New build workshop walls.

I'm contemplating the design for a new house build that will have a workshop space at the end of a double garage. Rather than just starting with a blank gyprock area to fit out I'm wondering if it would be sensible to get the walls sheeted with plywood to start with as the wall finish.

What ply to use? CD, CDX, something else? Would 19mm be the preferred thickness? Considering attaching a french cleat system to the walls, how many screws per sheet vs glue to studs? If the sheets just butted together without finishing the joints, would a wall wrap be required first?

just my opinion, no experience...but YES

19mm ply,
what will the studs be attached to? If brick Id be using plenty of dyna bolts, last thing you want would be the studs coming away, But I am not qualified in that area.

I would be doing a paint job on the ply, from experience :( dull brown walls are depressing, white paint does reflect and brighten up the place.

Don’t overthink it all.
If the structure is suitable to put plasterboard on then you just need to upgrade the material to what is aesthetically pleasing and strong enough to hang a screw off it. Remember if you are going to mount something substantial you will be looking for stud fixing points anyhow. 15mm material is plenty and you could consider a prefinished melamine board or plywood and finish as you desire.
There is no need for a wall wrap although you might consider sound insulation if appropriate for your conditions
Fixings could be just glue or nail or screw, they will all work fine although consider if you would want to move power or other service points down the track being able to just unscrew a panel to do so is an advantage.

I have hundreds of kilos of clamps on a french cleat wall and to be honest there are not a lot of screws at all holding it all up. The sheets of ply the cleats are fixed to is sitting on the floor and was then screwed to the wall after that so all the vertical load is through to the floor, the cantilever load is all taken by the screws. I think from memory that the only screws holding it all up are along the top plate of the building frame but they are long and a couple in the sheet to stop cheap ply bending. One thing you should do is run all electrical external on the walls in cable trays which can be painted if needed and they have a cover to hide the cables. You will find it saves a lot of time and trouble and you can easily add or remove power points as needed in a few minutes. Put all the lights on three pin roses and plug them in, want to move or add a light, unplug it, add an extension cord or a double adaptor etc.

Look into the building code for garages in your area. They may require a fire resistance rating and sealed against carbon monoxide if it isn't a free standing structure (taped drywall under the plywood).

It is handy to be able to put a screw in the wall anywhere needed. Good luck with the build.

Pete

I had a look at my french cleat wall and memory is indeed an unreliable thing after a few years have passed. My workshop walls are clad internally with 3 ply so to add the FC system I attached a cleat to the top plate of the frame and put the sheets of ply on that cleat with all the vertical load sitting directly on the floor. I now recall why I did that, if the FC wall needed in future to be totally moved or removed it would not leave big holes when that was done. I fitted a packer strip down the visible edges to hide the gap created by the sheets being spaced from the wall by the top cleat. It all works very well and holds a lot of weight tested over a few years now.