Installing plywood on 9 walls

All posts by Todd ». Search for more articles here. Enter keywords like, 'insulation' or 'kitchens' etc to find your topic. It should probably be noted that people should check their codes. Good reminder. Thanks for the reminder! I like the plywood idea for all the reasons that you mentioned, but also am concerned about the code. What about fire rated dry wall for the ceiling?

Could combine 2 good ideas. The only place the fire rating is needed is the junction between the two structures. The plywood sounds like a tough surface, but how do paint it to achieve a smooth surface; does it need spread Bondo? Recently on a kitchen remodeling we built a new interior 2X4 wall around the outside wall in order to make it easier to install all the new plumbing, receptacles, light switches, phone and TV outlets.

Now we are concerned about the fire rating without the drywall. My question is does an exterior wall of a single story red brick bungalow need a one hour fire rating? In that situation the fire rating needs to be on the garage side. Most residential building codes deal with flame spread ratings on wall surfaces. But there are no studs, just the exterior wall perlins. Can I just screw the plywood to that? Is the weight too much? The exterior is sided with Hardie Board.

Smitty — You can absolutely attach the plywood to the purlins, if anything the plywood will stiffen the structure. Good luck. I am going to use Good one side plywood inside my shop and wish to paint it for better lighting. Not sure how to crack fill and finish with paint. Do you have any experience with plastering the seams or other methods?

Todd — I was searching for information on your site about insulating a garage ceiling and this article came up. I was wondering about your opinion on using a vapor barrier in a garage ceiling. The attic will be unused and unheated. I have a ridge vent and soffit vents so there should be good airflow above the insulation in the attic after insulating.

I plan to use electric heat so the only source of water vapor will probably be the snow coming off the cars. It seems to be a similar situation to an attic in a house. Appreciate any opinions on this. Good instinct : Good luck. Above it the outlet we will need to make a hole for. Just above the outlet is a steel bar that helps support the structure of the shop.

The bar attaches just below the top most point where the wall will be attached. At floor level the plywood will need to rest on top of the steel base which happens to be almost a quarter of an inch off the ground. I will need to use wood shims to help keep the far side of the plywood above the floor so that everything stays level.

You will want to shim all of your walls this way so that the plywood does not wick up moisture from the cement. In my case I decided to cover the walls with plywood up to the 8 foot mark. When you start the measurement make sure to place the shim right under any obstructions you will be making holes for.

Using the measuring tape I placed it up against the edge of the steel structural beam where the plywood will start. These two measurements will give you a good hole width to use.

Next I placed the measuring tape on the shims that are about equal height to the steel base mentioned earlier. A stepping stool or small ladder comes in handy for measuring the next obstruction as well as when you will need to screw the plywood in at the top.

Following the previous measurements I did the same to measure the distance from the edge. This piece of steel comes in at an angle, so the hole for it will be larger than you might imagine. While measuring I make sure to write down everything on a notepad. All measurements are based on starting from the right edge or bottom with the exception of that top hole. Once you get to the end of a wall you will need to cut the sheet down to fit — or perhaps your wall wont be sheathed up to 8 feet like mine.

In either case you need to first measure how wide of a piece you will need. Then, using the tape measure near the bottom of the plywood board, make a mark at the width you need.

Move up to the top of the board and measure the same width and make a mark. The idea here is that you now have two marks to use to line up the track for your track saw cut. Set up the track so that the sacrificial edge is right on the marks at both ends. Set your track saw on the track and plug in the dust collection hose. Make sure other settings on your track saw are set and tightened, including the angle gauge. Then with the plywood sheath sitting on your foam insulation, you can make the cut.

In the beginning I had some issues with the dust hose getting caught or tangled, so try and make sure it will move freely before you start! With the plywood piece cut to the width or height needed, the next step is to cut out and holes needed for the electric outlets to fit through, or any other piping etc..

For holes in the middle of the board, here is the technique I used. Basically I transfer the measurement I took earlier for the height of the electric box from the ground shim up starting at the bottom edge of the board and very close to the side.

Make a mark at the first lower measurement, then at the upper measurement which you recorded earlier. Using the T-square I lined it up at the lower measurement.. As the panel makes contact with the box, an outline will be left on the panel from the lipstick or crayon. Place the face of the panel down and use a jigsaw to cut around the outline. Make sure that the panel opening is resting on the wall and not on the lip of the box.

The cover plate will cover any gaps between the box and the opening in the panel. Secure the paneling to the wall with panel adhesive and finishing nails. Load a caulking gun with a tube of panel adhesive and apply a small dab of it on the wall about every 10 inches. Place the panel on the wall and press it into the adhesive. Pull the panel away from the wall and let the adhesive become tacky. Push the panel back on the wall and roll the panel with a rolling pin. This will make sure that the panel and the adhesive make good contact.

Finally, drive finishing nails into place at the top of the panel. Apply baseboard to hold the bottom in place. Follow the same procedure to hold the adjoining sheet of paneling, but make sure this is a small gap between the two sheets to allow for movement during seasonal changes use a dime as a guide.

The stain you placed on the wall will help hide the gap. Take a pry bar and use it to pry the trim 1 inch 2. Take down any wallpaper on the walls.

Soak the wallpaper with water using a sponge or floor mop. Let the water absorb into the wallpaper for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, use a putty knife to scrape the wallpaper off the walls. Apply more water as needed. Take off any receptacle covers over electrical outlets. Turn the electricity off first by flipping the breaker switch for the room you're working in. The switch should be located in the electrical panel for the house.

Use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws holding the receptacles in place. Set the receptacle and screw aside in a plastic bag so you don't lose them. Make sure the walls are flat. Use a level to check. Place the edge of the level against the section of wall you're checking. If the bubble in the tube of liquid is between the two black lines, the section of wall is level. If it's off to the side of the lines, the wall isn't level.

Use a fine-grit sandpaper to sand down raised sections on the walls. The plywood paneling will work best on a flat surface.

Part 3. Use a caulking gun to apply panel adhesive to the walls. Start with one section of wall in a corner of the room.

Squeeze the handle on the caulking gun so panel adhesive comes out. Smear a quarter-size amount of the panel adhesive onto the wall. Repeat every 10 inches Wait until you get the paneling up on that section before you move on to another one. You can find a caulking gun and panel adhesive at your local hardware store. Press the first plywood panel into the adhesive on the wall.

The backside of the paneling you want hidden should be facing the wall. Use a rolling pin to firmly press the panel into the adhesive.