Need help on sheeting a garage.

[Industrial Toys]

I know little about carpentry or common practices.

I am sheeting the interior of my 2x4 studded garage a little at a time. It is not unheard of to have water in the garage from ice and weather conditions being just right. But not more than 1/2 inch or so. I notice the 8 foot height is very tight from concrete floor to under the trusses.

Should I cut a bit off, to get the 1/2" plywood off the concrete? Maybe half the 2x4 plate thickness?

Should I seal the bottom edge of the plywood? With What?


On another matter, has anyone mounted a 72 Bin, 8x9 bin, Bolt Bin to a 2X4 wall? If you could put ten pounds in a compartment, that is a lot of weight.

Thanks

 

[clemsonfor]

Does the bolt bin also stand on the floor? Depends on if you grab a few studs with a horizontal piece if the bin itself won't grab 3 or four. As long as the bin can support its own weight and you use lag bolts and all the mounting points I don't see why it wouldn't work. I don't know what it is right now to quote but the breaking strength of a 2x4 is huge. And if your standing in the floor and bolted to multiple studs with the correct fasteners it should be good.

As far as the sheeting. Yes I would not let the sheeting even touch the bottom plate if it were me. You want those wall voids to breathe. I would assume the bottom plate is treated...I think it's code that it is in a slab. But that wood will wick that water up so the bottom plate and studs will soak up water depending on how long that HALF INCH of water is in there. And it may get the sheeting we if you trim two inches off even. But I would not want to seal up that wall void if there is a chance moisture will be trapped in there, that's how mold will start .

 

[Diggin It]

I might consider using vinyl J channel trim at the floor to set the plywood in to keep it off the floor. I would NOT leave an open gap at the floor which could allow insects in. If venting were necessary, I'd drill holes at the top and cover them with screening. Maybe another set a foot or so above the floor.

Plywood should be 1/2' or so LESS than the wall height to allow for expansion however.

 

[RNeumann]

I would keep the sheeting off the floor. The bins can hang off the wall. If you are worried you can double the plywood or add horizontal 2x material behind it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. I am insulating the wall with R14 Roxul. Man, it's now the second time I got burned buying this stuff from Home Hardware. It just falls apart in your hand. You are hard pressed to hold it vertically without it ripping apart! The first time I bought it, years ago, they assured me they had changed it, but alas the same thing.

I realize 96" won't fit in the space anyway, so I have to rip it off. My biggest worry around here is mice. For fire reasons.

The bolt bin will hang on the wall and not be supported on the bottom. I might put bolts through the 2x4s to the outside board and baton to hold a 3x3 or so angle iron for the bottom edge of the bin to sit on. Then lag it good and strong where ever I can catch a stud.

Back to the plywood, it is marked exterior. Is there a good side and bad side. One side opposite the writing has more knots.

 

[teejk]

Thanks. I am insulating the wall with R14 Roxul. Man, it's now the second time I got burned buying this stuff from Home Hardware. It just falls apart in your hand. You are hard pressed to hold it vertically without it ripping apart! The first time I bought it, years ago, they assured me they had changed it, but alas the same thing.

I realize 96" won't fit in the space anyway, so I have to rip it off. My biggest worry around here is mice. For fire reasons.

The bolt bin will hang on the wall and not be supported on the bottom. I might put bolts through the 2x4s to the outside board and baton to hold a 3x3 or so angle iron for the bottom edge of the bin to sit on. Then lag it good and strong where ever I can catch a stud.

Back to the plywood, it is marked exterior. Is there a good side and bad side. One side opposite the writing has more knots.

Exterior plywood mainly refers to the glue. It might or might not be pressure treated (markings or color will tell). Regardless I'd keep it off the ground. As stated by others lumber "wicks". Side of plywood? Here in the states plywood is graded based on appearance. E.g. "cdx" means grade "c" (ok but not cabinet grade) on one side, grade "d" (uglier than grade c) on the other (the "x" means exterior grade glue). Really doesn't matter which way you install it other than something you might have to look at.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...The overall wall units will be a little stronger if the plywood is run perpendicular to the framing...i.e., horizontal...
It might be worth while to add some deadwood blocking where you will be lagging the bin to the wall...it offers a bigger target than just a 1.5" stud etc..!

 

[downsizingnow48]

I would want to stop the water.

 

[Chris616]

Tom,

I agree with Pat. I would not insulate and sheet anywhere close to the floor if you occasionally get standing water in the building. Right now the sill plate and exterior sheathing can dry out after they wick in water, but that won't be the case if you sheet the interior down to the sill plate (or close to it). And I wouldn't have insulation in contact with the sill plate, because it takes forever to dry out if it wicks water into it. And you can't really leave the insulation and interior sheeting with a 6 inch gap at the bottom because the mice would love to set up house in the insulation. You could cover that gap with hardware cloth, but that's starting to get to be a lot of trouble. Based on the info that you've given us, maybe just stay with uninsulated studs in the garage? Pay more to heat in the winter if you're in there working and stay out in the heat of the summer.

You didn't say how many studs the bolt bin would span, but the bin isn't going to extend very far from the wall, so it isn't going to put much torque on the 2X4s to dislodge them from the top plate. I'd reinforce that connection, though. If it's spanning at least three studs I wouldn't worry about the studs. The bolts holding up potentially 720 lbs will be the critical thing. For that much weight I'd build something underneath to transfer the load to the concrete floor. You wouldn't want that thing to break free and land on your toes when you load something new into it.

Chris

 

[Rustyiron]

I might consider buying a few sheets of rigid (blue or pink) foam to fill the stud bay where it may see water, maybe 6" or so and then switch to your Roxul. Then using a pt 5/4 (1x6) for an exposed base board (on the farming, no plywood) then start your plywood on that with a good exterior caulking to the floor @ the 1x6.
Like Pat said, stop the water.