My wife and I purchased a new home on five acres. I am most excited ass for once in my life I am going to have a dedicated workshop/garage to pursue my hobby of restoring old cars. The average has a free standing workshop that is 30x14. My wife and I have spent the last month restoring the building, putting in a new metal roof and replacing all of the exterior siding. It is now time to turn out attention to the interior. The building has a concrete floor that will be painted with that cool garage floor paint with the speechless in it.
This is the first time in my life I have ever been lucky enough to have my own workshop, so I would like to make it as nice as I can. I can’t figure our what to do for walls. I could go with drywall, but the downside of that is drywall damages easily. Plywood is out as I really think plywood walls look really cheap. My wife has suggested that I use the metal roof panels as a waynescott, going up 4 feet with the metal to give it a cool look and it would offer protection from flying tools etc. She got this idea from the restaurant Chipolte, apparently they use this look in their places. This is not a bad idea, then I could drywall the remaining wall. But, I am still not convinced and thinking there might be other options. Chances are I will have to pay someone to do the install as my back isn’t up to it. But I thought I would take a moment and see if anyone here might have a suggestion on what material to use for the walls. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
A couple other thoughts - 1/4" tempered hardboard (aka Masonite) over drywall should be able to handle a fair bit of abuse, and it takes paint well, or if the budget allows, diamond-plate aluminum makes a strong statement.
Hardboard is in the area of $20 for a 4x8 foot sheet, and the diamond plate is $100-600 for the same size, depending on color. Just watch out for shipping as those large sheets will have to go as truck freight, rather than UPS.
Depends how you like things stored but personally I like hanging things off walls in my workshop because it means I can lay everything out in an easy to find way and keeps maximum clear floorspace. I would use something that will very easily take racking, hooks, shelving etc etc. That is why I would never use drywall. It has no strength and I would be forever locating the studs behind it to drill into. I wouldn’t use masonite or cement sheeting for similar reasons. I would use something like plywood.
metal siding material for at least lower walls is good if you will be doing welding, torch work, grinding. if it’s ribbed you can fur it out for tool hanging.
Diamond plate was my first thought and I agree that it would look stunning. However with almost 90 feet of walls to cover, it is quite a bit out if the budget.
I have decided that very few if any tools will be hung on walls this time around. I have made quite an investment in Craftsman toolboxes and cabinets, enough to where every tool has it’s place in a drawer. My wife was very supportive and gave me a $2,000 gift certificate for Sears to get any tools or storage cabinets I needed. I guess the more time I spend in the workshop, the less time I will be annoying her!
That’s what I was thinking. Although I can’t seem to figure out how to finish off the top part of the metal roofing on the wall.The edge is very sharp, so I will have to create some sort of trim board to finish off the top.
Well, I think that the bottom is decided, it will be the metal roofing material. It isn’t diamond plate, but will still be visually appealing. The too half of the walls is still up in the air, perhaps the masonite. Another thought hit me a little while ago. Last time I was at Lowes I remember seeing what looked like 4’ x 8’ sheets of slat wall. This had horizontal slats spaced every six inches or so, like the kind you would find in a retail store that could accommodate shelves and such. I didn’t get a price on it and I can’t seem to find it on Lowes’s website. But it looked decent and would be functional as well, allowing hanging of shelves and brackets. Any idea of what this stuff is called and what it costs per sheet? Thanks
Oh, sorry for the typos in my OP. Sometimes I hit post prior to reading and my Android tablet’s auto correct can come up with some interesting substitutes to what I typed in.
It might be a good idea to use drywall if you would like your homeowners insurance policy to cover potential fire damage. I guarantee these chipotle restaurants have drywall behind their corrugated metal wainscoting as it is a rated fire barrier which meets code and corrugated metal is not.
I can’t remember what it’s called but there’s a type of tempered hardboard that’s thicker and has channels formed into to it to hold hangers and shelves that are sturdier and can hold much more weight than pegboard. It’s commonly seen in places like auto parts stores, pretty sturdy, and the smooth surface can be painted. You probably want to end up with a light color to reflect more light.
Agreed, I have enough room and the right foundation, but I have to justify the $2500-$4000 for one. The wife has all kinds of remodeling plans that are going to have to come first. But one can dream, can’t they?
That is the stuff I mentioned up thread but I can’t seem to figure out what it is called. I saw it at my local Lowes, but I can’t find it on their website. If it is affordable, that might be the way to go.
If slatwall is it, there’s a lot of googling to be done. This place has accessories and different types, too. Can find what you want, and then google for the best prices. Slatwall :: Palay Display
That’s the thing I was talking about. The name ‘slatwall’ wouldn’t have occurred to me. The first link has a pretty expensive price, but the second one has 4x8 foot sheets for $40 which sounds like a decent price. The stuff is versatile and sturdy, I’d like to have it on my basement walls.
Yeah, if I couldn’t find anything, I’d have called my dad. Our garage was ALWAYS a work-room of some kind, and he had this all over the place. But I found it without having to ask, yay!
The second link has TONS of stuff and lots of variety, as it’s for small business displays, but again, if we can just get the wording down, it should be even easier to google around and find stuff that will work within any kind of budget.
You could check Craig’s List for any types of used wood, altho the workshop would likely end up with piecemeal decor.
One possibility would be to buy up old solid wood doors. Those are common on Craig’s, and often around $20. You could gradually cover the walls in a quilt of panel doors. Sideways, upright, maybe even some diagonal accents.
Even though it’s a garage, why not treat it as an interior room? How about drywall covered with some cheap panelboard? The choices are endless as to patterns. And what’s wrong with wallpaper? Maybe a motif with random tools? Is that too “non-workshoppy”?
As far as knowing where the studs are, you could mark something before covering them so you’d be sure when needed.
Drywall is cheap, easy to repair and easy to refinish. Backing (or even better a ledger) is also easy to install if you cannot find a stud or sufficient anchor.
My mechanic likes it in his shop. When it gets dirty after a while it is easy to roll a coat of paint on it.
Edited to add - there are plenty of good stud finders out there that work very well.
Nothing is as versital as pegboard. If you are anything like me, you will run out of toolbox/shelf space real quick and wish you could start hanging stuff up.
I got lucky and was able to buy up a huge quantity of the real thick pegboard and paneled the interior walls between the shop/garage area. Damn glad I did, everyday! I’ve got 14’ to the eves, so I have 8’ sheets with plywood down low. You could do that with the metal like you mentioned.
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