How Do I Put Up a Temporary Wall in the Garage?

You’ll need to erect a temporary wall if you have a huge double garage and wish to place a workshop or something similar on one side – but just for a short time.

Fit wooden or metal studs into the garage and cover them with 4-foot by 8-foot 1/4 inch plywood or oriented strand boards to create a temporary wall. If you live in a colder region, you may also put a layer of similar-sized insulating boards beneath.

Let’s take a closer look at why you might need a temporary wall, how to build one and how much it will cost, and what materials to use…

Why Would I Need a Garage Temporary Wall?

Here’s a weird sci-fi scenario: a global epidemic breaks out. Businesses closed momentarily to assist stop the spread of the disease, then reopened partially.

You avoid going to the gym because of safety concerns. You don’t have enough room inside your house for a gym and equipment, but you do have enough space in your garage.

The problem is that your garage is very chilly and not particularly inspiring. A temporary wall, or two, is required.

Temporary walls may be moved around. They allow you to use the space you have right now and then remove them afterward. If you’re a tenant, you can be obliged to take them down before leaving.

Garages may be great places to store excess belongings. A lot more room is freed up if you can park your car outside. Creating a room makes a lot of sense if you have a double garage and just one car.

A gym room, a hobby room, he/she/they Cave, or a home office might all be created. Your washer and dryer may live in a sawdust-free environment.

You may not require an office, gym, or laundry room, but you do have a number of DIY construction projects. Although garages are attractive empty spaces, they may not have enough wall space to accommodate all of your gear.

Keeping your workstation tidy might be as simple as adding two extra walls around a workbench.

A man builds a freestanding wall that is attached to his hefty workbench in this video. Both the workstation and the wall may be relocated if he wishes to reconfigure his garage.

Before you install a temporary garage wall, think about the following points. Gasoline, oil, and chemicals are frequently seen in garages. Those odors may not be blocked by a temporary wall.

Furthermore, certain home insurance plans will be worthless if you construct a wall without a proper exit, even if it is just temporary.

Inquire for a construction permit with your city or county. Even temporary walls require one from time to time. Check with the owners or management business first, renters.

Check out this resource if you’re thinking of erecting a temporary wall so someone can live in the garage (temporarily).

What is the best material to use when constructing temporary garage walls?

Your climate will determine the finest material. If your garage is really chilly, try adding insulation. Insulation is available in hard 4 x 8 foot sheets that may be used as a wall or added to a sheet of plywood. Install the sheet up to the wood or metal studs that will support it.

Consider utilizing thin (1/4 inch) plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) instead of insulation if you don’t need it. The majority of plywood and OSB sheets are 4 feet by 8 feet in size. Screw the plywood to the supporting wood or metal studs to construct the walls. You may then detach the plywood and reuse it for other construction tasks.

Drywall is a common and inexpensive wall covering, but additional options include shiplap, pegboard, corrugated steel panels, hardboard panels, wainscoting panels, and aluminum slat wall.

Wooden wall materials are preferable if you require walls to hang items on. Unless you want to protect the wood, consider non-wood options such as fiberglass or acrylic if you live in a moist region.

Wall materials are attached to metal or wood studs. Wood studs are a conventional and durable option. Instead of nails, use screws to make it easier to disassemble. Interior, non-load bearing walls, such as this garage wall, can be built with heavy-duty 2-inch x 4-inch studs or light-duty 1-inch x 3-inch studs. Traditionally, wooden studs are spaced every 16 to 24 inches.

Metal studs are also durable and surprisingly simple to use. Do you recall Lego? Metal studs are more lightweight and resistant to fire. You also don’t have to be concerned about warping.

Metal studs are screwed into place rather than nailed. Tin snips, C-clamping locking pliers, and sheet-metal locking pliers may be all you need to deal with metal studs (aka duckbill pliers). When cutting metal, you should use heavy-duty gloves.

C-shaped, U-shaped, I-shaped, and H-shaped metal studs are among the alphabetical forms available.

Pallets are a low-cost – and occasionally even free – option. Construct a wood or metal frame to meet the pallet’s dimensions so you can simply screw it in. Pallets are typically 48 inches by 40 inches in size.

Because pallets are hollow, you may pack them with wrapped insulation if necessary. Insulation may aid with both temperature and noise control.

If you don’t like the rough appearance of pallet wood, you may cover it with posters, cardboard, butcher paper (for your inner artist), or fabric.

If you live in a warm region, fabric walls, sheet plastic, or a tarp will suffice. There are vinyl garage divider curtains. You may get them by shopping online. Clear or multicolored vinyl curtains with hanging hardware are available.

You may build a frame or manufacture a tight wire to suspend a drape, tarp, or even a shower curtain along the roof of the garage. Look for room divider tracks with hooks on the internet. A fabric wall will conceal garage clutter while also shielding you from sawdust.

Fabric isn’t going to assist much with garage odors, and it’s also combustible. They may, however, be charming and vibrant. Some drapes even have logos from classic vehicle maintenance shops.

Temporary walls can be made from recycled doors. With strong hinges, you can put more than one together. The doors may then be accordioned with the hinges into a freestanding, temporary wall, similar to a multi-paneled room divider. Consider adding “feet” if the wall is shaky.

How to Make a Low-Cost Temporary Garage Wall

Always double-check your measurements. Most garage slabs have a little incline to allow water to drain out the door. If your wall extends all the way to the garage ceiling, the studs may be of different sizes.

We’ll show you how to build a robust foam board wall using metal studs. In your garage, this wall will run between two walls.

1. Clear a significant section of the garage floor, including sweeping it.
2. On the garage floor, measure and mark the location of the new wall with chalk or pencil.
3. Measure the height of the two wall ends; due to the slope of the garage floor, the measurements may differ.
4. Put on some heavy-duty gloves and use tin snips to cut the two vertical wall end studs. Here’s a nice resource for using and framing metal studs.
5. The studs should be screwed into the garage walls. If you can’t find an existing stud to screw into, use drywall anchors instead.
6. 2 pieces of metal H-channel, measured and cut to fit horizontally along with the ceiling and floor So that they fit snuggly within, your H-channel should be the same size as your studs.
7. Between the two wall end studs, screw the ceiling H-channel to the garage ceiling.
8. Attach the floor H-channel to the garage floor using glue.
9. The studs should be measured and cut. The majority of studs are spaced every 16 or 24 inches.
10. The studs should be screwed into the H-channel. Unless you have a buddy, a clamp to keep the stud in place while you screw it in help.
11. Glue the hard foam board in place. Glue the foam board to the studs using a heavy-duty construction adhesive.
12. To seal the seams, use heavy-duty tape like duct tape.

What is the most cost-effective method of finishing a garage wall?

We looked up pricing on the internet. Drywall and wooden studs were used to construct the cheapest wall.

Although 1/2 inch drywall is the cheapest, it is ineffective in insulating, soundproofing, or hanging items. Mold is also a problem there.

If the new garage wall might be splashed with water or you have a humid environment, try painting the drywall first with latex-based primer, then apply a latex exterior paint to seal it.

A piece of insulating foam board measuring 4 feet by 8 feet costs $34. A piece of 1/2 inch plywood measuring 4 feet by 8 feet costs $47. A 4 × 8-foot piece of the wallboard was $50. It cost $13 for a 1/2 inch by 4 foot by 8-foot piece of drywall.

2 inch by 4 inches or 1 inch by 3-inch wooden studs is available. A wooden stud measuring 2 inches by 4 inches by 8 feet costs $7. A wooden stud measuring 1 inch by 3 inches by 8 feet costs $5.

A 25-gauge metal stud measuring 3 5/8 inch by 8 feet costs $8.

Final Words

My parents built a temporary wall in their garage 20 years ago, and because the garage was adjacent to the home, it became a permanent part of their living area (with the prerequisite planning permits of course).

That makeshift building began as a simple wooden stud wall, which was eventually insulated – but the basic structure has now been in place for more than half my life!

It just goes to show that the term “temporary” may mean a lot of different things to different individuals when it comes to house improvements.