Is Osb Good For Roofing

A homeowner recently wrote and asked me the following regarding osb roof decking.

Is osb good for roofing.

Some panels have a textured surface which makes them less slippery when used for roof sheathing. For the curious 7 16 osb has a span rating of 24 16 and with supports every 24 inches is good for a roof live load of 40 psf pounds per square foot with a 10 psf dead load. Osb has its advantages. Sheets of 7 16 inch thick with no edge support can be used in an area where the snow load is 30 pounds per square foot.

Both plywood and osb are used for sheathing roofs walls and subfloors. The thickness required by josh s circumstances are good for roof snow loads of up to 70 psf again spanning 24. Typical types of wood used for roof sheathing are oriented strand board known as osb and plywood the most popular being osb. Osb is great for walls and roofs and for subfloors i m particularly fond of an engineered wood panel similar to osb called advantech.

The zipsystem is a great all in one osb sheathing panel that has the building wrap already attached to it so all you have to do it tape the seams. You can use osb board in flooring for a cost effective flooring solution or used as a sub floor under a layer of hardwood flooring or vinyl flooring. Oriented strand board isn t plywood nor is it a type of particleboard fiberboard or wafer board and although it is a newcomer to a plywood dominated market its use for exterior sheathing is. Intervals so you know where underlying studs rafters and joists are for nailing.

New homes will usually see a few rainfalls before a roof is on and as noted above osb doesn t handle moisture well. In our area 1 2 in. When the grade stamp is covered by roofing the building inspector will not be able to confirm that the correct osb roofing panel was used. They work equally well for these uses are just as easy to drill into and have equivalent ability to hold nails.

Oriented strand board commonly referred to as osb is a type of engineered lumber similar to particle board formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of wood strands. Osb panels often have lines at 16 and 24 in. Despite its common use as such we don t recommend using osb for subfloors but that s really just for aesthetic reasons. Plywood is better than osb for subfloors.

Answer osb roof panels should always be installed with the grade stamp facing into the attic and the screened surface with the nail guide lines facing up. Osb sheathing costs a few dollars less per sheet than 1 2 in.