On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 08:55:31 -0800, Eric R Snow wrote:

This is sorta on topic because its for walls in a machine shop. My
shop is a steel building. Inside are steel stud walls that hold the
insulation. Flammable materials, such as acetone, alcohol, and solvent
are present is less than 1 gallon quantities or in a fire protected
parts washer. The other flammable stuff in the shop consists of papers
and cutting oil. So I don't really see a fire hazard in the shop. It
is a no smoking shop. There is a weld area but it is away from
anything that can burn. And all stick welding and torch cutting of
metal is done outside. All that being said, is there a reason NOT to
use 3/8 cdx on the walls instead of 5/8 drywall? It seems to me that
the plywood would be more durable and less likely to suffer any damage
from things banging into it than drywall. Also, the plywood doesn't
need to be taped. Painting and caulking is all the plywood would need.
The shop is full of machines which is one of the reasons I'd like to
avoid taping, mudding, and sanding. All that dust. And labor costs
would be substantially higher with the drywall. I can't do it myself
for at least 6 weeks but I can hire someone to get it done next week.
Thank You,
Eric R Snow

I'm going for Cement Bonded Particle board in my new shop. It's stronger then
drywall/plasterboard and it's fireproof the only finishing it needs is
painting and it can be used without that if you like boring colours. I've had
a couple of sheets of it leant up outside my garage in the sunshine, rain and
frost since July last year and they don't seem to have decayed or distorted at
all.

Regards
Mark Rand
RTFM