plywood covered shop wall -which material best?

[mound]

For those of you who have covered entire walls of your shop in plywood (for later attaching anything anywhere, instead of drywall)  - what are your thoughts on plywood vs. say, OSB for this purpose?

[Admiral]

For those of you who have covered entire walls of your shop in plywood (for later attaching anything anywhere, instead of drywall)  - what are your thoughts on plywood vs. say, OSB for this purpose?

19 years ago when I configured my basement shop, I used OSB over studs, bought some cheap contractor grade white paint and a thick nap roller and put on 2 coats.  Entirely satisfactory to date.  White paint also makes it much brighter in the shop.

[TDKPE]

I used 3/8" T1-11 in my wood walled man cave.  No paint.  Exposed floor joists and HVAC ducting above.  It's the only part of the basement that isn't finished, but it's also the busiest part for ducting, plumbing, and electrical, which is why I chose that section for my shop.  I have a couple of access panels in the walls for plumbing and fireplace ash dump clean-outs, though I don't ever expect to need to use them.

[Splinter Puller]

I used 7/16" osb on foam and then covered it with 1/2" drywall.   This gave me the ability to hang anything anywhere. (The osb) combined with a nice bright smooth painted gyp. bd. wall.  (This sealed the room from bugs, drafts etc.)   Other walls were T&G paneling over the osb.  The drywall was easy to hang as you did not have to worry about lining up with studs with the OSB layer.   The drywall vaulted ceiling was spray textured to knock down the echos and noise.

I love it.

[PittTrack]

In the short future we're going to be switching up our houses which means reconfiguring things for me. I spent some time looking at "the best way" to hang things on the wall especially as I'm sure things will be put somewhere and then moved throughout time due to figuring out the flow. I'm not sure if you've given much thought to it but there is the French cleat system seems to be a good way to achieve it and not have to worry about wall anchors, patching etc. From what I've been able to tell if you use plywood for the cleats it makes life easier though dimensional lumber works too from what I've found. I haven't seen OSB for the cleats. It sounds like you're looking to put sheets on the walls, I'm just putting that idea out there for something to consider. I've seen setups where people don't have anything on the studs besides cleats (no insulation) but it would seem that the majority have something between the cleats and the 2x, presumably for insulation. Also as mentioned painting it white certainly helps with the lighting. I've noticed that people have used OSB, Ply and drywall for their material over the 2x so I can't say that it looks like one has the advantage. I have noticed that regardless of what ppl put on their 2x's with this system they still don't really screw just into that material but rather shoot for the 2x which makes sense for weight support. I've seen a couple with 3/4 plywood over the 2x but most ppl seem to go with thinner and with the cost of a sheet of it today I can certainly see why one may make that choice. If you do go with plywood on the walls I would suggest not buying the cheap stuff unless you don't mind the fun of installing warped plywood.

Hopefully this helps rather than make things worse.

[joe1086]

Not a huge deal, but I'd prefer a smoother surface for when I occasionally dust off the walls.

[brianwelch]

19 years ago when I configured my basement shop, I used OSB over studs, bought some cheap contractor grade white paint and a thick nap roller and put on 2 coats.  Entirely satisfactory to date.  White paint also makes it much brighter in the shop.

This...

[mound]

Thanks all! ...........

[Bill Wilson]

I have painted OSB on the stud walls in my shop.  It's OK.  At the time, it was a matter of economics.  OSB was far cheaper than plywood.  I don't know how they compare today, given all of the craziness of lumber prices in the past year.  Are you talking standard construction grade ply?  The difference in surface smoothness may be marginal, but I still think it will hold fasteners better than OSB (where they don't go into studs), so if the prices were comparable, I would go with plywood.

[R Clark]

7/16 OSB painted white for my shop.  I put in a DIY cleat wall on one side, but I also use french cleats in other spots.

7/16 OSB is back down to about $13/sheet here; 1/2" ply still over $30/sheet.

The OSB doesn't obviate the entire need to use studs for sinking anchors on some items, but I have ultimate flexibility for small items.