What is OSB and Why Do I Like It?
Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a type of engineered wood panel made from strands, or wafers sliced from small diameter, fast-growing trees. It is used in the same way as plywood, but it has some important advantages.
OSB is ecologically sound. Because it is made from small pieces of wood, the large diameter first-growth trees from which plywood must be made can be spared.
Unlike plywood sheathing, OSB has no interior "voids" so it has better nail-holding ability. OSB is dimensionally stable and does not de-laminate, as plywood sometimes does when wet.
OSB is not the same thing as "wafer board." It looks similar, but Oriented Strand Board is manufactured by a process that makes it waterproof, stabile, and much stronger than its much maligned (and deservedly so) predecessor.
I'll admit that OSB is not as pretty to look at as plywood. In fact I find it rather ugly. But it is not visible when the house is completed. Aside from that, it is an excellent product for high quality residential construction.
For more information on the manufacturing of OSB,
click
here.
