We’re working with a possible builder for our new house. Roofing will be standing-seam.
He feels that OSB is fine for roof sheathing and less expensive than plywood.
I’m tending toward spec’ing ply. Any opinions on this?
Thank you,
Bill Howell
We’re working with a possible builder for our new house. Roofing will be standing-seam.
He feels that OSB is fine for roof sheathing and less expensive than plywood.
I’m tending toward spec’ing ply. Any opinions on this?
Thank you,
Bill Howell
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Replies
Sure there are opinions. I hope you don't want any answers, though.
A lot depends on the quality of the materials. In particular, there's good OSB and not-so-good OSB.
A lot depends on the degree to which the work may be exposed to the weather before it's fully covered.
The pitch of the rafters is an issue. Poorer quality OSB, especially in humid climates, will tend to sag when rafters are at 24".
What kind and quality of each and whether he lets it get rained on mean more than the difference between the two.
I use Advantec - a premium grade of OSB that is better than both your choices put together.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I'd rule him out as the possible builder. Standard OSB under standing seam??? Maybe under 20 year 3 tabs but not under standing seam.
Should have never been suggested, thank him very much and move on.
Educate me here. What are likely problems with the builder's proposal?The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
You're gonna have to ask BillH that one unless you also have a proposal from a builder looking to save you cash on the basic bones of your building project.
This is after all "Fine Home Building" not "cheapest home building".
For God's sake man, can you explain your friggin answer or not?
I've been using OSB exclusively for years w/out an issue.
If I want to unravel a riddle, I'll talk to the old lady!
The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
Edited 8/21/2008 6:35 am ET by davidhawks
Have you ever driven through a development where you could count the number of sheets of sheathing through the shingles? I'll gauantee you it's osb telegraphing through.
If it needs to be covered promptly after installation to maintain it's integrity..... do you really want it under a roof covering that will last from 50 to 75 years?
If you want to save money throw in cheap kitchen cabinets or carpets or plumbing fixture or any thing else you can imagine winding up at the dump in 20 years....
But please.... if saving jingle and deciding on a builder comes down to the roof sheathing.... don't do it.
Thank you for taking tme to explain your point of view on this matter.
I have not seen the telegraphing you refer to, but I do see lots of sag from 24" o.c. layout. IMO, 2 foot layout is a bigger crime than use of OSB on a roof will ever be. It's penny-pinching at its worst!
My problem with plywood had always been, like marson refers to, delamination. I'm not weel-schooled enough to know what all the factors are that contribute to this condition, but I know I don't see it with OSB.
Like some other poster said, I paper as I sheathe, so moisture is rarely a problem. To your credit however, I recently had some 3/4" OSB subfloor get pretty soaked that will require some passes with my old planer at the butt-joints prior to UL installation.
To each his own, thanks for the response.The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
It's funny, I've installed standing seam (copper) over OSB and PLY wood..niether telegraphs AFAIK.
We used copper roofing nails, not screws, and the only beef I ever had was 24'' center rafters, the bounce factor made for smashed fingers and bent nails..
ONE, just ONE roof that I knew of, had a problem blowing off ( copper) it was a bad install ( by one of Grant's no-longer subs) AND the osb was flakey from being exposed WAY too long and in a very high wind area. We finally did use screws, and it stayed put.
Also with most of the shingles being the thicker laminates, I don't see nearly as much telegraphing as in cheap,thin 3 tabs.
Lately I've preferred OSB (advantech or not,) it just stays flatter and is consistant in hardness, without voids.
Sledgehammer needs to get out more.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
Edited 8/21/2008 7:38 am ET by Sphere
I've seen telegraphing more through plywood than OSB. Furthermore I've seen 1/2" plywood sagging, delaminating, and "potato chipping" more often than 5/8" OSB. It seems that when I've encountered swelled OSB, the entire sheet has swelled equally. Don't get me wrong, OSB has many drawbacks as well. But when sheathing swells, it is usually due to a more serious problem anyway. If it isn't that it was just left too long during the building process, then you have a moisture and venting dilemma to deal with. That's another thread though.What really surprises me is that nobody has suggested using skip-sheathing or purlins. I thought that was the standard "Fine Homebuilding" technique for standing seam metal roofing and it seems to have worked well for the past century or so in many barns.
I can't believe that anyone is still using regular plywood.
If 2' center sagging bothers you, go to 1/2" OSB.. Lays flatter than ply, and doesn't sag like 7/16 does.
By price, 5/8" OSB is usually cheaper and stronger than 1/2" ply.....I can't imagine the cost of an Advantec roof.Also, isn't OSB considered a "green" product? or at least more sustainable than plywood as it is made from waste and recycled content.
Don't have to go with 5/8 OSB, they make an actual 1/2" sheet.
I know, I was just making that comment concerning the price. You can upgrade to 5/8" OSB for less than 1/2" ply.
That I didn't know. I think too many of us are just unwilling to accept new products.
OSB is a NEW product???
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
For you it sounds like it would be!
go to 1/2" OSB..
They don't sell 1/2" or 5/8" OSB here. 7/16" and 3/4" are the local choices.
1/2" and 5/8" plywood is readily available.View Image
Go to a lumber yard that supplies contractors and they can get it, it is a standard product, a true 1/2" thick. No sag with 24" centers either.
Go to a lumber yard that supplies contractors and they can get it, it is a standard product, a true 1/2" thick.
I am a contractor and I buy my lumber at the best lumber yard in town and they don't carry it. I have no doubt they could get it, but it's not a stock item here. View Image
It is not here either. All the contractors that use it, specify it and it comes in with the loads of 7/16".
Being the fan of OSB that I am, I'd like to try some of the heavier stuff on my next project.
What do you pay for the "true" 1/2" or 5/8?The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
It's about a dollar more last I checked.
Kinda makes it a no-brainer then.
ThanksThe best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
Geez go to work for a day and miss everything.
For the record I have no problem with 7/16" OSB being used on a roof with the right covering. I personally wouldn't put it under standing seam that is going to remain covered for the next 75 years if done correctly. And I certainly wouldn't mention it to a potential customer that was interested in standing seam as a cost cutting measure. Wanna cut costs.... dump the standing seam and throw on some 20 year 3 tabs.
Do you guys tile on green board to save money?
I lived in a house with tile on green board. It was built in the 70's that way. The tile is still tight in that house and the grout intact. It will be 30 years and everything is ready to be torn out now...not because it failed but because the finish on the tub and floor is shot. I personally would tile over green board for myself.
I lived in a house with tile on green board. It was built in the 70's that way. The tile is still tight in that house and the grout intact.
It will be 30 years and everything is ready to be torn out now...not because it failed but because the finish on the tub and floor is shot.
I personally would tile over green board for myself.
Welp... there you go. Over the life of a 30 year mortgage saving 20 bucks amounts to what.... .002 cents per payment.
Heck yes... use 7/16 OSB under that standing seam ... I'm sold.
Aside from your sarcasm, how about you commenting about why you think the green board survived so long? Shouldn't it have failed and rotted off by now? Everything new isn't necessarily the only way.
"Aside from your sarcasm, how about you commenting about why you think the green board survived so long?"Because you were anal about wiping it down and keeping it dry. It is a rare person who does that
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I haven't lived there in 15 years and the people there haven't wiped it down in 15 years. The tiles are still holding firm!
I forgot to mention that I wipe down the shower after every use including all walls, glass and fixtures.
I wouldn't use 7/16" on a roof though. 1/2" is fine. For those metal roofs though I think I'd prefer to use 1x skip sheathing.
1/2" OSB is common here nowadays. It is the new code for roofs. We have to use true 1/2" sheathing.
<!----><!----><!---->
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
1/2" OSB is common here nowadays. It is the new code for roofs. We have to use true 1/2" sheathing.
They haven't got the memo about that here.View Image
Yeah, my terne roof is on 150+ YO oak 1x2's , I'd hated to nail that back then, but I imagine it was green and softer than it is today. Rafters on 30'' +/- centers woulda made for some serious bouncey if a clip landed mid span.
I still see skip going on barns here, but homes, for dry-in purposes are usually sheathed with sheet goods, so's an underlayment can get on right away, and other trades can proceed.
Methinks a lot of folks are still envisioning the old "Aspenite" that was far inferior to what the OSB has morphed into.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
My general impression is that there is a lot of regional variability in the quality of "standard" OSB.Another factor that I haven't seen mentioned is how were these products treated in the yard. At some yards I've seen stacks of goods left out in the weather for months.Finally, climate probably is a factor. High humidity + cheap OSB + 24 inch centers is almost certain to produce sag.
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
Methinks a lot of folks are still envisioning the old "Aspenite" that was far inferior to what the OSB has morphed into
I'm similarly afraid that some are applying the experience of buying the 7/16 labeled stuff and not notice that you are really getting 10mm nominal, or maybe 13/32. The selling of some sheathing makes me wonder some days. Like how you mostly need to order 9/16 to get 1/2" actual thickness. This is where the name-branded sheathing may wind up being the "go to" choice.
This argument is really similar to comparing 10mm particle board to 5/8" span-rated PB--at least to me.
That, and skip-sheathed makes more sense to me under standing seam (mostly).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I'm no fan of skip, gimme a hard ,flat, no bounce , dryed in with UDL surface any day.
I've put my leg thru broken skip, missed with nails and screws, and generally just prefer nailing where ever suits, instead of where the skip my be..oh, and knots in skip? No thanks.
But that's me.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
Ditto fer me, and I don't do standing seam metal.
Last skip sheathing job I did was a shake roof on a gazebo,....*%#& shoulda layed ply over it first!
What really surprises me is that nobody has suggested using skip-sheathing or purlins. I thought that was the standard "Fine Homebuilding" technique for standing seam metal roofing and it seems to have worked well for the past century or so in many barns.
Most metal roof systems with hidden fasteners spec solid sheathing below. I don't do exposed fastener roofs, so I don't know much about them. Because of condensation, I would be hesitant to install metal with out felt or some other type of underlayment over living space.View Image
Are today's stand seam panels as heavy guage as they were in years past?
<!----><!----><!---->
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
Are today's stand seam panels as heavy guage as they were in years past?
Depends. 24, 26, 28, and 29 ga are available, although not all profiles are available in all gauges. 24 ga steel is pretty hard to work, but 16 oz copper is equivalent to 24 ga and I often bend two sheets at a time. View Image
That might be helpful if I had any idea what guages were typical 60 years ago, for instance.
<!----><!----><!---->
I refuse to accept that there are limitations to what we can accomplish. Pete Draganic
10, 12, 16, and 20.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
ten or twelve guage steel; for roofing?!!!!Yo GOTTA BE KIDDING!
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Hey , I was replying to Pete, I thought he meant shotguns.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
so what does that have to do with using osb for standing seam metal roofing? Much of it can be installed over skip sheathing or furred up above a cold roof
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Bill,
I'd agree with Piffin on this, we have switched to Advantec roof sheathing and love it. Lays flat, stiffer than comparable thickness plywood, sheds water, very consistent. Plywoods today don't compare in quality to what you got 30 years ago.
OSB is just fine.
Yes, OSB can telegraph through cheap shingles if the builder allowed it to get soaking wet and it wasn't gapped at the panel edges.
I have actually had more problems with modern plywood delaminating when it gets wet. It isn't like they are making plywood out of old growth fir anymore. Most of it is either southern pine or if it's fir, it's second growth with lots of sapwood. Also, there are lots of voids in plywood.
I once built for a guy on a lake, and he grabbed one of our sheets of OSB and threw it in the lake for a temporary boat landing. I thought it would disintegrate, but amazingly, it lasted all summer. Yes it swelled, but it still maintained it's structural integrity. Amazing. I'm not convinced a piece of 1/2" cdx would have stood up to that.
Sagging between joists? I haven't seen that, except with 7/16 used on 24" centers.
If you want higher quality, I'd agree with Piffin and get Advantec if it's available in your area.
In the end, I would call the manufacturer of the steel and find out what their recomendations are. I'd guess they say 5/8" OSB is fine.
Yes, OSB can telegraph through cheap shingles if the builder allowed it to get soaking wet and it wasn't gapped at the panel edges.
You have to make sure that doesn't happen on order to keep the sheathing good? That sucks. I would never use osb for a roof if it's that sensitive and can't get wet if that was the case. I don't anyway. I use fir and don't worry about gapping or it getting wet because nothing happens to it. What would happen to osb if it snowed on it?
How will a builder keep 150 sheats from getting wet on a new house, tarpaper, tarps? That's crazy. Fir plywood can get wet until the roof is on.
Joe Carola
In my market, plywood is going for about three times the cost of OSB. It's worth it even if you have to hustle a bit to cover it up. One or two rains won't cause edge swelling. I've never had it happen on my own projects. I've only seen it on the cheapest condos where it was left for weeks in the rain and then covered with the thinnest three tab shingles.Again, I have seen more plywood delam in the rain than I have seen OSB go bad.
Joe,
The 1/2" roof sheathing on my brothers house was OSB and it got WET!!!. We also framed 2' oc (hack I know), and it looks great.
Here is a picture View Image
Tim,
I've never seen you say anything abvout osb getting wet like Marson did. I was just saying to Marson that if you have to baby his osb and not let it get wet, it isn't worth anything. I use cdx fir 5/8" 5-ply plywood on every house, never once used osab on a roof. I never have any problems with plywood and I've NEVER gapped one sheet purposely either.
Your brothers house looks good because you didn't frame it, Larry Haun did...........;-)
Joe Carola
Joe, more than one way to skin a cat. I believe that you will never have any problems due to the roof sagging or anything else.
The problem is, most builders don't wantr to pay for 5/8 fir ply. As an alternative I have suggested 1/2 OSB. this is a lot sturdier that 7/16, without the sagging problem!
The day I see osb spec'd on set of plans for a roof is when I will use it. So far, I've never have seen it. The lumberyards I deal with don't even stock it. Once in a while I will see a set of plans that spec 1/2". 99% are spec'd 5/8" cdx.
Joe Carola
I framed a high end garage a few years ago, and the owner wanted 5/8" fir plywood for the roof--she didn't want to look up and see OSB. My point is that the yard had to call around to find such a thing, and then we had to buy a whole unit. It looked like it had been sitting around for awhile. That's how common 5/8" fir is around here. But then again, there are about 6 OSB plants within a 2 hour drive from here. Plywood comes from distant lands. I don't believe I have seen OSB on a residential roof in recent memory. I guess we are ALL hacks round here.One thing most everyone does is use 5/8 rather than 1/2. I imagine snow load has something to do with it. I swear GAF shingle instructions used to say the shingles had to be nailed into 5/8" or thicker plywood. But seemingly they have dropped that requirement.
I framed a high end garage a few years ago, and the owner wanted 5/8" fir plywood for the roof--she didn't want to look up and see OSB. My point is that the yard had to call around to find such a thing, and then we had to buy a whole unit.It looked like it had been sitting around for awhile. That's how common 5/8" fir is around here.
I was at the lumberyard yesterday and asked about osb, the guy told me that they have some 1/2" in stock but don't stock any 5/8". They stock 1/2" 4-ply and 5/8" 5-ply cdx fir.
One thing most everyone does is use 5/8 rather than 1/2.
When I first started framing, it was 1/2" on the roofs and 1/2" sub-floors. I think it was 1987-88 when we started using 5/8 on the roofs.
Joe Carola
"
When I first started framing, it was 1/2" on the roofs and 1/2" sub-floors. I think it was 1987-88 when we started using 5/8 on the roofs."
You old buzzard you!
That's what we were using when I started too. I hand pounded a lot of floors and roofs usually with 6d commons.
Man I remember the boards on an angle we used on the floor, whoops having a dream again. carry on.
That's what we were using when I started too. I hand pounded a lot of floors and roofs usually with 6d commons.
We used 8d coolers. Believe it or not, I loved to nail by hand. We used to have races to see how fast we could nail off a sheet of plywood. I could grab a hand full of nails in my left hand and flip them around with with my index finger and thumb with the heads up so faast and then pound away.
I loved toenailing the studs and floor joist, rafters. Also liked nailing headers, top plates. It was fun. The first day I used a gun is when I moved to Cape Cod. My boss pulls up with a new generator, compressor and two Hitachi guns. I was nailing headers off at the time and then we set the guns up and I nailed the header so fast, I was like a kid with a new toy.
I still like nailing by hand, makes me feel like the man I was way back then.................;-)
Joe Carola
Yes, one of the benefits of handnailing was that you could always hear the pace at which the others were working. There was always some pride attached to the production. Nailing was an easy measure.
I used to slide down the roof on my butt nailing. Since I swung a rocket, I could set and slam, or set, nail and tap. For the most part, I preferred the higher tempo of the three hit system.
The hand pound system was actually better for the develpment of the younguns. At some point in the 80's I couldn't find decent enough help to assist me and I went to the guns to eliminate the need for me to have a rookie with me.
Man, I remember when we used to pit-saw our own lumber.......then the boss pulls up one day with a wagon full of 2x4's......Oh, now I am just being an @ssho' Sorry guys, continue with your flashbacks ;)
Carry on...we did the same thing to our oldtimers. They had their stories too. It will happen to you if you stay with the trade long enough.
Joe, how much are you paying for fir plywood? We pay about 6 or 7 bucks for 1/2" OSB these days, 8 or 9 for 5/8. 1/2" cdx (pine) is over 15 a sheet. I wouldn't hesitate to use plywood if the price was even close.
Joe,
I was just making the point that OSB doesn't need to be babied. If it did, man are we in trouble here in the Pacific NorthWET!!
It doesn't sound like it needs to be babied where your from, but it sounds like it does elsewhere. Maybe it's made different?
Joe Carola
Tim,Do you space OSB? We've been taught that you gap the sheets--in fact it is stamped right on them "space all panels 1/8". It's not a big deal--we just tack an 8d between the rows. I've been taught that if you don't space them and you get a lot of rain, the edges will get wet, be unable to dry, and swell, and these are the edges that will telegraph through three tab shingles. I don't mean just one rain, I mean real wet from multiple rains.The OSB we get is painted on the edges. The purpose of the paint is to limit this edge swelling.
All sheet stock should have gaps. I've never had to go back and fix osb that buckled because of moisture but I have had to go back and re-lay plywood because it swelled up and buckled. I've also seen a lot of plwyood t & g deck delaminate yet there are a lot of people who will swear that it's a superior product.
What gets me is that most sheathing is stamped "sized for spacing" yet if you space it, you'll grow to the point that you won't hit layout. Notice that?
I never understood what that meant "sized for spacing" either because it never was LOL! But, I rarely worked on framing project so big that it mattered to me. We typically spaced the ends 1/16 to 1/8. Even if we spaced every ply 1/8", the most we would have to do is hack 1/2 a the midpoint of most big frames. I typically would just more the framing over and keep on truckin but a saw was always handy and I aint afraid to use it.
>>I have had to go back and re-lay plywood because it swelled up and buckled
The guy that framed my garage argue for osb for the same reason. Wanted me to load up the 5/8" plywood and return it for 1/2" osb.
I stayed with the 5/8" plywood and H clips. After setting under felt paper most of last winter I had on buckle at a rafter bay where the plywood got wet from a slice in the paper. All it took was a nailer placed between the rafters and a few 8d to pull it back down. If I could have found a roofer sooner i don't think i would have had any problem at all, even though I think todays plywood is highly suspect for quality control.
(Ended up roofing that sucker myself after getting a $700 bid, labor only and all the material was staged on the roof already, for a 10 square 5/12 job. Took me two days working alone. Would have only taken me a day 15-20 years ago,...this getting old suxs.)
You want the honest answer? Or the one I should give? ;-)
We use H chips so all the 8' edges are gapped. Most of the 4' edges are gapped, but sometimes are tight.
I have to say this, but in all the years we've used OSB (15 or so) I'm not aware of any problems with it. However, I remember the framers didn't like it when it first came out. The first summer I was framing (I was 16) we used "comply" and it curled and was hard to deal with.
I never found that the h clips spaced it enough for my satisfaction.
I remember when it first came out hand nailing some roofs. It sucked getting nails started in it.The first chipboard product I saw was called "Blandex" and was not orientated. It was garbage. Then Potlatch built an "Oxboard" plant about 2 miles from where I grew up and we started seeing OSB. There are still people, even on these forums, who don't know the difference between chip board and oriented strand board. The OSB here is made from quaking aspen mostly. Before Potlatch came around, loggers would sort out "bolts" (>8" top used for lumber) and pulp. When the OSB mills came on line, they started buying aspen tree length only and would refuse to buy wood from a logger who picked out the bolts, as this was where the primo chips were in a tree. In recent years, as stumpage prices have increased, they couldn't be so picky, and the mills have started using other species, many inferior. Now the mill in my hometown had to close, and the millions of cords of wood in their yard is being trucked to other plants. Part of the building slowdown.
Is painted or waxed? I was told it was a wax.Some of it is heavy and some is practically see-through, like light overspray.Most of the worst edge swelling is from that, or from at cut edges.But you never get any edge swelling with Advantec under any circumstances.
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"I once built for a guy on a lake, and he grabbed one of our sheets of OSB and threw it in the lake for a temporary boat landing. I thought it would disintegrate, but amazingly, it lasted all summer. Yes it swelled, but it still maintained it's structural integrity. Amazing. I'm not convinced a piece of 1/2" cdx would have stood up to that."
Welp there you have it... proof positive that it's a great substrate to attach a roof to for the next 50 years.....
I'm seriously considering never asking for advise here.... this is nuts on a whole new plane of weirdness.
Did someone miss the intent of this site????? It's
FINE HOME BUILDING
Not what do you think the cheapest thing I can land my boat on for the summer....
Arghhhhh..... See you boyz.... I'm gonna need a few weeks to get past this one.
Baby.Naive but refreshing !
I think it's an entirely appropriate illustration. The way some OSB bashers talk, it falls apart the day before it rains. Fact is, it's pretty amazing stuff.Your response suggests you're just mad that my anecdote doesn't agree with your world view so you flame me. Whatever.
I am late gettin gback into this, so somebody else may have already mentioned it, but there are different plants making osb and not all are equall in the product quality they turn out. I had some once from three different places on the same job and could see a world of differnces, some almost acceptable and some not worth using for kindling, IMO
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It's been my observation that pretty much all OSB makes lousy kindling.
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
"It's been my observation that pretty much all OSB makes lousy kindling."Yeah. But you can get the old barrel stove red hot in a hurry, once you get it lit.
you tryin to start an arguement or sumpin'?The glue burns so hot it is great fire starteer
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I've only ever been able to get the stuff to smolder, unless you put it in a larger fire.
Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be! --Miguel de Cervantes
Break it across your knee so you have raw splintered edges to hold the match to.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Yeah buddy, it makes a great fire starter.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
piffen said "anal"
teeheehee,
snork
stephen
Yeah, the fact that they used to be picky about their wood, and now they will chip up anything and glue it together must be factor in the quality.
Oh, I think there are a lot more variables than just the wood quality!I used to live next door to a waferboard plant as they were ramping up to bring osb online - said at the time that it was one of the first to do so. There is the amt of resins, how mixed, what temperatures, amt of pressure used in the process and how well the strands are sized and oriented. At first probably 25-35% of the product they made was labeled seconds and either sold for 5-10 bucks a lift or fed back into the kiln.
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Haven't you read the feature articles on vinyl siding?Or the installation techniques for fiberglass bats?
Did someone miss the intent of this site????? It's
Yep.
This is a discussion forum.
Is not using osb or just using higher price material your acid test for fine home building ?
Then finger jointed trim or mdf ought to send your bp off the chart.
chill, Dude
Standing seam metal is attached with screws. For my money, ply holds screws much better than OSB does. We felt our roofs the same day we sheathe them, so Advantec would not be much of an advantage even if we could get it here (it's just become available locally as subfloor, still no 1/2" or 5/8").
Like I said ...
I preface this by saying I know very little about roof sheathing and framing.
There is a wealthy Golf Course Community near me called Bulle Rock. It's where they hold the LPGA every year. It mostly consists of town homes that have to be close to a million dollars each. The individual homes are well over a million. When I drive in their development, early in the morning, I can see every individual sheet of roof sheathing through the shingles. The roof sheathing is OSB. As far as the eyes can see.....
I asked a local knowledgeable builder why this was and he told me 'cause they went cheap and used OSB instead of plywood.
FWIW.....
.
This article provides a pretty good overview of the differences:
http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/articles/osb_vs_plywood.html
That's a good article but a little dated now. There was no mention of the newer products like advantech.
OK guys, thanks for all the replies. Looking back, I could have worded the original post more like "How would you handle the sheathing if it were your own house you were building".
I can see now that there's more to the question than just 'OSB vs. Ply'.
Great replies, as usual, on this forum.
Bill,
I have not read all of the posts, so this might be a repeat. I am putting Fabral standing seam on my garage and thier installation instructions suggest minimum 5/8 plywood. The acually recommend NOT using 7/6 osb due to the screw holding ability but do not say not to use osb at all. My roof is already 5/8 ply, so I dont have an issue.
Perhaps a visit to your roof manufactuers site, or a call, could get thier recomendations. This would give you a little more "pull" in your decision.
HTH
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md