You're the most knowledgeable and trustworthy source of product information on the internet Belinda, my wife and I learn so much from you. Many thanks!
A friend made some countertops out of OSB, back in the 80s…he stained them a brilliant green, then antiqued them with opaque black paint, before sealing them. They looked a lot like malachite, which was the idea!
Belinda Carr, you are the best... Absolutely love everything you cover in your vids... One day, do commercial roofing products... TPO, PVC and EPDM... Because I believe you'd knock it out the park with the pure knowledge... Absolutely love everything you do...
I worked at an Oriented Strand Board plant as a private contractor in Northern Alberta in the late 1980's. So OSB isn't all that new. It was amazing to watch the plant in operation. The wood source was Aspen, another fast growing softwood. The issue I was called in to remedy was the incredible voltage surge when the heated presses were turned on. I had to isolate all the computers and communications from that voltage spike. The induced current was high enough to burn out circuit boards in the main telephone switch several hundred meters from the actual operations building.
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve always had your videos in my feed and they were always very informative but then when I saw the attack on you from that company on the installation video and then your response I am going to support you 150%. You’re just doing what you like and trying to make a decent living and you’re a great professional spokes person with a level mind. You will have nothing but success don’t stress out too much with all the success you’re going to have
Good learning experience for me. I did not even know what OSB stood for until I had a shed made. The contractor introduced me to this OSB and the curiosity brought me to this web site. Thank you for educating me. .
As a Floridian I've been wary of OSB after seeing some awful water damage. But your video gave me some great context so I'll be a bit better informed going forward. Thanks for the great work again!
@@BelindaCarr I just think that it is so inferior that at this point in time OSB just wouldn't be a good decision for a very wet and hot environment like a boat. And of course when it comes to framing a house plywood is still better than OSB but people use OSB because it's cheaper.
@@BelindaCarr also I'm starting to notice PVC sheets are becoming more common as well as other variations of plastic can be purchased in various sizes and shapes ordered from the manufacturer. I find plastic decking to be frustrating because it can't be recycled because of the wood pulp content.
I've been missing your videos! I watched all the time up untill 2 months ago when your videos just disappeared from my recommendations, really wish the algorithm wouldn't mess with a good thing
You are well presented and I generally don't care about building materials but I do watch your every video because how comforting and interesting your videos are. Quite nice to watch while having a cup of tea :)
These comparison videos always manage to reveal topics that I didn't know I was curious about, I quite enjoy them. I'm also glad you mentioned the off-gassing, I was wondering about that as soon as you mentioned how much resin/glue is involved.
I used to work for a company that made some floor products. It is true that OSB has much greater shear capacity than plywood - therefore makes a much better shear wall diaphragm than plywood. When it comes to floors, the bending strength is more than adequate but the out-of-plane bending is more noticeable than plywood - the flex between floor joists. From my experience, use OSB for shear walls and plywood for floor sheathing. Belinda, thanks so much for these videos - keep it up. This is the only channel I subscribe to.
Asside from the swelling: OSB loses nearly all of its nail-holding strength after it gets wet (even after drying). Advantech OSB is no exception. There is an excellent demonstration video of this issue from a flooring company (who does not warranty a floor nailed to OSB for this reason). That said: OSB as sheathing and sub-floor isn't relying on nail-holding strength, so it's really only an issue for flooring.
Another issue OSB rots from within due to its loose (after being wet) internal structure and is more poisonous (unless it uses a rarer and pricier soy-based glue).
@Jason C. I don't want to say you are wrong, but you are absolutely wrong that dead spores are reactivated. Dead spores are dead, however spores can be dominant for extended periods until conditions for growth are right (like moisture goes up)
Plywood was also used for aircrafts, like the De Havilland Mosquito, aka "The wooden wonder",. For the Mosquito the layers of plywood were pressed and glued together in curved shapes which gave the plane remarkable strength (and made it harder to pick up on radar as a welcomed side effect)
I really like these videos because it not only educates you on the materials but it gives you some contrast which emphasizes the qualities and helps understand the goods and bads of those qualities. Thanks so much
This was FASCINATING!!! You really know your stuff but totally lost me when you mentioned all those chemicals and glues used hehe. Great content for me to learn from. You got a new subber. All the best from the UK : ]
Thanks for this video. i showed it to my woodworking class after showing them a couple of short videos on wood production. Yours was by far the most comprehensive ,easy to follow and informative. Great job.
What an interesting video, I didn't know that the ply sheets were peeled of the log in such a manner, nor did I know how OSB was constructed. I wondered what the 'oriental' part of the name referred to, now I know. Not sure if you get chipboard across the pond as you didn't discuss this, but would like to see a video on that. 👍
I remember while I in school (Construction Technology) I was rattling on about using OSB in my house and was told by my framers OSB was twice the strength of plywood. My instructor looked at me and said, oh really, then took a piece of OSB and Plywood slanted on wall and with his boot he easily broke the OSB in half and not the plywood. Plywood is superior!
I'm glad you like making them because these are fantastic. This is genuinely useful information and I sound much smarter than I am when my roommate walks in and hears you reading chemical names. One thing I wonder about tho is how much the resins and glues that go into these products break down. Sure, everybody talks about plastic bags and drinking straws but then we go home to a house that's full of glue and resin. Maybe these things break down just fine but I have no idea and I worry we're getting distracted by small-scale user products.
I really love these comparison videos! I'm very new to DIY-ing and I feel both this video and the laminate vs. vinyl video helped me understand these types of products a lot more.
Another wonderfully informative report. I would just like to add to your explanation of why prices are so high for plywood: the changing climate, with all its influences, financial and otherwise, on many aspects of our life. cheers from cold Vienna, Scott
We use it on inside garage walls and then use satin oil-based floor urethane on them so they stay nice looking. The only problem is the mill stamp on the nice side, but some like that look for a garage, along with diamond plate outlet and switch covers. We we ensure the mill stamp is right-side up on every panel. OSB walls add incredible strength to the walls and is not damaged by water, unless you mean under water. For a roof you need to leave 1/8th" between panels as they can be wet for long periods of time. Inside you don't need to do that. If you screw them in, the owner can remove and replace panels if necessary, and due to the wall pattern, it is almost impossible to notice old nail and screw holes when they move things around. Another advantage is you can mount almost everything anywhere without having to locate a stud, use special mounting systems or pegboard. We tend to do the walls first, then the front and back because the front and back are most at risk for damage and thus no other panels need to be removed to replace them. We also make the panel around the electrical easy to remove and replace in the even the owner wants to add circuits later. It would be nice if we could find OSB without the mill stamp.
Hi Belinda. Id like to say thank you for the great work you are doing on these videos. I am currently researching materials for a modern post/beam build and your content has been of great help. Good luck to your work from Ireland!
One of the advantages of OSB panels is in the size you can attain, since you aren't tied to the dimensions of a tree even a little bit. Using the same panel of sheathing reduces the weak points between panels. If we could acquire full-size 'jumbo' OSB panels, like the 8x24ft ones they sell for SIPS (but usually cut up into six pieces for retail as 4x8), or even a little bit wider (10x40 could fit on a routinely licensed wide load truck), we could build a wall as an integral piece, with what they call "Portal Framing", for increased strength and potentially without using headers. You'd just need to employ a crane, like is common in some other countries, for assembly. On a more routine matter: There are plenty of people in hurricane country who sheath their houses vertically with extra long (10ft, 12ft) panels so that the sheathing rolls right over the band joist or raised-heel trusses.
Thank you so much for doing these videos! I am looking to insulate & sheath up a storage shed, & your videos have influenced me to take a closer look at which products I will use.
OSB is forbidden in Switzerland for outer underlay ( roof, outside walls) we use wood boarding 2.5 cm for roof substructure. we have ventilated roof structure. wood boarding can take dry out when it gets moisture.
Great timing, im planning to replace the floor in the kitchen and was hesitating what to use, i decided osb with vinyl top. Now i dont know what to use anymore. Thanks :P
FYI, here in New Zealand, what you call "OSB", is known as "particle board". I had a house built in 1975 with flooring of large sheets of it. It was built in a yard and trucked to the site. While in the yard the flooring was open to the elements for at least a couple of weeks. The wood particles swelled a bit, it was pretty rough when I took possession. I had to sand it heavily before coating it with polyurethane, which served as my floor for years until I could afford carpet. There is no way I would ever let water anywhere near that stuff. Whereas I had a glass panelled back door I thought was a security risk, too easy to kick in, so I covered it over with 17mm Marine Ply with some beading to cover the edges. Try kicking that in, LOL. Has been fine for maybe 45 years. TLDR, materials have their place in particular applications, none are "better" than others.
Here in the US particle board is a different product from OSB. It looks a bit similar but does not have anywhere near the strength of OSB. I HAVEN’t actually seen any of it since the 1990s so it might have been phased out of production.
The many problems that they initially had with OSB, they also had many problems with plywood when it first came out. Plywood originally replaced tongue and groove because it was much faster and easier to build with. My dad use to tell me that many contractors and people didn't use it or trust it when it came into use.
6:37 I've always heard that the area most vulnerable to water damage, of an OSB assembly is where the edges of the OSB panels are cut, so it stands to reason that sealing those edges would make the assembly's performance closer to that of plywood. Of course, when used on the exterior of a building, either should be covered in properly flashed house wrap and a suitable rain screen siding.
The plywood by local producers in Ghana have their glue mixed with floor to cut cost hence they develop moulds/fungi when moist for a while (sometime overnight). They are terrible. They use extremely cheap wood for outside layers too.
I've always preferred plywood since it seems like any projects I have that require one of these materials are always in places where they may occasionally see some moisture. I had no idea the products could off-gas, so that's good info to know for the future.
You sure do your home work on how things are made that’s for sure !! I personally like plywood better because screw heads don’t come thru as easily as osb .
As a framing and structural repair contractor I've had lot's of discussions with people about plywood vs OSB, sometimes even arguments. My opinion is the only place plywood has an advantage over osb when building a home is for exterior decking, you must use it under vinyl flooring for instance. Few people pay attention to what Belinda said about osb having 2X the shear strength of plywood, when sheeting walls this is very important. I've used 7/16" osb for sheeting walls for many years, it is structurally far superior to plywood sheathing. Also, using a high grade 3/4" osb t&g for the subfloor gives you the best floor performance, better than 3/4" t&g plywood. Those are the facts. On a side note, the only time I had to replace floor sheeting was when some fir plywood delaminated from being wet too long.
The video you made was great, I was wondering if pine needles or other plant materials could be used to make wood like OSB, if so would you be able to make a video on how to glue, bind, and treat them for a strong and longlasting material.
Formaldehyde was classed as a Class C carcinogen 30+ years ago. Unsealed chip board floors in cheap housing - and the off gassing of volatile organics have resulted in many health issues. Finding a glue which 'off gasses' water vapour or some other non toxic gas would be more beneficial...
We bought a house built mid-90s in Oregon with Louisiana Pacific OSB siding. There were issues with swelling at the base of the panels. I hired a siding inspector and she told me the builders neglected to install a zinc strip between the concrete footing and the siding. That resulted in the LP siding wicking up damaging moisture from the concrete. She also mentioned another OSB problem that I would like to ask if you know whether it's true or not: Do OSB strands sometime get "folded" in the manufacture, and get embedded into the product like springs always trying to "unfold" open, which is exacerbated when exposed to moisture?
Thank you for your videos. They are a class above all others. I bought OSB for flooring; to raise existing subfloor/place atop the existing subfloor. It off-gases formaldehyde. The manufacturer recommended laying it on the a few days to remove most of the odor, and then paint it with acrylic-latex paint. I’m also adding a paper underlayment and then placing good quality vinyl laminate floor on top. Considering your experience and knowledge, will most of the off-gassing be addressed by my the actions I listed above? Thank you for any knowledge or suggestions you may have.
We still see new housing developments use OSB sheathing in the PNW (Seattle)... Custom builds move up to Zip sheathing. What is TX using if not OSB for spec homes?
@@chrishall5439 Oh, hell no... LP won't even warranty their siding in the PNW. It's mostly concrete (Hardie) or Cedar if you're fancy and pretty sure rain screens are code now.
I still remember the day my husband’s leg went through the OSB in our attic. Thankfully the rafter kept him from going all the way through to the garage below. We were in the process of replacing it with plywood. I never want OSB as an attic floor again.
Thank you for the video. Subscribed and liked. Need help with this question. I want to install a vent (it has 2 holes for screw/bolt) on my window. To do this, I must mount the vent onto a 4ftx2ft flat material that has a 4 inch hole on it. Then screw/bolt the vent to the material to hold it in place. Then mount the material to the window. One side of the material will be exposed outside. Rainwater will touch it when it rains. The other side and the 4 edges of the material will be inside the window. I think zinc, aluminum or stainless-steel plates will work but they are expensive. What other materials can I use? Thank you in advance.
One house build locally, homeowner insisted on all plywood as they didn’t want all the glue like in osb. None of the crew ever asked back what they thought made plywood stick together!
I was looking at OSB sheathing the other day at Home Depot and noticed that some of the OSB had two different sides. The top side of the board was really rough and look dimpled. And the bottom side of it was smooth like plywood. I was wondering if they did this for worker safety. I could see the smooth side being great for floating floors, and the Rough Side would be better for traction, like if it was installed on the roof of a home before the shingles. The rough texture would help keep the roofers from slipping.
Great video. Question, I have been seeing some new construction homes use styrofoam sheathing instead of OSB sheathing. I know they say that styrofoam is better at resisting moisture but wouldn't using OSB along with Tyvek house wrap be a stronger option as far as the structural integrity of the house?
![[TH] FS vs BME - VCT Ascension Pacific - Lower Bracket Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnygqsR2Fig/mqdefault.jpg)
youre the only person on youtube going into the practical science of building supplies. ty
These comparison videos are an absolute BLAST! It's much easier to understand the properties of something in comparison. Please keep making them!!!
Thanks! I will continue them :)
You're the most knowledgeable and trustworthy source of product information on the internet Belinda, my wife and I learn so much from you. Many thanks!
A friend made some countertops out of OSB, back in the 80s…he stained them a brilliant green, then antiqued them with opaque black paint, before sealing them. They looked a lot like malachite, which was the idea!
Whoa, that's creative
@@BelindaCarr Larue was brilliant….I’ve lost touch with him, I’m afraid…
I would like to see a photo if possible ❤️❤️
@@Ceshaujourdhui not possible…l live 3K miles from there, and that friend died a couple of decades ago.
Belinda Carr, you are the best... Absolutely love everything you cover in your vids... One day, do commercial roofing products... TPO, PVC and EPDM... Because I believe you'd knock it out the park with the pure knowledge... Absolutely love everything you do...
I worked at an Oriented Strand Board plant as a private contractor in Northern Alberta in the late 1980's. So OSB isn't all that new. It was amazing to watch the plant in operation. The wood source was Aspen, another fast growing softwood. The issue I was called in to remedy was the incredible voltage surge when the heated presses were turned on. I had to isolate all the computers and communications from that voltage spike. The induced current was high enough to burn out circuit boards in the main telephone switch several hundred meters from the actual operations building.
Are you talking about the OSB plant By GP?
@@SoulisStar This plant was about 15 miles outside of Slave Lake.
they are using about 20.000v to freeze the glue
What was the root cause?
@@j3dwin of what? The inducted voltage on the communication wiring?
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve always had your videos in my feed and they were always very informative but then when I saw the attack on you from that company on the installation video and then your response I am going to support you 150%. You’re just doing what you like and trying to make a decent living and you’re a great professional spokes person with a level mind. You will have nothing but success don’t stress out too much with all the success you’re going to have
Good learning experience for me. I did not even know what OSB stood for until I had a shed made. The contractor introduced me to this OSB and the curiosity brought me to this web site. Thank you for educating me. .
As a Floridian I've been wary of OSB after seeing some awful water damage. But your video gave me some great context so I'll be a bit better informed going forward. Thanks for the great work again!
Marine plywood is used on boats all the time. I wonder if there is Marine OSB?
I haven't found Marine OSB anywhere. Maybe there's something similar?
@@BelindaCarr I just think that it is so inferior that at this point in time OSB just wouldn't be a good decision for a very wet and hot environment like a boat. And of course when it comes to framing a house plywood is still better than OSB but people use OSB because it's cheaper.
@@BelindaCarr also I'm starting to notice PVC sheets are becoming more common as well as other variations of plastic can be purchased in various sizes and shapes ordered from the manufacturer. I find plastic decking to be frustrating because it can't be recycled because of the wood pulp content.
@@BelindaCarr Marine OSB is an oxy-moron, like clean-diesel.
I've been missing your videos! I watched all the time up untill 2 months ago when your videos just disappeared from my recommendations, really wish the algorithm wouldn't mess with a good thing
You are well presented and I generally don't care about building materials but I do watch your every video because how comforting and interesting your videos are. Quite nice to watch while having a cup of tea :)
These comparison videos always manage to reveal topics that I didn't know I was curious about, I quite enjoy them.
I'm also glad you mentioned the off-gassing, I was wondering about that as soon as you mentioned how much resin/glue is involved.
Thanks, Collin
@@BelindaCarr What can be done to mitigate the VOCs off-gassing causes health issues
Thank You (again) Belinda. I learn so much about building materials from you!
Thank you!
I used to work for a company that made some floor products. It is true that OSB has much greater shear capacity than plywood - therefore makes a much better shear wall diaphragm than plywood. When it comes to floors, the bending strength is more than adequate but the out-of-plane bending is more noticeable than plywood - the flex between floor joists. From my experience, use OSB for shear walls and plywood for floor sheathing. Belinda, thanks so much for these videos - keep it up. This is the only channel I subscribe to.
Asside from the swelling: OSB loses nearly all of its nail-holding strength after it gets wet (even after drying). Advantech OSB is no exception. There is an excellent demonstration video of this issue from a flooring company (who does not warranty a floor nailed to OSB for this reason). That said: OSB as sheathing and sub-floor isn't relying on nail-holding strength, so it's really only an issue for flooring.
Thanks for sharing that info!
Another issue OSB rots from within due to its loose (after being wet) internal structure and is more poisonous (unless it uses a rarer and pricier soy-based glue).
@@StrangerHappened osb absorbs moisture like a sponge which causes the dead mold spores in the wood to reactivate.
@@StrangerHappened That's a very serious health problem. Black mold is worse than asbestos in insulation, lead in paint, etc.
@Jason C. I don't want to say you are wrong, but you are absolutely wrong that dead spores are reactivated. Dead spores are dead, however spores can be dominant for extended periods until conditions for growth are right (like moisture goes up)
I learn something at every video
Plywood was also used for aircrafts, like the De Havilland Mosquito, aka "The wooden wonder",.
For the Mosquito the layers of plywood were pressed and glued together in curved shapes which gave the plane remarkable strength (and made it harder to pick up on radar as a welcomed side effect)
I really like these videos because it not only educates you on the materials but it gives you some contrast which emphasizes the qualities and helps understand the goods and bads of those qualities. Thanks so much
This was FASCINATING!!!
You really know your stuff but totally lost me when you mentioned all those chemicals and glues used hehe.
Great content for me to learn from. You got a new subber. All the best from the UK : ]
Thanks for this video. i showed it to my woodworking class after showing them a couple of short videos on wood production. Yours was by far the most comprehensive ,easy to follow and informative. Great job.
Thank you!
@@BelindaCarr is you were forced to choose between the 2, which would you go with?
Excellent presentation. No fluff.
What an interesting video, I didn't know that the ply sheets were peeled of the log in such a manner, nor did I know how OSB was constructed. I wondered what the 'oriental' part of the name referred to, now I know. Not sure if you get chipboard across the pond as you didn't discuss this, but would like to see a video on that. 👍
Yes, working on that video!
The O stands for "Oriented". As in: positioned.
Limey
@@robertwoodroffe123 Blimey !
I remember while I in school (Construction Technology) I was rattling on about using OSB in my house and was told by my framers OSB was twice the strength of plywood. My instructor looked at me and said, oh really, then took a piece of OSB and Plywood slanted on wall and with his boot he easily broke the OSB in half and not the plywood.
Plywood is superior!
I'm glad you like making them because these are fantastic. This is genuinely useful information and I sound much smarter than I am when my roommate walks in and hears you reading chemical names.
One thing I wonder about tho is how much the resins and glues that go into these products break down. Sure, everybody talks about plastic bags and drinking straws but then we go home to a house that's full of glue and resin. Maybe these things break down just fine but I have no idea and I worry we're getting distracted by small-scale user products.
For someoine in the trade across in the UK, I'm loving this video Belinda
Thanks! I always wonder the difference! 💕🙏🏻
This is a very informative and comprehensive video. Thank you for making this.
Belinda.....I have learnt so much from this video. Excellent and well informed channel
I really love these comparison videos! I'm very new to DIY-ing and I feel both this video and the laminate vs. vinyl video helped me understand these types of products a lot more.
Nicely done, one of the better and more informative "difference" videos I've seen.
Another wonderfully informative report. I would just like to add to your explanation of why prices are so high for plywood: the changing climate, with all its influences, financial and otherwise, on many aspects of our life.
cheers from cold Vienna, Scott
We use it on inside garage walls and then use satin oil-based floor urethane on them so they stay nice looking. The only problem is the mill stamp on the nice side, but some like that look for a garage, along with diamond plate outlet and switch covers. We we ensure the mill stamp is right-side up on every panel. OSB walls add incredible strength to the walls and is not damaged by water, unless you mean under water. For a roof you need to leave 1/8th" between panels as they can be wet for long periods of time. Inside you don't need to do that. If you screw them in, the owner can remove and replace panels if necessary, and due to the wall pattern, it is almost impossible to notice old nail and screw holes when they move things around. Another advantage is you can mount almost everything anywhere without having to locate a stud, use special mounting systems or pegboard. We tend to do the walls first, then the front and back because the front and back are most at risk for damage and thus no other panels need to be removed to replace them. We also make the panel around the electrical easy to remove and replace in the even the owner wants to add circuits later. It would be nice if we could find OSB without the mill stamp.
I love your look at these products. You present a very objective perspective.
Hi Belinda. Id like to say thank you for the great work you are doing on these videos. I am currently researching materials for a modern post/beam build and your content has been of great help. Good luck to your work from Ireland!
love that smile, like you are laughing inside, when you got that perfect link to another one of your videos on HempWood, lol
thanks you Belinda, im Nicolás from Argentina!
Marine plywood is my favorite as it withstands wetting
You have done your homework. Would like to add how amazing you are and in doing what you do
This video is very informative. please make videos on exterior wall cladding materials found in Indian market.
Outstanding Videos and Content! Thank You.
I would love to see you do furniture build videos!
lovely explanation of basic construction materials
I just found your channel. Subscribed and will start watching more. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
One of the advantages of OSB panels is in the size you can attain, since you aren't tied to the dimensions of a tree even a little bit. Using the same panel of sheathing reduces the weak points between panels. If we could acquire full-size 'jumbo' OSB panels, like the 8x24ft ones they sell for SIPS (but usually cut up into six pieces for retail as 4x8), or even a little bit wider (10x40 could fit on a routinely licensed wide load truck), we could build a wall as an integral piece, with what they call "Portal Framing", for increased strength and potentially without using headers. You'd just need to employ a crane, like is common in some other countries, for assembly. On a more routine matter: There are plenty of people in hurricane country who sheath their houses vertically with extra long (10ft, 12ft) panels so that the sheathing rolls right over the band joist or raised-heel trusses.
Thank you so much for doing these videos! I am looking to insulate & sheath up a storage shed, & your videos have influenced me to take a closer look at which products I will use.
Excellent video! You are amazing with your knowledge. Keep it up, I love watching your videos.
Thank you!
So so good. Love these comparison videos. Incredibly educational. Thanks 🙏🏻
Thanks, Scott!
Really enjoy the videos also very informative
you are always so informative thank you.
Thank you so much for these comparison videos. It helps me with mindful building.
great and informative as usual. Keep on comparing.
Thanks, Milan!
Consistently high quality content :-)
Thank you!
Excellent Video. I really enjoy your approach and thoroughness.
OSB is forbidden in Switzerland for outer underlay ( roof, outside walls)
we use wood boarding 2.5 cm for roof substructure. we have ventilated roof structure. wood boarding can take dry out when it gets moisture.
Great timing, im planning to replace the floor in the kitchen and was hesitating what to use, i decided osb with vinyl top. Now i dont know what to use anymore. Thanks :P
Thank you for making this video, and videos like it. You answer questions I have had difficulty sifting through marketing information to try to find.
FYI, here in New Zealand, what you call "OSB", is known as "particle board". I had a house built in 1975 with flooring of large sheets of it. It was built in a yard and trucked to the site. While in the yard the flooring was open to the elements for at least a couple of weeks. The wood particles swelled a bit, it was pretty rough when I took possession. I had to sand it heavily before coating it with polyurethane, which served as my floor for years until I could afford carpet.
There is no way I would ever let water anywhere near that stuff. Whereas I had a glass panelled back door I thought was a security risk, too easy to kick in, so I covered it over with 17mm Marine Ply with some beading to cover the edges. Try kicking that in, LOL. Has been fine for maybe 45 years.
TLDR, materials have their place in particular applications, none are "better" than others.
Here in the US particle board is a different product from OSB. It looks a bit similar but does not have anywhere near the strength of OSB. I HAVEN’t actually seen any of it since the 1990s so it might have been phased out of production.
The many problems that they initially had with OSB, they also had many problems with plywood when it first came out. Plywood originally replaced tongue and groove because it was much faster and easier to build with. My dad use to tell me that many contractors and people didn't use it or trust it when it came into use.
6:37 I've always heard that the area most vulnerable to water damage, of an OSB assembly is where the edges of the OSB panels are cut, so it stands to reason that sealing those edges would make the assembly's performance closer to that of plywood. Of course, when used on the exterior of a building, either should be covered in properly flashed house wrap and a suitable rain screen siding.
OSB manufacturers don’t allow sealing housewrap at the bottom. Do not use it in high performance homes.
I love these videos. Thank you for these fantastic deep dive comparisons
The plywood by local producers in Ghana have their glue mixed with floor to cut cost hence they develop moulds/fungi when moist for a while (sometime overnight). They are terrible. They use extremely cheap wood for outside layers too.
Just subscribed, the pricing issue is ridiculous. One positive is the designers are thinking how to innovate more cost friendly. I hope.
I've always preferred plywood since it seems like any projects I have that require one of these materials are always in places where they may occasionally see some moisture. I had no idea the products could off-gas, so that's good info to know for the future.
You sure do your home work on how things are made that’s for sure !! I personally like plywood better because screw heads don’t come thru as easily as osb .
I think of these as some if your best work!!
Excellent description and explanation!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️💪💪💪💪⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Always enjoy your detailed videos.
As a framing and structural repair contractor I've had lot's of discussions with people about plywood vs OSB, sometimes even arguments.
My opinion is the only place plywood has an advantage over osb when building a home is for exterior decking, you must use it under vinyl flooring for instance.
Few people pay attention to what Belinda said about osb having 2X the shear strength of plywood, when sheeting walls this is very important.
I've used 7/16" osb for sheeting walls for many years, it is structurally far superior to plywood sheathing.
Also, using a high grade 3/4" osb t&g for the subfloor gives you the best floor performance, better than 3/4" t&g plywood.
Those are the facts.
On a side note, the only time I had to replace floor sheeting was when some fir plywood delaminated from being wet too long.
The video you made was great, I was wondering if pine needles or other plant materials could be used to make wood like OSB, if so would you be able to make a video on how to glue, bind, and treat them for a strong and longlasting material.
Another good video comparison, thank you for making it )
Formaldehyde was classed as a Class C carcinogen 30+ years ago. Unsealed chip board floors in cheap housing - and the off gassing of volatile organics have resulted in many health issues. Finding a glue which 'off gasses' water vapour or some other non toxic gas would be more beneficial...
We bought a house built mid-90s in Oregon with Louisiana Pacific OSB siding. There were issues with swelling at the base of the panels. I hired a siding inspector and she told me the builders neglected to install a zinc strip between the concrete footing and the siding. That resulted in the LP siding wicking up damaging moisture from the concrete. She also mentioned another OSB problem that I would like to ask if you know whether it's true or not: Do OSB strands sometime get "folded" in the manufacture, and get embedded into the product like springs always trying to "unfold" open, which is exacerbated when exposed to moisture?
great video ... the videos of yours I have seen I have enjoyed very much
That video is really good..great work
Building homes with mold food.
WHY?????????????
$$$
Man, I love your videos
Thanks!!
Excellent explanation
Thank you for your videos. They are a class above all others.
I bought OSB for flooring; to raise existing subfloor/place atop the existing subfloor. It off-gases formaldehyde. The manufacturer recommended laying it on the a few days to remove most of the odor, and then paint it with acrylic-latex paint. I’m also adding a paper underlayment and then placing good quality vinyl laminate floor on top. Considering your experience and knowledge, will most of the off-gassing be addressed by my the actions I listed above?
Thank you for any knowledge or suggestions you may have.
Love your content
Hi Belinda, another great video. I’m curious, you mentioned that plywood and OSB are used in custom homes: what is used instead for tract homes?
I learned that the most popular binder for OSB is pMDI which is better than UF, MF，PF, etc..
We still see new housing developments use OSB sheathing in the PNW (Seattle)... Custom builds move up to Zip sheathing. What is TX using if not OSB for spec homes?
Then they put osb siding on the osb sheathing with no rain screen?
@@chrishall5439 Oh, hell no... LP won't even warranty their siding in the PNW. It's mostly concrete (Hardie) or Cedar if you're fancy and pretty sure rain screens are code now.
Your comment implies that Zip sheathing is different than OSB. Other than the built-in house wrap, Zip sheathing is OSB.
I'm glad my DallasTX home was built in 1984 no osb anywhere!!!
@@seanm3226 no it isn't- huber usb core is much better than off the shelf big box usb-juts leave it out exposed for 6-12 mosand you'll see.
those clayton homes are built with OSB in a closed factory its pretty nice i admit... if osb is sealed good i see zero problems
Good video! Thanks
Has 4 become an odd number? Sheathing is typically 4 ply. The two inner plies run in the same direction.
Çok güzel bir çalışmaydı teşekkürler 🙏🙏🇹🇷
Fantastic!! Absolutely fantastic video’s.
I still remember the day my husband’s leg went through the OSB in our attic. Thankfully the rafter kept him from going all the way through to the garage below. We were in the process of replacing it with plywood. I never want OSB as an attic floor again.
Listen honey in the USA we don't use OSB you KNOW that.
@@OWlsfordshire Well the builder of that home used it!
@Teresa Coffman I'm sorry I just don't believe this. It was likely rotted plywood.
Super good videos !!!
Thank you for the video. Subscribed and liked. Need help with this question. I want to install a vent (it has 2 holes for screw/bolt) on my window. To do this, I must mount the vent onto a 4ftx2ft flat material that has a 4 inch hole on it. Then screw/bolt the vent to the material to hold it in place. Then mount the material to the window. One side of the material will be exposed outside. Rainwater will touch it when it rains. The other side and the 4 edges of the material will be inside the window. I think zinc, aluminum or stainless-steel plates will work but they are expensive. What other materials can I use? Thank you in advance.
You are so good! I like your program
are you an engineer or architect? you have great content
I was curious as the the percentage weight of the glues.
LOVE your vids!!!!!!!!!!!! so factually informative ...
Thank you! :)
One house build locally, homeowner insisted on all plywood as they didn’t want all the glue like in osb. None of the crew ever asked back what they thought made plywood stick together!
Awesome video and explanations. Thank you!
I was looking at OSB sheathing the other day at Home Depot and noticed that some of the OSB had two different sides. The top side of the board was really rough and look dimpled. And the bottom side of it was smooth like plywood. I was wondering if they did this for worker safety. I could see the smooth side being great for floating floors, and the Rough Side would be better for traction, like if it was installed on the roof of a home before the shingles. The rough texture would help keep the roofers from slipping.
Yes, rough up for traction.
Also APA stamps to the inside so the inspector can read them even if the house is dried in (house wrap & roof paper)
@@jimurrata6785 thanks for the extra info. I appreciate it
I'm looking for an alternative to drywall and experiment with hempwool insulation, what would be the best option for this project?
Thanks for that. It made me wonder about MDF also.
Working on that video!
Great video.
Question, I have been seeing some new construction homes use styrofoam sheathing instead of OSB sheathing. I know they say that styrofoam is better at resisting moisture but wouldn't using OSB along with Tyvek house wrap be a stronger option as far as the structural integrity of the house?