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A friend had ordered a garage kit from a local lumber yard. For the vinyl siding option, they shipped Dow board and called it structural sheathing. He thought 1/2 inch ply would be better. I haven’t used the stuff myself. Usually just frame and ply, felt and vinyl, then insulate the stud bays if wanted. How good is this stuff, and what’s the standard applications. In his case, I think the ply is better, since he’s gonna finish the interior and insulate anyway. How usefull is the Dow board…..and should I look into using it the next time an unfinished interior garage comes up. The lumber yard sent metal cross bracing along. Can you sheet with Dow, install metal X-bracing, and then stand a wall without it racking? Seems a little flimsy to me, but as i said, I might not be in the 20th century on this one! Any thoughts? Jeff
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..i don't know what you mean by Dow board..
is it 1 inch Styro-SM ? (blue board)..
the metal cross bracing has to go on the studs... you can't apply the dow board and then the x-brace..
the dow board is not a nail base.. so you are limited to horizontal siding that you can nail into the studs...
there are a lot of houses out there that are built with similar.... but you peel the vinyl siding off and put your fist thru the wall and you're inside...
draw your own conclusions... but i like the ply....
*If you are indeed refering to the Styrofoam (blue color) boards, then you need (IMHO) sheathing such as the 1/2" ply. The Styrofoam board is for insulation purposes only, and has no structural benefits. I have found that if I use both the Styrofoam board, and the ply sheathing, I need to extend the jambs on the doors (and windows if used). I have never been fond of metal X bracing for structural strengthening, but I also live in a high wind/heavy storm prone area. It really is just a matter of preference, and sometimes a matter of code.Just a thought...James
*Mike, that's the stuff. I knew about the bracing, and that was my main concern about the panels. I wasn't building this particular garage, just the drive-by advice giver. I had told them it's easier and quicker the sheath first, then stand. The lumber rep said with the one angle brace per wall, and insul board......it would be no problem. I thought different. The garage guy thought different and had them switch the Dow for 1/2 osb. His main concern.....several grand worth of tools inside....and a dark alley outside! Anyone with a big boot or a sharp butter knife could get in fairly quietly! The lumber yard rep also said it's fine as a nailing base......I was skeptical of that too! Started to wonder if there was more to this stuff than met the eye. Thanks, Jeff
*Thanks James, that's what I had thought. The lumber yard exchanged the Dow for 1/2 osb and rolls of fiberglass. I guess if you wanted to run vinyl, and get a little insulating value with no extra material it may work.....but not this time. Thanks, Jeff
*well... i guess it is a nail base.. but you don't need a hammer to push the nail in .. just a little pain and your thumb...and the withdrawl force is about the same...so... nail base my ass....and .. it's r value is 5 to the inch.. iso is 7..Styro-SM is great for under concrete slabs because it's compressive strenght is something like 30 psi (i just made that number up... but it's something like that)... nowadays even EPS can be had in higher densities.. so the extra money you pay for STYRO-SM may not be worth it anymore....here's another thought.. protect the SM from volatiles...we had a floor drain that someone poured gas sown.. and ate all the SM board.. just blue goo left.. and a big void....
*Gentlemen. I have posted extensively about the negatives of let-in corner bracing. Simpsaon Strong tie warns against using their metal straping or let-in v brace structurally.If one is to use only RFBI and no structural sheathig the better way is to install 4'x 8' sheets of OSB or plywood vertically on each side of the cornerrs. The UBC code reqires additional bracing every 25 feet. This may also be a BOCA requirement.GeneL.
*Vinyl siding is hard enough to get flat & straight using ply, much less foam board. Based on recent personal experience, I'd use 1/2" 4-ply so there's a good nail base that will really hold the nails, because the installer is NOT going to hit the studs.
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A friend had ordered a garage kit from a local lumber yard. For the vinyl siding option, they shipped Dow board and called it structural sheathing. He thought 1/2 inch ply would be better. I haven't used the stuff myself. Usually just frame and ply, felt and vinyl, then insulate the stud bays if wanted. How good is this stuff, and what's the standard applications. In his case, I think the ply is better, since he's gonna finish the interior and insulate anyway. How usefull is the Dow board.....and should I look into using it the next time an unfinished interior garage comes up. The lumber yard sent metal cross bracing along. Can you sheet with Dow, install metal X-bracing, and then stand a wall without it racking? Seems a little flimsy to me, but as i said, I might not be in the 20th century on this one! Any thoughts? Jeff