Workshop questions

[chris vickery]

Good points Grant. This is why I opted for steel- a smooth glossy and light colored surface that is easy to clean and requires no upkeep. Drywall and wood are both rough enough that it doesn't take long to turn grungy. The initial cost of paint and the labour to apply it is also a consideration. My garage is beautifully bright.

[cletrac (RIP)]

You can get plastic sheeting that looks the same as the steel stuff. It's fire resistant and costs a bit more than half of steel.

[Paul Singleton]

Thanks for the input on my soon to be work space. I will probably go for the painted steel. There is a manufacturer fairly close to me and I agree that the steel would be more durable than either plywood or drywall. As for heat, I will be using propane. Chris what type of heat source are you using, forced air furnace or a tube type of heater? I am planning to partition off part of the building and only heat the work space, probably about 30X30.
As to the plastic sheeting, I inquired at a couple of building supply stores and they had heard about plastic garage liner panels but had not sold any. I will do some more searching, but maybe they are not legal to use in Ontario.
Paul

[chris vickery]

Paul, if you look in one of my pics you may see a ceiling mounted forced air gas furnace. Its not all that large, if memory serves its only about 50 or 60,000BTU an wasn't that expensive. I believe I got it installed around $1800 all in- furnace, chimney, gas lines, installation and taxes. I could have opted for oil but it has pros and cons. The biggest pro being that dollar for dollar you get more BTUs out of oil yet the cost is higher. Also, the potential environmental impact and damage should you ever have a leak...
Get some ceiling fans as well, they will help to keep the air circulation going which keeps the temperature more constant. Mine were about $129 each from Home Depot. I also don't play the thermostat game. Set it low and leave it there all winter. If need be, turn it up for the time when you are working in the garage. I only need to turn mine up a few degrees and it doesn't take long to be comfortable since everything in the garage is already a consistent temperature.
As far as plastic liner I am no expert. I believe the Ontario Building Code stipulates a fire retardant surface on top of framing such as drywall then other coverings may be applied over that. Not so sure this stipulation applies to freestanding garages but I do know it applies to attached ones in residential applications.
I guess you can see where my choice is for interior coverings in a garage. Quite a few friends have also been down the same road and that is what they went with as well.

[Jordan Baker]

I’ve seen in buildings that had the plastic wall coverings have some issues in a dusty environment. We used a blower to help clean out all the dust and it resulted in a ton of static electricity attracting dust to the panels.

[Paul Singleton]

Thanks Jordan, I hadn’t thought about static electricity buildup on the plastic panels. It could make dust almost impossible to clean off, as the wiping motion from a broom or brush could cause even more static buildup.
Paul

[Robin Craig]

Just an observation, you can't buy natural light.

I am putting a lot of windows in mine knowing I am robbing myself of wall space.