Alternatives to Drywall
If you’re redoing your detached garage, drywall may not be the best or only choice for finishing walls. There are a variety of alternatives that can make the space more practical, and, if you plan to convert it into living space, insulating the walls, ceiling, and floor with InSoFast EPS foam panels can make it cozy and comfortable.
InSoFast panels, like all rigid foam insulation boards, are required by code to be covered by ½” drywall or another approved 15-minute thermal barrier (IBC 2603.4).
Consider alternative materials that can be applied to the InSoFast panels to create a different look in garages and garage workshops. Just be sure to check with your local building code official to make sure they meet your local requirements.
- Cement board panels: Decorative fiber cement boards, come in a variety of colors and textures, including raised textures that mimic wood. They’ll add a stylish, rustic appeal to your garage while providing durability, strength, and easy maintenance.
- Fiberglass reinforced panels (FRP): Designed to go over wood sheathing or drywall, these panels resist mold, pests, mildew and moisture, and are easy to clean if exposed to grease or other contaminants.
- Ambient Building Products, Inc. The technologically advanced interior sheathing from MagPanels is impervious to water, non-flammable, non-combustible, mold-resistant, and unaffected by insects.
- Wood sheathing: Consider premium wood paneling from companies like Southern Wood Specialties that offer kiln-dried rough cut wood that is ideal for garages, “man caves”, and game rooms and serves as an effective support and fastening surface for shelves and other additions to garage walls.
The Best Insulation for any Surface
InSoFast is a style of engineered continuous thermally stable insulation that comes in interlocking panels. The closed-cell, injection-molded EPS foam panels can be applied universally to any interior, exterior walls or even for the floor assembly.
Suitable for insulating interior garage walls, floors and ceilings, InSoFast UX 2.0 Panels are ideal for DIY projects. Each 2-inch-thick panel has a flat surface that exposes the face of the embedded studs. The EPS body is manufactured with a fire-retardant additive and serves as a Class III vapor barrier.
With a continuous R-value of 8.5, rot-resistant framing, drainage channels, electrical raceways, and a simple, stackable interlocking design, it is a very cost-effective insulation solution. For a higher R-value, the EXi 2.5 Panel, at 2 ½-inches thick, has a continuous R-value of 10 and provides 20% more insulation than the UX panel.
Drywall, cement board, tile base, or wood siding can be installed over InSoFast panels in the same way it is installed over traditional wood framing. Simply attach the product with all-purpose drywall screws or whatever the cement board manufacturer recommends.
Why Do-It-Yourselfers Love InSoFast
The features that make InSoFast panels so easy for do-it-yourselfers to use include:
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- Cut to fit with handsaw, jigsaw, sabre saw or table saw
- Seamless interlocking edges require no taping
- Easy to handle 2’x4’ panels that stack like LEGO® bricks
- Notched alignment system ensures that panels and studs stay aligned during installation
- Built in embedded stud framing aligns every 16-inches on center to simplify gluing or screwing panels to walls
- Built in electrical raceways run horizontally and vertically along the edge of every panel and enable you to install electrical boxes anywhere you need them
- Moisture control channels prevent moisture from getting trapped in walls
If you’re considering alternatives to drywall for your garage, call InSoFast today at (888) 501-7899 or contact us online for more information about our easy-to-install EPS insulation panels.
