Question on semi-finishing the interior of my barn

[JohnnyMX]

My storage area is my pole barn. I am trying to improve the organization and lighting. I have recently added 2 UFO lights which helped a lot over a 20x20 area (roughly). My thought process was to finish some of the walls and add some french cleaning to get more things off the floor and paint the walls white so I can brighten things up and see better. It is a gravel floor on most of it now.

I have never done anything like this. My plan was to add some 1/2 OSB or plywood (whatever is cheaper and works) over the studs and then I'd attached the cleats to that. All electrical comes down from the ceiling with no boxes where I'd be closing it up.

I don't know if I should be adding anything in between in terms of insulation or anything to keep out critters. I don't even know if that matters.

Any gaping holes in this plan from your experience?

 

[Roadworthy]

Insulation won't keep critters out - they like to use it for nests. I do have insulation in my pole building and the walls are mostly finished with (I think) 7/16" OSB. I surface mounted conduit for electrical boxes at about the four foot level. I find that handier than normal outlet height. So far the only downside is size - the building isn't big enough. I've been told none are.

 

[JJT]

If it's an unheated storage building, skip the insulation. As for OSB or plywood, I'd find a saw mill and use rough cut 1x. My local sawmill sells pine or hemlock 1x8x8 for $3.20 a board. OSB/Chipboard at the local big box is $43/sheet for 7/16".

 

[JohnnyMX]

That is a good idea. I have a mill the next block over and will have to check. I think OSB 7/16 is about 36 here at the moment at HD. It isn't heated and I have no need to really keep it warm. If I'm doing a project I bring out the torpedo heater.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

If it's an unheated storage building, skip the insulation. As for OSB or plywood, I'd find a saw mill and use rough cut 1x. My local sawmill sells pine or hemlock 1x8x8 for $3.20 a board. OSB/Chipboard at the local big box is $43/sheet for 7/16".

$44 a sheet on the opposite side of the country and 3/8s ply is $36 a sheet. I think I would 2nd the notion of finding some utility 1x material cheaper.

 

[3Ts]

Sheet or boards, whatever is cheaper, except the OSB has a tendency to flake off with high humidity. My preference is plywood because it doesn't delaminate and helps to reinforce the building.

Electrical outlets - just above 4' so you can lean sheet goods against the wall and still have access to the outlet.

 

[Randy Gann]

If you plan on building a bench top or countertop, I suggest putting pegboard on the wall above the counter.

 

[JohnnyMX]

If it's an unheated storage building, skip the insulation. As for OSB or plywood, I'd find a saw mill and use rough cut 1x. My local sawmill sells pine or hemlock 1x8x8 for $3.20 a board. OSB/Chipboard at the local big box is $43/sheet for 7/16".

Are you talking about an entire board or per board foot?

 

[jaxs]

If you are adding the finishing in hope's of keeping things cleaner,it won't help as long as floor is gravel. The same investment in lumber and sheet goods will build free standing shelving. I totally agree that white paint on walls and ceiling does a lot for lighting as well as overall appearance.
As for precurment of material,try demolision contractors. I'm retired so have time to ferret around. I've made more money during Covid than I was making previously. Amungist other persuits,I "take care of" 2 guys at different demolision companies. They can't give permission for scavanging (thanks to lawyers) but they tip me off in advance of tearing places down. I look for things that can be repurposed, I usually tell a scrapper that take's things to sell at scrap yard. He in turn help's me for a reasonable per hour wage. I hit a home run summer of 2020 when walls of a house turned out to be high grade 1x Redwood. We spent 3 days removing boards,pulling nails,hauling and stacking. Prime market was boat builders that restore vintage yachts.

 

[JohnnyMX]

A couple of mills replied back about some rough cut. I am no expert and know that type of wood and quality may vary. I don't need top-quality for what I'm doing in the barn, but would hope things are reasonably straight and dimensional.

1x6x8' (hemlock) = $6.60 = $1.65/board foot
1x10x10'(spruce) = $9.00 = $0.84/board foot

I think the goals are just to cover the walls to paint help lighten things up and provide support for a french cleat or two to get stuff off the floor. I already have shelves, but the stuff I need to get up is more awkward. Part of it may be me just having cabin fever as well and wanting to tackle a building only I see first vs. my garage which may be next.

 

[JJT]

WOW, I'm 3 hours east of you and have several Amish sawmills within a couple of miles. I bought 2x4x8' and 1x8x8' rough cut in the past two weeks for $3.20 each, your prices are more than double mine. Is that for planed wood? Pine and hemlock are the same price here. I prefer hemlock - no pitch and no knots, but way heavier.

 

[JJT]

Are you talking about an entire board or per board foot?

$3.20 per board, that comes to $.60/board foot.

30 years ago I bought 14,000 board feet of big timbers for my timber frame home and paid $.50/board foot. Log prices haven't changed much in years, yet the big box stores are getting $6+ for an 8' 2x4.....

 

[JohnnyMX]

That is a good point about Amish sawmills.... I was checking for rough cut on Facebook Marketplace Probably not going to get a hit there.

 

[Massey_Man_97]

My recommendation for organizing to make things easy to find would definitely be cover all walls with peg board and paint it white makes it very easy find all tools and looks very nice once finished.

 

[joeyd]

I did this when OSB was much cheaper, 8' osb on the bottom and 4' of drywall above it and on the ceiling painted white. When the florescent bulbs burn out I will probably upgrade to LED lights. Pegboard above the workbench for tool storage.

 

[wolc123]

I have been doing the same thing with my pole barn. The shell (36’ x 50’ x 12’ with (2) 25’ x 10’ porches) went up in 2018. There were (2) 36’ x 46’ x 16’ post and beam barns on the site, that my great great grandfather put up in 1883. They had considerable foundation damage and the roofs were failing, such that it would have cost many times more to repair them as it did to put up the new pole barn.

I hated to tear those old barns down but couldn’t afford the necessary repairs. I had to get one down to make room for the pole barn. I sold a couple tractors and other stuff, consolidated all my remaining stuff into one of the old barns, and dismantled the other.

After the pole barn shell was up, I repurposed much of the old posts and beams, siding and granary wood from the old barn to make a 30’ x 12’ loft, with 20’ x 12’ wood-shop, and 10’ x 12’ metal-shop below.

The loft is floored with 1” thick American chestnut roofing boards from the old barn, topped with 7/16 OSB (it was $ 5.99 a sheet in 2018). The shops are “board and batten sided with American chestnut granery wood from the old barn.

Most of the barn is gravel floored, which I prefer for storage, but the shops and one porch have concrete floors.

I just finished up the wiring today. I had buried a 2” PVC conduit out to the barn when I did the site work, and I just fished a 30 amp, 10-3 UFB wire thru that. The wood shop has (2) 4 ‘ LED lights and the metal shop has (1). Each porch has a light bulb fixture, there are (3) more out in the main storage area, and (1) up in the loft.

There are a total of (20) 120 volt outlets on (2) 20 amp breakers and the lights are on (2) 15 amp breakers. I also put in a 30 amp breaker and a 240 volt outlet for a welder.

When I finish taking down the last “barely standing” old barn, I am going to enclose the back porch, and build another porch off that for firewood storage. I need more posts and beams and the rafters from that old barn for that project.

I am thankful to not need to buy any more lumber at today’s inflated prices, but the wire and other electrical supplies hurt a bit.

 

[JohnnyMX]

I am starting with the first wall that is just OSB. I painted white with Killz basic white and it already is much brighter in the barn. I also added french cleats to the wall so I can get at least that part organized. The paint pictures are in the day with the overhead door open. The one with the cleats is at night. I will move one of the UFO lights as well to better spread out the light.

 

[JohnnyMX]

Rough cut was going to be about $450 for this portion of the barn so I ended up giving pallets a try. I did spend about a 100 on the breaker and air locker (de-nailer) but it made it a breeze to end up with stacks of pallet wood. There is a pool store near me that routinely leaves almost 8'x8' pallets that are new 2x4's on top of the pallet planking.
I am getting there one section at a time. Spent about 5 minutes just throwing things back on the wall so I don't have it just right yet, but this beats the mess that was.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Rough cut was going to be about $450 for this portion of the barn so I ended up giving pallets a try. I did spend about a 100 on the breaker and air locker (de-nailer) but it made it a breeze to end up with stacks of pallet wood. There is a pool store near me that routinely leaves almost 8'x8' pallets that are new 2x4's on top of the pallet planking.
I am getting there one section at a time. Spent about 5 minutes just throwing things back on the wall so I don't have it just right yet, but this beats the mess that was.

To me that pallet wall looks way better than I would have imagined and very fitting for a barn.

 

[JethroB]

I’ve wanted to experiment with the thin vinyl 4x8 sheets as a wall covering. Often used in public restrooms and commercial food prep areas and kitchens.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-ft-Embossed-White-Wall-Panel/1000174771