Paint Workshop Walls?

[jcassidy]

Hi all
just getting to the finishing stages of my workshop, and I'm wondering if I should paint my walls or leave bare? I've clad the walls in recovered pallets, some of which I've roughly planed clean, other's I've left au naturale, i.e. worse for wear. Ceiling is pine 9mm T&G.
I was thinking of white wood paint which I have plenty of from renovating the house. However, I'm worried that it will look a bit rubbish after a few months of bashings, especailly if I'm mounting and dismounting shelves, racks etc.
What do you guys think - paint or leave bare?

 

[doctor Bob]

White paint will make it feel lighter, will demonstrate dust levels as well.

 

[Ttrees]

Under the wrong settings or bad circumstances, say water settling around the building, clearly visible from the bubbling paint job on the exterior...
Is there any risk posed painting the inside if the walls need to breath?
Thanks
Tom

 

[jcassidy]

I always use water based paints unless there's a good reason not to. I don't like breathing fumes for years... Anyway, workshop is currently weatherproof, insulated and vapour barriered.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I saw a workshop painted in gun metal grey the other day (on telly) I thought it looked really good, wouldn't show every single bit of dirt and dust, my reservation would be light levels

 

[Shane1978]

I think a coat of white sounds perfect. Maybe even water it down and make it more of a white wash? Would pick up the light levels and help it look/feel clean.

 

[jcassidy]

White paint is what I got, so white paint is what it gets...
I do like the idea of washing, I may give that a go.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

White. As white as you can get it.

 

[TheUnicorn]

prefer the idea of a whitewash to a solid white, would show as much dirt

 

[Stan_LIT]

I most (still have 1/3 of one wall to finish )painted my little garage in white. It is seams like it is more brighter now. And is brick walls so after painting with masonry paint i think the all dust don't stick to the bricks like was before.

 

[Sheptonphil]

Mine after build, before fit out.

Three coats of brilliant white matt emulsion sprayed on. First coat diluted 50/50 two neat coats. Fifteen minutes a coat

Made a massive improvement in light, no shadows as so much light is reflected all around.

.

 

[biskit]

I can’t imagine anyone using any colour. We all want as much light as possible in our workshop.

 

[eribaMotters]

I used light grey masonry paint on my concrete block walls. It is dark enough to hide some dust yet bright enough to reflect light. It is also harder wearing than emulsion so a repaint will not in reality be needed.
OSB boarded ceiling was given a coat of acrylic primer undercoat. I then left it a couple of weeks so I could see any bleed marks where it reacted and then spot primed with a blocking primer before before two coats of white matt emulsion.
The worst part was the walls as they drank paint. I used 140L overall on walls and ceiling, far more than I thought I would.
Floor area is about 10 x 5m, loft areas front and back for storage.

Colin

 

[Davey44]

I used light grey masonry paint on my concrete block walls. It is dark enough to hide some dust yet bright enough to reflect light. It is also harder wearing than emulsion so a repaint will not in reality be needed.
OSB boarded ceiling was given a coat of acrylic primer undercoat. I then left it a couple of weeks so I could see any bleed marks where it reacted and then spot primed with a blocking primer before before two coats of white matt emulsion.
The worst part was the walls as they drank paint. I used 140L overall on walls and ceiling, far more than I thought I would.
Floor area is about 10 x 5m, loft areas front and back for storage.

ColinView attachment 99134View attachment 99135View attachment 99136

WOW!!! Not of course that I'm envious or anything. Yours outstrips mine by a factor of 4 or 5! I have what amounts to a single garage, plus a brick/block extension that I built after I demolished my old darkroom that had been in a rotting and falling down wooden/corrugated iron/felted roof structure. The new part houses my large'ish lathe, milling machine, compressor, bench and cupboards tor tools and accessories.
However, it's the best I could do without creating havoc in the marital home and risking divorce! Please DO put pics up when you have it completed with all your machines, benches etc!

 

[eribaMotters]

I must admit it is not solely a workshop. The garage is part of an 80m2 extension on a 100m2 1970's bungalow. Before and after as below. At the front I store the caravan along one wall and have a 6 x 2 m floorspace down the side before bandsaw, bench, pillar drill and disc sander on the other wall. At the back are planer thicknesser, saw table, spindle moulder, mortiser and extractor all on castor bases for easy moving. Heavy duty racking allows storage of power tools, decorating and building stuff, camping gear and general household tut. The back wall has radial arm saw on a 5m bench with clamps above and timber storage below. Loft spaces of 5.0 x 2.4m to front and 5.5 x 1.8m at rear allow storage of all the crap the boys have left us to look after and the general bits of ours accumulated over 35 years of marriage.

 

[Walcote]

Plus one for white! Make's all the difference having as much soft reflected light as possible.

 

[Roberto Flintofski]

White, when it's all clean and done you feel obliged to keep it that way!

 

[mikej460]

White, when it's all clean and done you feel obliged to keep it that way!

Very nice, can I ask how you got the floor to look like that?

 

[Roberto Flintofski]

Very nice, can I ask how you got the floor to look like that?

Got a big skip and threw everything away ... lol

If you mean the grey, it's a resin based coating from Amazon

 

[mikej460]

Got a big skip and threw everything away ... lol

If you mean the grey, it's a resin based coating from Amazon

Thanks, could you send me a link please? and has it lasted ok?