Suppose you are looking for high-quality wood-based building material but have a tight budget. In that case, OSB or oriented strand board is something to look into. It is a type of engineered wood closely related to plywood, particleboard, MDF, etc. However, OSB has its specific properties, advantages, and disadvantages that you need to be aware of.
Advantages
Let us first take a look at all of the reasons why you might want to choose oriented strand board for your next building material.
- Strength
OSB is extremely strong. In fact much stronger than plywood. This is why, over the years, it has overtaken plywood in popularity when it comes to applications such as flooring, roofing, and walling. OSB has about twice the shear strength of plywood. Breaking, snapping, or cracking OSB is not an easy task. This makes it great for applications that require great structural integrity.
- Various available options
There are different types of OSB available in the market. There are types of OSB designed for indoor use and those designed for outdoors. The fact that you can find application-specific OSB is undoubtedly a big benefit.
- Consistency Across Sides
One of the major advantages is that it is consistent from one side to the other. Unlike plywood which can have holes and knots, the way in which OSB is made ensures that there are none of these defects. If what you are looking for is the ease of use and structural integrity, then the manufacturing process which OSB goes through allows for the perfect mix of both.
- Available Sizes
Unlike plywood panels, which usually top out at around 10 feet in length, OSB panels can reach up to 24 feet in length, thus covering a whole lot of area at once.
- Affordability
Although the oriented strand board is much stronger than plywood, it is interestingly much cheaper. Depending on the size of the panel, you can save up a lot when buying OSB compared to plywood. This is the biggest advantage of choosing OSB.
- Eco-Friendly
The wood used for OSB generally comes from small and fast-growing trees. This does allow for a good deal of sustainability. It doesn’t force manufacturers to chop down massive trees growing for hundreds of years. Also, the fact that it can be recycled makes them eco-friendly.
Disadvantages
Now that you know why you might want to choose oriented strand board for your next project let’s look at all the disadvantages you have to face.
- Too Pliable for Flooring
Although OSB is stronger than plywood, it is also a little more pliable. This means that it is not the best option for flooring because it will flex quite a bit, which can cause floors to be squeaky.
- Hygroscopic Nature
Unless you use waterproof OSB, the edges of it can swell by up to 15% when exposed to high amounts of moisture, which can be problematic.
- Unfinished Look
One of the biggest problems that people have with OSB is the fact that it just doesn’t look very nice and that it is not easy to clean. It’s not something many people would want to use as a wall finish. That said, there are several ways to make an OSB look good, like sanding, applying paint, stain, coat, or plaster on it, or simply covering it with wallpaper, laminate veneer, etc.
- Health Risks
OSB is usually made with formaldehyde, a very poisonous chemical that you generally don’t want to be around.
- Perceived to Be Low Value
Although OSB is actually one of the best types of engineered wood out there, due to its rough appearance, it is usually considered to be very low value. People just tend to assume that it is not a good type of engineered wood due to its look.
- Weight
OSB is very heavy and, therefore, can be quite difficult to install, especially when large panels are involved.
Now that you know everything there is to know about oriented strand boards, you can make a well-informed decision about what type of engineered wood building material you want to use for your next project.
