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Plywood versus OSB on Subfloors, Wall and Roof
Sheathing
The Pros and Cons of Plywood and OSB
By Mark J. Donovan
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For as long as I’ve been doing home
construction and home remodeling projects I have always opted for using plywood,
versus OSB (Oriented Strand Board) for subfloors, wall sheathing, and roof
sheathing. In my mind plywood seems to hold up better to the elements and is
overall a stronger and stiffer product. This said plywood costs more than OSB,
and indeed there has been technological improvements made in OSB. But likewise
there have been improvements made in plywood as well.
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Huber Engineered Woods for example
now makes a water resistant OSB called AdvanTech, and Georgia-Pacific offers an enhanced plywood with a
water resistant coating called Plytanium DryPly. Huber offers a 50 year warranty
on its improved OSB panels and Georgia-Pacific offers a lifetime warranty on its
enhanced plywood. Those types of warranties suggest each company truly stands
behind its product. Summarized below are the pros and cons of using plywood and
OSB.
Plywood and OSB are considered in the construction industry as structural panels
and building codes allow them both to be used for subfloor construction, as well
as wall and roof sheathing. This said, each has their unique advantages and
disadvantages.
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Plywood is constructed out of
glued layers of wood veneers that are orthogonally stacked upon one another
and are hot pressed together. This type of construction yields a strong
structural panel that is resistant to contraction and expansion and is
lighter than OSB, however it is susceptible to delimitation if exposed to
water.
OSB, on the other hand, is
constructed from short strands of wood (a few inches in length) that are
crisscrossed with one another and are glued and hot pressed together,
similarly to plywood.
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OSB panels are heavier than plywood, however it absorbs less moisture than
plywood. This said, OSB is prone to edge swelling if
water comes in contact with it and takes longer to dry out than plywood. For
these two reasons, I have always been leery about using oriented strand board
panels, particularly on roofs and on subfloors where I knew ceramic tile
flooring was going to be used for the finished floor. Roofs are prone to water
damage and ceramic tile requires level and solid subfloors. If water comes in
contact with the OSB during the home construction or remodel inevitably it
becomes necessary to replace the bad sections and/or sand down the swelled
edges.
So with the improvements made in the manufacture and construction of both
plywood and OSB structural panels the real deciding factors come down to mainly
cost and availability. OSB has traditionally been less expensive than plywood
and thus why many large builders prefer it over plywood. This said, plywood
still offers some structural benefits over OSB and thus the ultimate factor on
determining the best product to use comes down to the application. In my opinion
I still intend to stick to plywood on the roof and subfloor, assuming my budget
allows for it. For the wall sheathing, with the right house wrap I could be
convinced to switch to OSB.
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checklist, see my
New Home Construction Bid Sheet. The New Home Construction Bid
Sheet provides a request for quote checklist section that you can provide to
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contractor to include his projected new home construction costs for every phase
of the project.
How to Finance your New Home Construction Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
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