paneling in all of his garages. It looked real nice but I'm not sure how sturdy it was.

I like the plywood idea. OSB doesn't look good and isn't all that durable.

If this is an attached garage, you will still need 5/8" gypsum under it for the common wall with the living area. - Fire barrier.

Dick

As mentioned common walls will need gypsum for fire protection.

If I was going to hang something like plywood, etc. I'd look at slat board then you can easily have any configuration of hanging and storage options. Slat board is quite a bit more expensive though so cost may be an issue.

I've seen garages with OSB (unpainted) and they look fine, for a workshop or a garage. It is nice to be able to nail up anything wherever you like. But drywall would take paint a lot better, and look better too. Having white walls makes the garage look clean, and brightens it up dramatically. I imagine that painting OSB would make every seam stand out like a sore thumb.

Slatwall is WAY more expensive. About $45 a sheet for basic 3/4 MDF, plus freight.

When This Old House did their Milton project, they built with it the "dream workshop" designed by Norm. I was made with SIP's, and has OSB on both sides. They just painted the walls and kept on going.

Thanks a lot for the input. I have been busy shoveling snow and ice from my future bedroom (BIG ice storm here 1 week ago) and haven't spent much more time considering this option.

From a cost standpoint I was told to figure around $1 / square foot for finished installed drywall (including material). OSB would cost me around $5.60 / 8x4 sheet.

Good point about how to trim between sheets. Does anyone have any good ideas?


Thanks again for your opinions.

Good point about how to trim between sheets. Does anyone have any good ideas?

You could use lattice strips to cover the joints or just caulk them.