When there is a need to carry out construction or finishing work, then the problem immediately arises: what material to use. After all, the work must be done reliably, and the structure must last a long time. We must not forget about financial investments; they must be fully justified. Therefore, it is increasingly used OSB boards and which has many positive characteristics.

What is OSB or OSB? You should immediately pay attention to the variety of names that are found everywhere. Sometimes there are even disagreements on this issue. So, OSB and OSB are an abbreviation for oriented- particle boards, which comes from the English OSB.

The process of manufacturing OSB boards from wood chips in several layers

Based on the name, we can conclude about the manufacturing method. For production, wood chips are used, which have different size. This is how such a board differs from chipboard and fiberboard, where the base is sawdust. Strength and elasticity are obtained due to the arrangement of layers - each of them is perpendicular to the previous one. This feature is borrowed from plywood, where the veneer has the same consistency. Of course, we must not forget about the adhesive composition, which affects the quality characteristics.

OSB is divided into types, or rather into classes. They vary in scope. It is customary to highlight:

• OSP-1. The material has low stability. Used for minor work.
• OSP-2. Suitable as cladding for load-bearing structures, but only inside dry rooms.
• OSP-3. The most common type that can be used for finishing and construction work. Withstands interaction well with humid environments. But prolonged exposure leads to gradual warping.
• OSP-4. The most sustainable option. But there is one drawback - high cost.

OSB is divided into several classes for use in various areas

Note! Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the harmfulness of OSB. Indeed, the binder is formaldehyde resins with additives. But modern technologies make the material completely safe for humans. Although when choosing slabs, you must definitely pay attention to the certificate of conformity.

Oriented strand boards are a popular material used in home construction.

From the above it becomes extremely clear what OSB is. The popularity of the material has become quite natural, thanks to its characteristics, which are combined with a fairly low price. That is why OSB has a wide range of applications. But it must be taken into account that even with all the resistance of the slabs to a humid environment, they are susceptible to destruction.

Indoor work

For interior decoration OSB is used in the following situations:

1. Creation of floor coverings

Plates are perfect material for such work. They are quite smooth (error no more than 0.3 mm) and strong. They can be laid directly on the base. For example, they are perfect for cladding concrete screed. Laminate or tiles are ideal for laying on such a surface.

OSB boards are perfect for creating flooring

But most often OSB is used for the subfloor of households. Although it is in this case that it is allowed greatest number errors. Therefore, the following parameters need to be taken into account:

• Lag location. The distance between them depends on the selected product class. If you make a mistake in this indicator, the floor will begin to sag.
• Substrate device. A typical mistake is considered to be directly located above open ground. This causes the slab to begin to absorb moisture. Everything happens over a long period of time, but the result is the same - the appearance of mold and subsidence of the structure.
• OSB class. For such work, third class material is used. Although, if the work is carried out for surface cladding, then types with lower performance can be used.

2. Use of OSB boards for installation internal partitions

The construction of internal partitions using OSB is universal and practical solution. It allows you to short terms receive flat surface, which requires minimal preparation for final finishing.

Construction of internal partitions using OSB

The convenience of this option is that it becomes possible to additional insulation premises. OSB is laid on a pre-built cellular frame, which is pre-filled mineral wool.

Construction of the frame and insulation with mineral wool is important stage installation of internal partitions from OSB

Note! For such work, material of the second and third classes is used. Additional processing consists of applying paints and varnishes. And also takes into account the final decorative coating. For example, for wall cladding tiles it is necessary to putty the surface.

Installation of slabs

Exists general scheme carrying out work:

• At the first stage, preliminary priming is carried out. This is done with penetrating compounds. This measure allows you to reduce the absorbency of the slabs, as well as eliminate the possibility of resin release. The further process depends entirely on the decorative coatings.
• If you plan to use wallpaper, then add a little PVA to the glue.
• When coloring occurs, it is better to choose oil paints. And the surface is impregnated with drying oil.

Before using OSB boards, they must be treated with a primer.

Note! Minor problems may arise when OSB sheets have a glossy front. This means that wax or paraffin was previously added to the glue. Therefore, impregnation must be done with a primer containing quartz sand. This creates a roughness that will allow other materials to adhere.

Using slabs outside buildings

Excellent performance characteristics allow the use of OSB boards as a building material

It is not surprising that this material has become widely used for cladding work on houses and other buildings. Most often it can be found in the following situations.

Construction of frame structures

IN in this case The use of OSB boards occurs in interaction with other materials. Namely, the sheets are used to create sandwich panels. They represent ready-made blocks, which are lined with chip sheets. There is insulation inside this structure.

Thus, it is possible to significantly reduce the time required to construct objects. Of course, it is necessary to take into account special climatic conditions each territory. The main mistake is that the sandwich is assembled in violation of technologies that are quite simple.

Note! Sandwich panels are not used for many jobs. For example, during multi-story construction.

Sheathing of external partitions

For such purposes, only OSB-3 is used. Of course, you can use a higher, fourth class, but this is unreasonably expensive.

To install OSB boards, a frame is built on the basis wooden beam

Such work is carried out using the following technology:

• The main frame is being erected. This is done using a wooden beam, which is pre-treated with the necessary compounds. It must be taken into account that for OSB applications slabs - a rigid structure is required. Special attention is given to the foundation or supports.
• Before facing the slabs need preliminary preparation. They are quite sensitive to constant exposure environment. The ends begin to suffer first, so they are thoroughly impregnated.
• The surface itself needs painting or primer. Much depends on the final type of finish.

It is important to consider that OSB boards cannot act as the final layer. They must be covered with a protective material.

Working with external walls

The use of OSB occurs according to the following scenario (when painting):

1. The ends are well processed. The sheets are laid leaving small gaps. Such seams are filled with acrylic sealants.
2. Primer mixtures are applied. If required, additional impregnation with sealants occurs on the water based. It is necessary to dry and sand the surface.
3. Next is laid facade plaster, it is better to choose elastic compounds. Attention is paid to joints that are pre-reinforced.
4. Now you can paint the walls with acrylic or oil mixtures. They have good stability.

Building facades made of OSB boards look very attractive

Other OSB features

In reality, everything types of OSB are becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, the scope of their application is not limited only to finishing or construction activities. Several alternative uses:

• Manufacturing of interior items. In particular – furniture. For the most part, these are frames for sofas and armchairs. Although there are options for cabinet products.
• Various types of containers. This may be packaging for transportation.
• Vehicle finishing. Most often truck trailers.

A material such as OSB is the key to successful construction. But many people mistakenly believe that it becomes possible not to comply with the rules and technology. OSP makes the process easier, but does not make it less responsible.

OSB board is one of the most popular materials for the construction market. Let's figure out what this material is, what it comes in and where it is used.

Studying building materials, we often come across such a name as OSB board - also OSB, OSB. This abbreviation stands for ooriented strand board, or oriented strand board.

OSB has a reasonable price, good technical characteristics - and is used in both external and internal decoration during construction. But what exactly is this material?

OSB is made from natural wood chips and consists of three main layers. Thin wood chips are treated with an adhesive composition and laid longitudinally on bottom layer, transversely - in the inner layer, and again longitudinally - on the upper outer layer. The finished board is then pressed at a very high temperature, causing the adhesive to harden, turning the material into a thin, dense, uniform surface.

Oriented strand board was invented in America several decades ago, when during the mass construction of frame housing it became clear that neither ordinary tree, nor chipboards do not allow the construction of inexpensive but high-quality houses.

The coating fits perfectly on this surface, which combines the advantages of ceramics and linoleum.

OSB has become a successful intermediate option between conventional wood board and chipboard. Oriented strand material has high strength, but a reasonable price, and at the same time retains fairly good resistance to deformation - due to its transverse-longitudinal structure.

• At the moment, there are many varieties of OSB, differing, among other things, in appearance. Laminated, varnished, corrugated - the material is convenient for execution exterior finishing and beautiful enough to create a budget interior design.
• OSB weighs little, lasts a long time, it is very easy to work with - the material is easy to cut and drill, paint, wallpaper, tiles and plaster fit well on its surface.
• OSB board remains quite resistant to temperature influences and high humidity, and also reduces noise levels in rooms and retains heat.

And of course, all these advantages are complemented by the main advantage of the OSB board - it is inexpensive. There are both very cheap and more expensive options on the market - but even “luxury” material remains affordable from a financial point of view.

Types of OSB and technical characteristics

Boards made by pressing wood chips are divided into several varieties. They differ in their characteristics - with the main parameters being strength, moisture resistance and thickness.

There are four types in total - from OSB-1 to OSB-4. Let's briefly look at the characteristics of each of them.

• OSB-1. This is the least durable variety, which is practically not used in construction and interior decoration. It has a low level of strength and moisture resistance. When immersed in water for twenty-four hours, its swelling coefficient is 25%. Strength index at longitudinal bending is 2500 N per square millimeter, with a transverse one - 1200 N per square millimeter.
• OSB-2. The next type of particle board is slightly stronger - 3500 and 1400 N per square millimeter with longitudinal and transverse forces, respectively. However, the material's resistance to moisture remains low - the swelling level is 20%.
• OSB-3. This variety belongs to a higher class. Its strength indicators are the same as those of the previous variety - however, the moisture resistance is much higher. With constant contact with water, the material swells by only 15%. OSB-3 is the most popular type of particle board among buyers, since with good performance the material maintains an affordable price.
• OSB-4. This is the highest quality of oriented strand boards - it can even be used when creating load-bearing structures. It has a strength of 4800 and 1800 N per square millimeter at longitudinal and transverse pressure; per day of contact with water, its swelling is only 12%. True, the price of such material is almost twice as high as the cost of the previous OSB board.

In addition to strength and moisture resistance, great value has thickness. It can range from 8 to 26 millimeters. Typically, the thickness indicator directly depends on the class; the stronger the slab, the thicker it is in diameter.

Another important parameter- this is an indicator of the flammability of OSB. Unfortunately, oriented strand boards belong to class G-4 - that is, they are a highly flammable material. This is not surprising - after all, they are made of natural wood chips. To give the material greater fire resistance, manufacturers treat the slabs special compounds and impregnations. However, it is necessary to understand that in the event of a fire, OSB will ignite one way or another - and even the highest quality material cannot be completely non-flammable.

Is the material harmful to health?

OSB boards are used not only for exterior, but also for interior decoration. There is still debate about how harmful the material is to health. Opponents of oriented strand boards argue their position by the fact that when producing the material, manufacturers use formaldehyde impregnations. Consequently, during operation, fumes must inevitably be released that are hazardous to human health. But is this really so?

In general, we can say that everything depends on the specific manufacturer and its approach to environmental friendliness of products. OSB boards can have four options for environmental labeling: E0, E1, E2, E3. Despite the fact that E3 class boards contain up to 30 milligrams of formaldehyde emissions per 100 grams of material, and E0 class boards - up to only 6.5 milligrams, extremely acceptable standards In terms of harmful fumes, no variety exceeds.

In addition, most manufacturers - especially Western ones - are trying to further reduce the presence of formaldehyde in their materials, replacing toxic impregnations with safe ones polymer compounds. Many types of OSB are recommended for use in interior decoration - if their toxicity posed a health hazard, the material could only be “approved” for exterior use.

And finally, the environmental safety of OSB is confirmed

During construction various buildings and structures there is often a need for inexpensive, but quality material, with which you can quickly cover a large area with an even and durable layer, allowing you to immediately carry out finishing.

Recently, OSB board has become increasingly popular for this type of work, the use of which is in the construction of walls, floors, internal partitions and other elements of building structures.

What is OSB board

This abbreviation is a transliteration English name OSB boards, the decoding of which when translated into Russian sounds like “oriented strand board” (you can find out in detail about its characteristics).

It would be more correct to call the product “OSB board,” although manufacturers and sellers use both terms, meaning the same thing.

For the production of this material is used wood chips various types of wood (most often pine, aspen or poplar), which is located in several layers (oriented), as a rule, in mutually perpendicular directions.

Then it is glued together using resins and binders with the addition of special additives that provide moisture resistance and strength. Usually for household use Three-layer slabs are produced.

Correct use of OSB is impossible without understanding what types they are divided into depending on their properties, determined by the production method:

• OSB-1– material for use in low humidity conditions, for example, for the manufacture of furniture, containers, internal partitions in dry rooms, etc.
• OSB-2– is more durable and is used for the construction of load-bearing structures in the absence of the possibility of moisture penetration.
• OSB-3– has increased moisture resistance and is therefore recommended for the construction of various structures operating in conditions that allow the appearance of dampness and small amounts of water.
• OSB-4– in addition to the properties of the OSB-3 class, it provides very high strength and stability, sufficient to work under high loads.

It should be noted that third-class slabs are in greatest demand due to their versatility and suitability for solving the vast majority of problems. That is why up to 90% of OSB boards produced today are labeled OSB-3.

Application of OSB boards in construction

Ease of installation, strength and moisture resistance, as well as an absolutely flat surface and light weight of the slab at a relatively low cost ensure this material is constantly growing in popularity.

It is used both for apartment renovation and office premises, and for low-rise construction. Many townspeople, having bought land for summer cottage plot, they begin its arrangement by constructing a utility block, a temporary residential building or a shed from OSB, because it is fast, convenient and inexpensive.

The main areas of application of OSB in construction include the following types of work:

• Floor installation. OSB boards are a perfectly flat, smooth and, at the same time, durable and strong surface. They can be laid directly on or used in country houses both as a subfloor located directly above open ground, and for building the main flooring. can be subsequently covered with any material, for example, tiles, linoleum and even varnish.
• Installation of external partitions. The construction of houses from OSB involves the use of only OSB-3 panels, the surface of which must be carefully sealed and primed. It must be borne in mind that the most vulnerable part of the coating under such conditions is the edges of the slab, so they must be processed most carefully, and the expansion gap between them must be filled with soft acrylic sealant, avoiding the appearance of pores and untreated areas. After this, the slab can be painted (read how to do this correctly) or covered with any material intended for external decoration.
• . They can also be made of OSB. Depending on the conditions in the room, either an OSB-2 class board or a more moisture-resistant one can be used for this. The use of a coating that is more resistant to various liquids allows for further finishing using water-based paints and varnishes, which provide better steam transmission while maintaining a comfortable microclimate inside.
• Construction frame houses from sandwich panels. This is one of the most modern technologies, allowing the construction of various buildings from ready-made blocks, for which OSB sandwich panels are used.

  

  They represent a durable monolithic structure, consisting of two OSB sheets, between which one of the insulating materials (expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, etc.) is tightly pressed. This solution can significantly reduce construction time and cost through the use of simple and convenient material.

Thus, almost all structures necessary in individual construction can be made from OSB. Therefore, often, instead of a traditional timber or log structure, many owners of suburban areas order country house from OSB, saving money and time.

Other applications of OSB

Above we have listed the most popular areas for using OSB. But their use is not limited to this. They are in demand wherever there is a need to quickly and inexpensively obtain a hard, flat surface of a sufficiently large area. In particular, the use of OSB boards gives excellent results for the manufacture of the following products:

Recycling waste from the wood processing industry is one of the promising economic areas that is actively developing at present. Products made from wood waste, including plywood, chipboard and fiberboard, laminated veneer lumber, etc., are used in the furniture industry and construction. In addition, OSB boards have become very popular today, technical specifications which make it possible to use this material in a wide variety of production areas.

Structural features, pros and cons

The abbreviation OSB or OSB (OSB) stands for Oriented Strand Board, which translated from English means a board made of oriented strands. This finishing material new generation consists of 90% wood chips. They are pressed under pressure and high temperatures and communicate with each other using special fillers, which are waterproof resins of synthetic origin.

The OSB board consists of several layers of chips, and in each of them it fits into different directions . This technology allows you to achieve high level strength and durability of products. Given that correct selection thickness, the OSB board can withstand a very significant load of several centners.

Advantages of the material:

• High strength.
• Light weight and elasticity. Thanks to this quality, OSB boards are suitable for cladding surfaces with a significant radius of curvature.
• Structural homogeneity. When bent, oriented strand boards do not delaminate or deform, unlike another popular sheathing material - plywood.
• High levels of sound and heat insulation.
• Ease of processing and installation.
• Chemical and mechanical resistance.
• Bacteriological resistance.

Disadvantages of OSB boards:

• The presence of phenol in the composition of synthetic resins used in the composition of the material. However, OSB boards used for interior decoration undergo more stringent quality control, and, therefore, their main safety indicators for humans fully comply with the standard. And recently, many manufacturers have completely eliminated the use of formaldehyde in their production.
• Some types of material have little moisture resistance.

Types of OSB boards and their differences

Modern industry produces four types of oriented strand boards (OSB), having slight differences in the main physical and technical characteristics. These include:

Name	Characteristics	Scope of application
OSB 1	Low density, low strength and moisture resistance	Furniture manufacturing, interior decoration
OSB 2	Good strength with low moisture resistance	Manufacturing of internal partitions and ceilings
OSB 3	High level of strength and moisture resistance	Interior and exterior work (in the latter case, the material needs to be treated with special impregnation or painting)
OSB 4	Very high strength properties, very high moisture resistance	Construction of load-bearing elements of walls and roofs of buildings

Dimensions and thickness

When assessing the quality of oriented strand boards, various indicators are used. One of the most important is their thickness, which can range from 8 to 26 mm (in increments of 1-2 mm). It has a direct impact on the use of this material. For example, when finishing various structures in which a high load on the slab is not expected, fairly thin sheets up to 16 mm thick can be used. These are the walls, the foundations for soft roof etc. As the load increases, thicker slabs are used.

The standard dimensions of OSB (OSB) boards are: 2500 x 1250 mm. In addition, you can find slabs with the following parameters on sale:

Indicators	Slabs with tongue and groove				Slabs with smooth edges
Dimensions (length x width), mm	2440 x 1220, 2500 x 1250, 2440 x 590, 2500 x 625				2440 x 1220, 2500 x 1250, 2800 x 1250
Thickness, mm	15	16	18	22	9	10	11	12	15	16	18	22
Number of sheets per package	55	50	45	35	100	80	75	70	55	50	45	35

Now many people are equipping their balcony under workplace. You can find out what you need to make it personal from our separate article.

Specifications

The use of OSB boards directly depends on their main technical characteristics, such as:

• Flexural and tensile strength.
• The degree of swelling in a humid environment (moisture resistance).
• Appearance.
• Processing ability.

Physical and technical indicators of this material can be presented in table form:

	Bending strength modulus, longitudinal axis, N/mm 2	Bending strength modulus, transverse axis, N/mm 2	Swelling degree,%
OSB 1	2500	1200	25
OSB 2	3500	1400	20
OSB 3	3500	1400	15
OSB 4	4800	1800	12

Comparative technical characteristics of OSB boards (OSB) of popular types:

Indicators	Standard	Aggloply OSB 2	Aggloply OSB 3	OSB 2				OSB 3
Thickness, mm		10-18	10-18	6-10	10-18	18-25		6-10
Thickness tolerances, mm: unpolished slab polished plate	EN 324-1	0,3 0,3	0,3 0,3	within 0.8 within 0.8				within 0.8 within 0.8
Length tolerances, mm	EN 324-1	3	3	3				3
Width tolerances, mm	EN 324-1	3	3	3				3
Straightness, mm	EN 324-1	2	2	2				2
Right angle, mm	EN 324-2	1,5	1,5	1,5				1,5
Bending strength, N/mm²: longitudinal axis transverse axis	EN 310	>35 >17	>35 >17	22 11	20 10		18 9	22 11
Transverse tension, N/mm²	EN 310	>0,75	>0,75	0,34	0,32		0,3	0,34
Formaldehyde, mg/100g	EN 120	<6,5	<6,5	<8				<8
Swelling in 24 hours when completely immersed in water, %	EN 317	12	6	20				15

Features of use

Due to their practicality and excellent physical and technical parameters, oriented strand boards are used in various industries, including construction, furniture manufacturing, etc. At the same time, to the question: “OSB board, what is it?” we can answer that it is an easy-to-use, universal material that can be used both as an independent coating and as an auxiliary element for preparing the bases of various types of coatings for finishing.

It is well suited for interior cladding of various premises, including balconies and loggias. In this case, the technical characteristics of the OSB 3 board best allow it to serve as a base for laying various types of floor coverings, including tiles, laminate, linoleum and parquet boards. In this case, the sheets are laid on wooden blocks, after which the working surface is finally leveled using a concrete screed (rarely used) or the finishing coating is immediately mounted on the sheets.

To ensure better strength and durability of the base under the floor covering made of OSB boards, you can use two layers of sheets, laying them offset, securing them together with adhesive and spiral and ring-type nails. When installing, be sure to leave small gaps between the plates to prevent their deformation during natural expansion during use.

The use of OSB boards on the balcony with different types of finishing has its own characteristics. For example:

• When installing oriented strand boards under laminate, it is necessary to ensure the evenness of the surface at the joints of its sheets.
• When laying under linoleum or carpet at the joints of the material, to ensure maximum evenness, you need to use sheets of minimal thickness, and treat the gaps with sealants.
• When used as a stand-alone floor covering. Additional protection of the material from abrasion and wear is needed. To do this, after preliminary cleaning, it is coated with several layers of varnish.
• Under ceramic tiles. The base of OSB boards must be completely motionless. Therefore, the sheets should be secured especially carefully, and install logs under them in smaller increments.

When constructing a subfloor from OSB slabs, the sheets are initially installed on the underside of the joists. In this case:

• The side of the slab facing the ground is treated with bitumen mastic.
• Insulation is placed in the space between the joists, which must be covered with a layer of waterproofing material (for example, glassine).
• Another OSB board is attached to the top.

An example of installing an OSB board on logs is shown in the video.

Frame houses, which are increasingly gaining popularity, do not raise doubts about their practicality and operational efficiency. But what can be said about the construction process itself and the materials that are used to construct such buildings?

The main types of building materials for such structures are wooden beams, beams and OSB panels. It is the use of panels that provides a frame house with those characteristics that attract developers so much.

What is OSB

For those who are planning to build a house from these materials, you should know not only the meaning of the abbreviation, but also the qualities that they possess, as well as the functional differences from other similar materials.

OSB panels are boards made from wood chips.

The meaning of the abbreviation translated from English means “oriented strand board” - Oriented Strand Board.

The difference between these panels and the chipboards familiar to domestic developers is the installation method and the type of chips. If in chipboard the main component is pressed in a chaotic manner, then OSB panels in their structure contain chips laid in one direction, that is, oriented.

It is characteristic that the chips are laid in each layer in a different direction. The number of layers in each slab is three or four. Typically, the direction of laying chips is taken in the following order:

• First layer - fibers are placed parallel to the panel structure
• The second layer always contains the chip direction perpendicular to the direction of the first layer
• Third layer - again laying is done in the same way as the first layer
• The fourth layer is perpendicularly placed fibers

In some versions of the panels, another method of chip pressing is adopted, which includes a parallel arrangement of chip fibers in the outer layers and their transverse placement in two inner layers.

To create a sandwich panel from OSB, shavings up to 15 cm long are used, which are pressed under high pressure. Their volume in the slab structure reaches 90 percent. The fibers of the chips are bonded with waterproof resins of synthetic origin.

As evidenced by numerous reviews of developers who used this material in the construction of their houses, it is this structure that provides many advantages for the operation of the house. One of them, which allows saving the consumption of energy resources during the heating period, is the high heat capacity of OSB boards.

Classification of OSB panels

For construction purposes, it is recommended to use separate types of panels, since the structure and properties of different types differ and are not always suitable for the same purposes.

Reviews about the qualities of OSB panels lean towards the conscious choice of only certain categories of such panels.

In order not to make a mistake when ordering material, you need to study the characteristic parameters and classification of OSB boards. Moreover, this is not difficult to do - there are only four of them, and the differences mainly relate to the number of layers, the degree of strength and moisture resistance indicators:

1. OSB-1 panels are boards with a very low degree of strength and a low level of moisture resistance. In construction, such panels can only be used in interior work. But more often their use is widespread in the production of furniture structures, as well as for packaging products
2. OSB-2 boards have low strength, although slightly higher than panels of the first category. They can also be used in interior finishing work, sometimes in the construction of light structural elements, ceilings and partitions. But due to low moisture resistance, it is not recommended to use it in basements, when finishing basement floors and for interior work in bathrooms and kitchens.
3. OSB 3 is the most common model of OSB panels. It has proven itself excellent in exterior and interior work. Can be used in different parts of the building. Resistant in humid environments
4. OSB-4 category panel is the most durable grade of OSB boards used in all types of construction work. Due to its high strength, it can be successfully mounted on the external parts of a building structure, when constructing roofs and attics. Excellent resistance to moisture, making it suitable for use in the lower parts of the building and in rooms with high humidity.

All these properties, inherent in each category of panels to varying degrees, are achieved by using an adhesive base of various compositions. Such boards owe their moisture resistance to the resinous compounds of the glue, and their strength to the arrangement of the fibers of wood chips and the number of layers in the board.

There are differences in OSB boards based on the type of coating
The industry produces panels with a laminated surface that can be used as formwork, and more than once. For decorative purposes, slabs varnished on both or one side are also produced.

For the installation of horizontal surfaces, panels with connecting elements are produced according to the principle of a laminate board. On two or four sides of such panels there are end ridges and grooves for connecting adjacent slabs.

Reviews of OSB panels from buyers tend to suggest that they have promise in the production of finishing works and can be an excellent alternative in flooring.

Properties of OSB panels

Reviews from panel buyers and developers note several significant advantages of this material:

• The technology of laying wood chips and the length of the chips make OSB panels more rigid, which allows them to become resistant to mechanical stress
• Thanks to the conveyor production method, the dimensions specified by the technological requirements are observed in the slabs. For the same reason, uniform thickness is achieved in all parts of the slab. This quality contributes to the ease of installation of OSB boards
• Reducing the labor intensity of the installation process, increasing the efficiency of construction. The panels are lightweight, can be easily transported and do not create additional difficulties during loading and unloading operations
• High thermal insulation rates are another significant advantage of this material. This property is achieved thanks to the high concentration of wood components, known for their thermal insulation properties.
• Availability during processing - OSB can be easily sanded, drilled, and cut. And when hammering nails, the edges of the slab do not crumble

OSB properties	plate thickness 12mm
Length deviation, mm	+/-3
Width deviation, mm	+/-0,3
Thickness deviation, mm	+/-0,8
Deviation from right angle, maximum, mm/m	2
Bending resistance, main axis, MPa	20
Bending resistance, lateral axis, MPa	10
Flexural modulus of elasticity, major axis, minimum, MPa	3500
Flexural modulus of elasticity, lateral axis, minimum, MPa	1400
Swelling in thickness over 24 hours, maximum, %	15
Density, kg/m 3	630(+/-10%)
Humidity, %	5-12
Thermal conductivity, W/(mK)	0,10
Formaldehyde content, mg/100g	<8мг/100г

As for the specific use of slabs in the construction of houses using frame technology, in their reviews many builders and owners of ready-made residential buildings note the speed of construction and ease of installation work.

In terms of operation, there are also undeniable advantages:

• Houses made from OSB panels do not settle due to the lightness of the material
• In winter, there is a noticeable saving in energy resources, which eases the budget burden
• The ability to carry out additional planning of the premises without major intervention in the integrity of the structure

At the same time, in the reviews one can notice the absence of negative qualities characteristic of other materials, namely, susceptibility to rotting, the presence of formations in the form of knots and voids inside the panel, and the risk of fire is reduced.

Against the background of such a volume of advantages, individual disadvantages of OSB boards seem insignificant, but they cannot be ignored.

Among the main disadvantages of this material is the presence of phenol in adhesive resins, which can negatively affect health. However, in each category of plates listed above, the content of this element is regulated.

So when choosing slabs for a specific application, you need to focus on their main purpose. For example, OSB-3 is best used for exterior work, while OSB-2 board is recommended for interior decoration.

Painting OSB panels

Application of paint materials on OSB panels does not require special conditions. Any wood paint can be used for this purpose.

For better adhesion to the surface of the slab and a longer shelf life, the surface of the panel can be primed.

For interior work on panels, you can use acrylic varnish. For the same purpose, stain or water-based paint is used. For all options, only positive reviews are noted.

Video about the production of OSB panels