Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jan 13, 2000 07:04pm | #1

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   Yours is an FAQ. Search the archives for OSB and sheathing. Also look for Advantech. The short answer to your question is at all comes down to money. Everything you mention is commonly used on homes around here, except that I, personally, have never seen 5/8 OSB used for walls. OSB may not be a suitable subfloor for nail down hardwood floors, so if you have any of that, check with your manufacturer or hardwood man.

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   Guest_ | Jan 21, 2000 11:20am | #2

   *mike l. kobe I generaly use 1/2 inch cdx on my walls and 5/8 inch cdx on my roof. But in our area not many shake roofs are put on any more so solid sheeting is used with comp. roofing. Although I have seen a breatheable mesh that is applied over solid sheeting for shake roofs probably space sheeting with 1x4 or 1x6 would work as good. You might ask a local roofer about it. I am not that sold on osb. And for my subfloor I use 3/4 inch tongue and groove sturdi-floor and glue it to the floor joist.

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   Guest_ | Jan 22, 2000 08:33am | #3

   *Without digging to deep, it comes down to the all mighty dollar, but even more so what is specified by your architect or engineer on the drawings. Remember you get what you pay for. Consider the overall aplications as was pointed out with regard to the finish floor and what would be compatible. 3/4'' T&G material for your subfloor for many reasons, and if you want to get technical, I'm not sure, however I believe reports are out on the greater stability of OSB for exterior sheathing. Be careful with your researched information, you may find that an 5/8'' OSB product offers the same characteristics as a 3/4'' conventional plywood, however, once again it's compatibilty with associated materials.Just one man's opinion.

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   Mike_B | Jan 23, 2000 10:14pm | #4

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   We have used OSB for some time now.We use 5/8 on the roof,7/16 on the sidewalls.All with plywood clips for strength and proper exspansion gaps.However, 3/4 T+G ulc or cdx for floors stands up to the weather while building.

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   Guest_ | Jan 23, 2000 10:58pm | #5

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   I probably will live to regret jumping in here but here goes anyway.
   I have used OSB for many years and have learned that properly applied, OSB can replicate the best properties of CDX and eliminate the worst characteristics of CDX. I have always used 3/4" OSB as my subfloor. My hardwood floor man told me the Hardwood Association recomends against OSB for nail holding reasons but I have not experienced any problems with hardwood floors for this reason. We apply the 3/4" OSB only over 16" O.C. or less floor joist spacing and use glue and galvanized ring shank nails to secure it. After the whole floor deck is sheated we apply and trowel smooth a bead of glue on each butt end joint. This seals the edges and practically eliminates any swelling. It is also important not to drive the tongue and grove edges tight. Leaving 1/4" gaps allows for expansion and moisture drainage. Some brands have slots cut in the tongues to drain moisture. If the price were the same I would use OSB over plywood. I've had plywood delaminate and bubble between 16" centers. I have never experienced this with OSB. We use 7/16" on 16" centers on walls and roofs. We use 5/8" on 24" centers and clips. When not using clips keep about 1/8" gap between sheets on the roof. We use an 8 penny nail as a spacer. This will help prevent "ridging" and is a good practice even with CDX.
   Another reason OSB is my choice is it is made from fast growing Aspen trees and does not require cutting the old growth forests. It could be considered a "Green Building Product", but I hesitate to jump onto that bandwagon without knowing how much energy it takes to make it and where that energy comes from.

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   Guest_ | Jan 31, 2000 09:21am | #7

   *KOBE, I use 1/2' cdx pine on walls with small expansion gap and 1/2" cdx fir span rated for roofs! personally I wouldn't use OSB on my dogs house! Fine, we all weigh the benefits during the new construction but every time I fix rotted areas on clients houses I always have to replace OSB in the leaking areas which usually entails more work than antisapated! CDX out last it every time ! You can always see where its been repeatedly stained but 9 times out of ten its still in good shape ! We don't always discover leaks right away until we see stains! CDX gives me peice of mind that it will hold together especially here in New England with our weather! OSB they say has the same holding power when properly installed but when it gets wet its like those promotional credit card thin sponges you used to get at your local bank! They expand !!! The sponges are cool! The OSB aint so cool Penny wise pound foolish!

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   kobe | Jan 31, 2000 09:21am | #6

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   I will be building a new home in the next few months. Do you recommend CDX or OSB for the exterior sheathing and the interior subfloor? Furthermore, would you suggest using 5/8" or 7/16" sheathing? Finally, what type of sheathing do you recommend for a cedar-shake roof?