Hardwood or softwood for paneling a workshop wall?

Question

I'm planning to insulate and panel the walls of an unfinished garage workshop, and would like to use wooden boards instead of sheetrock or other alternatives. I'm thinking 4" wide boards, 1/2" thick, of various lengths in horizontal rows, maybe a mix of species or different stains for appearance. My question is: what kinds of wood are most suitable?

Because this is a garage and not a living room, my main concerns are practical, not about appearance. I want to avoid wood that is likely to crack or warp with the seasons. (I am in Maine and the seasonal changes in climate are pretty dramatic.) Ease of installation, durability, strength, any insulating properties, could also be good to know. I'm not too concerned about the differences in appearance.

Cost is not a major concern, because I intend to cut the trees and saw them into boards myself. For softwoods I have access to pine, spruce, and fir in abundance, maybe some cedar or hemlock. For hardwoods, I'd probably use less-valuable species like beech, birch, popple, ash, soft maple, apple, etc. We do have oak and hard maple in our woods, but my intuition is that these furniture-grade woods should be saved for more worthy applications.

Answer 1

I like (and use a lot) softwoods. They are easier to install (nail) and is more forgiving with respect to movement.

Hardwoods (especially if it’s being milled on site) will tend to split as it dries. You’ll probably have to pre-drill any nailing at the end of each board too.

However, your biggest problem with either choice is going to be shrinkage. Using green lumber you’ll need to be careful about twisting and shrinkage or it could be unsightly quickly.

BTW, any wall common to a habitable space requires fire rated gypsum board on the garage side of the wall. Check with your Building Department to see if you need to “rough-tape”.