plywood vs osb subfloor

Plywood Subflooring Options. The size and shape of these wafer strands depends on the waferizer the manufacturer uses and will have some variation in shape due to the process. Most subfloor-grade plywood uses similar glues between the laminators. The final moisture content must compensate for the addition of the bonding resins and any other agents that the manufacturer adds to the mix. There isn’t much difference when we talk about the strength and durability of plywood and oriented strand board OSB. The rest of the article will examine both building … An aluminum-foil diffusion retarder placed between a plywood subfloor and a hardwood finish floor will tend to block the formaldehyde outgassing from diffusing into the living space." The National Tile Contractors Association and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute both recommend plywood for subflooring and underlayment, because it doesn’t have the risk of swollen edges that OSB does. TallWall, Windstorm, and Quakezone have variable sizes to reduce blocking and provide a continuous load path, Solarbord radiant barrier, Stead-I-Tred stair treads, Rim Board, Furniture Frame Grade OSB, and WebStock for use in engineered I-joist. Chipboard or plywood? Plywood is the best material for building concrete forms because it retains its shape and integrity following prolonged exposure to wet concrete. The solution here is to use an OSB panel rated for exposure and to ensure that the roof is fully dried as soon as possible after the sheathing installation is completed. It provides a flat, solid base for any floor covering and can aid in the creation of even, … Plywood veneers are created by cutting a prepared tree to size and then using a lath to peel the tree to form a long sheet. built-in to the panel ends that allow water to drain through at the joints rather than pond on top of the panel. OSB Subflooring. Edge Gold™ roofing, Radiant Barrier Sheathing (RBS), and SturdiStep Stair Treads. Plywood also has a slight advantage in stiffness, which means that subflooring panels need not be quite as thick. Flooring 23/32 CAT PS2-10 Tongue and Groove OSB Subfloor, Application as 4 x 8. The moisture level will increase and the panel’s size will expand as it tries to revert back to its natural state. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Advantech Subfloor Vs Plywood: Which One to Choose? This is due to two main concerns: Exposed OSB on a job site following a rainstorm. AdvanTech. It may be given a veneer 2 top of hardwood, while the inner layers are typically made of softwood. OSB is similar to plywood but has a different construction. Changing temperatures that can cause condensation on the surface of the building product. They both are engineered products that are available in different structural grades and in various performance grades. Telko T-Strand and T-Strand Pro have a proprietary edge seal to protect against edge swell. It can hold up to the water for a limited amount of time, such as a few months. jul 5 20 5 comparing building materials: particle board mdf and plywood. Offset the underlayment seams from the subfloor seams by at least a foot or so for best results. When it comes to the basement subfloor, you have a variety of options to choose from. Commodity OSB uses glues and a process that permits the panel to soak up moisture. T-Strand OSB Utility Utility panels, RV flooring, concrete edge forms, Rim Board and SIP Facers. Oriented strand board (OSB) is similar to plywood but the structural differences are what set them apart. The first is related to edge swell of the panels when using a roofing material such as composition shingles or similar roofing products. To ensure the best outcome, a builder must ask themselves the following questions: Although OSB manufactures have come out with promising new formulations and no-sand guarantees, most consultants would still advise that the builder ensures that the OSB is protected from moisture as much as possible. The cut wafers are then dried to obtain an optimum moisture content that may vary by manufacturer (often as low as 6%). Weyerhaeuser manufactures six OSB products, three of which are for sub-flooring. Subflooring is usually T&G, sheathing is not. This wavy appearance is often visible from the ground and to the owner/occupant of the building causing concerns about the structural integrity of the roof. During this step, the formed panel is subject to both high pressures and temperatures to activate and cure the resins. In areas such as roof lines, some consultants will recommend plywood over OSB for several reasons. Still, if you plan … Once we have the details of each one, we can study how they differ from each other. However, like anything else, it always comes down to using the right tools for the right job. OSB (oriented strand board) is a different form of sheet material. Item #85795 Model #S-16596PC Oriented Strand Board (OSB) was introduced to the building industry in the late 1970s and quickly became the sheathing material of choice for North American home builders in place of plywood. Because the pieces are smaller, the sheets of OSB can be much larger than sheets of plywood. While some exposure may be unavoidable due to typical construction practices, the building should be dried-in as soon as possible to prevent extended exposure of all wood products and other moisture sensitive materials. The following list of available product grades are from the manufacturers websites and are provided in alphabetical order by manufacturer. He has in-depth knowledge in civil engineering and architecture, along with extensive experience in building inspections, building codes, design standards, local ordinances, forensic building failure analysis, construction defects and expert witness testimony. … Mark Crawford is a seasoned Project Manager and Quality Assurance Consultant with over 20 years of expertise in the construction industry. Edge Gold includes patented Down Pore ® grooves that help shed standing water and a proprietary edge seal to reduce edge swell. For hardwoods, plywood is desirable because it holds nails slightly better than OSB. This is because moisture will always move from the area of high moisture to areas of low moisture. Simply put, many contractors find OSB to be a more consistent product than plywood or other types of material for subfloor: every sheet is the same. The cost to replace a panel due to saturation during construction or prior to installation will be less than it would take to remove and replace an OSB panel later. Bio-organic growth spores are prevalent in the natural environment, are present on all building materials and are even in the air you are breathing every day. Additionally, vented rain screen systems that promote drying of the wall are recommended in general for exterior walls (and particularly with claddings that prevent or inhibit drying to the exterior). While the International Building Code defines both OSB and plywood as “wood structural panels” and the American Plywood Association (APA) describes them to be structurally equal, it is important to understand that each product is manufactured differently and therefore perform better under varying circumstances. Most of time if the impact fall between the joists over the clear chipboard this will break it. Surface mold has been reported to develop more rapidly on OSB panels than other wood sheathing products. OSB has more structural consistency than plywood. Save Share. Norbord TruFlor PointSix and DuraStrand PointSix have a tapered edge to account for any potential edge swell as the taper of 0.6 mm can expand that same dimension and the edge will be flush. By: Mark Crawford - Level 4 Field Consultant & Jeff Hoch - Architect/FC. Natural wood tends to absorb moisture more rapidly through the end grain than through the face grain. articles and guides advantages. OSB is made of many smaller pieces of hardwood and softwood mixed together in strands. The result is that you can now find products that are covered by long no-sand guarantees. OSB sheathing is typically considered to be more economical than plywood. The major differentiator between the two products is the fact that OSB is composed of thousands of small wafers of wood laid out in multiple layers, while plywood is composed of three plus layers of wood veneer sheets. Estimates put its market share as high as 75%, with much of that dominance thanks to cost-conscious production builders. There are five main types of subfloor. Plywood vs MDF vs Particle Board vs OSB – Pros & Cons. Over the years, however, a negative stigma has developed in association with OSB, as builders have reported the sheathing to swell, lose structural strength and even develop bio-organic growth (BOG) when exposed to moisture. SubflooringWhen used as a subfloor, either product will work for many flooring surfaces, especially carpet where there will be no noticeable difference. Remember: if you’re working with a concrete subfloor, you should … Your new layer of underlayment needs to be perpendicular to the joists just like the subfloor is. Subfloor plywood is considered the more traditional method of subflooring. While plywood is often 6 feet per sheet, OSB may be much larger, up to 12 feet per sheet. LP TechShield radiant barrier OSB sheathing. – Usage. Jeff performs inspections all across the nation and specializes in forensic inspections, AAMA/ASTM water testing, technical peer plan reviews, quality assurance, and much more. Proper design of the wall system, including the possible integration of a rain screen system, can provide effective protection of the sheathing and make the use of OSB acceptable. Instead of loose wood fibers or particles, OSB is made from strips of wood of varied sizes that oriented strategically and bound together. BOG can occur due to field conditions present during the delivery, storage, installation, and even normal time delays during the course of construction. This can make a significant difference in the final cost of a large addition or new home. However, at higher moisture levels and extended exposures, moisture movement into the product can cause swelling. For example, some deck coating and flooring products have warranties that prohibit the use of any product other than plywood. To accomplish this, manufacturers have modified their resin formulations and/or have added other components to their formulations to provide greater water repellency. We will also take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Plywood is made by layering several sheets of wood gluing them together to make a thick sheet of material. Weyerhaeuser Diamond Edge Gold™ Subfloor has Down Pore. Sometimes mildew is mistaken for hazardous mold and people become unnecessarily concerned. Oriented strand-board, or OSB, subflooring is similar to plywood subflooring and arguably just as common. If the plywood subfloor you’re placing is 5/8 of an inch thick, you need a screw about 1 5/8 inches long. It is the most common building material that is … Good building practices will help to prevent damage to the OSB sheathing and result in its effective use. Our Technical Services team includes architects and engineers who can assist with repair recommendations if damaged products are encountered. They may look thicker but doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more durable than plywood. In this article, we will review the benefits of DRIcore subfloor versus plywood subfloor. Prices for commodities like structural panels are notoriously volatile, but at this writing, OSB sheathing is selling for around $3 per … To make plywood, thin veneer strips called plies are layered on each other at angles of 90 degrees. For roof and floor assemblies, providing dry-in as soon as possible after installation to prevent moisture exposure is recommended even when using “premium” products with long no-sand guarantees. Secondly, OSB panels have a higher shear rating than plywood panels and are thus often installed with greater spans than plywood of the same thickness. Plywood long ago lost its market leadership to oriented strand board (OSB), which is now the most-used sheathing and subflooring material. Plywood tried hard to fend off OSB, but it could not compete well against OSB's lower cost. CDX plywood is like other laminate plywoods, but the outer layers of laminate are grades "C" and "D," which means they are cosmetically rough and contain many imperfections, thus lowering their cost. TruFlor PointSix with a 25-year limited warranty without a no-sand guarantee. T-Strand™ Pro Roof and Wall sheathing carries a 50-year limited warranty as well as a 365 day no-sand guarantee. Which is the better option, plywood vs. Advantech? These include: Others have taken different steps to reduce the effects of edge swell or to seal the edge to prevent the swelling: Other advancements manufacturers have made include: Builders should be aware that OSB sheathing is available in various grades and the appropriate grade should be selected in correlation with the circumstances of the job. Thicker subfloors are less likely to warp and keep mind that this layer supports everything that rests on top of it. Both are composite materials using resins to glue together wood to create a sheet product that is both larger and stronger than the wood alone would have been. Underlayment bridges the large imperfections of subflooring, as a prep for finish flooring. OSB is an engineered structural panel. Builders choose OSB because it typically costs less than plywood, is free of knots and voids, and can be used interchangeably in typical flooring applications where the panels have the correct span rating. If removal is recommended then remove the affected panel in its entirety. Unlike traditional plywoods, which laminate multiple layers of veneer, OSB uses wafers that are pressed together with a binder to form the panel. Above, subfloor panels were allowed to stand in a pan of dye-colored water. Are the subcontractors on the job properly trained on installation and best building practices? It just happens that an OSB is made with a lot of wood pieces glued together. – Woodworking Tools 101, Best Wood for Turning (Types for Beginner Woodturning Lathe Work), Possible to create decorative edges with a, Can be Slightly hazardous while working on it, Useful for making ready-to-assemble furniture. OSB is generally less expensive than its plywood counterparts. Against OSB 's lower cost often debate which is best would be harvested for dimensional.... This in addition to using tongue and groove plywood/OSB accomplishes two things: you have a year. 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Claims about 70 percent more of the subfloor prior to installation is critical prolonged exposure to water compared plywood. The swelling is significant enough, the swell lines often become visually even. More improved product than plywood swell of the two most common types of wood and come 4... Comparison - displays2go choice for North American builders we will start by stating that OSB and.... By manufacturer recommendations if damaged products are encountered with glue least a foot or so for best.! Of low moisture focus on the cost of the product and not all grades perform... Water to drain through at the advantages and disadvantages of each one, we will by! Is constantly taking part in educational seminars and is extremely experienced with design standards, local ordinances, forensic failure... … t-strand™ OSB subfloor should range in thickness from 19/32″ to 1.!