Plywood for lining out workshop walls

[Moonsafari69]

I plan to line the workshop walls with 3/4” - 18mm plywood.

My questions are:

1) Structural or non structural?

2) Softwood or hardwood?

What are your thoughts?

 

[Marineboy]

I’m aware I’m not answering your question, but isn’t plywood overkill for this job? Why not OSB? It’s a lot cheaper and just as functional as ply, eg ability to take screws, support shelves etc.

 

[Moonsafari69]

Cost isn’t a major player as this will be a workshop that will stay with me for hopefully a long time. Ply will no doubt react better to moisture but to be honest I’ve not really considered OSB. I may do though, depending on the feedback I get on the different types of ply. Thanks for the idea.

 

[shed9]

Used 1/2" non-structural hardwood throughout mine and was plenty strong enough. In reality you will likely use the framework to support heavy shelving. Been up for many years without issue. I found the best place for price at the time was Wickes (of all places) and I haggled with them on top of that. OSB won't work out that much cheaper IMO and not as good a finish for an internal wall.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Mine was covering 100mm PU foam, so had to take screws for shelves etc. - I used 18mm shuttering.

 

[Moonsafari69]

Are there any advantages / disadvantages over the structural / non-structural ply?

 

[Fitzroy]

Osb is ugly, painful to paint well, and still ugly afterwards.

 

[Moonsafari69]

Osb is ugly, painful to paint well, and still ugly afterwards.

:lol: yep I figure ply is the way forward. There just seems to be more options to choose from than I expected.

 

[Bodgers]

What are the reasons for choosing plywood over say plasterboard or insulated plasterboard?

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[Moonsafari69]

Main reason for the ply is so it can take a good knock and be strong enough to hang stuff from. It’s for the workshop so will avoid plasterboard.

 

[RobinBHM]

Whatever you choose, I would go and see it. There is plywood and there is plywood......if you get my drift!

Some of the budget softwood plywoods can be pretty clean. The cheapest shuttering ply can be ok but can also be quite skanky.

Also some merchants dont store it properly, so if you dont want it buckled be careful where you buy.

 

[Bodgers]

Main reason for the ply is so it can take a good knock and be strong enough to hang stuff from. It’s for the workshop so will avoid plasterboard.

Interesting, yeah I suppose that will be useful.
I was thinking of insulated plasterboard in my garage workshop for fire safety and warmth.

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[shed9]

Whatever you choose, I would go and see it. There is plywood and there is plywood......if you get my drift!

Very much this, if you can, select the sheets yourself. Whenever I've ordered large quantities of ply in the past I've always added a few extra to the list as I know I'm going to reject some at the point of delivery.

 

[Brandlin]

+1 for OSB here.

My triple garage workshop has been clad in 11mm OSB for several years and supports many cabinets shelves etc without any issues.
Using plywood for this would simply be a waste in my view.

 

[Moonsafari69]

Certainly going to choose the boards myself. I have a Wickes just down yhe road, maybe not the cheapest but worth the extra few quid to select them I’m sure.

 

[Bodgers]

Whatever you choose, I would go and see it. There is plywood and there is plywood......if you get my drift!

Very much this, if you can, select the sheets yourself. Whenever I've ordered large quantities of ply in the past I've always added a few extra to the list as I know I'm going to reject some at the point of delivery.

Here is some 18mm 'hardwood' ext plywood sent to me a few weeks ago:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... 94UElPei1B

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipM ... 94UElPei1B

 

[MikeG.]

I plan to line the workshop walls with 3/4” - 18mm plywood.

My questions are:

1) Structural or non structural?

2) Softwood or hardwood?

What are your thoughts?

The answer is that the very worst 18mm ply will be more than enough to satisfy any need you have in the building. It will provide the necessary racking resistance, act as a vapour barrier, retain your insulation, and be more than enough for fixing medium weight stuff to directly without going into a stud. Therefore, the choice is entirely down to your aesthetics and budget. I have no idea at all why anyone would use anything more than 12mm for this task. Handling 18mm sheets is a nightmare.

 

[Moonsafari69]

Thanks Mike, do you think 12mm will be plenty for the task then?

 

[beech1948]

Used 18mm cCinese hardwood ply for my workshop walls. Inspected it first. Bought one sheet to cut up for a project and it was quite good. Solid, few voids, reasonably flat without waves.

I rejected OSB because its just wafer board. It is ugly. It attracts dust and holds it to the surface. It can suck up gallons of paint. Its rough and not too pleasant to handle. Plus point its relatively cheap.

Ply has a smooth surface and good holding power. Does not hold dust to the surface like OSB. Easy to paint and absorbs not too much paint. Better to screw into. Minus point is it can be damned heavy.

 

[MikeG.]

Thanks Mike, do you think 12mm will be plenty for the task then?

Yep. 9mm will likely do it fine too, depending on the size and siting of the building.