osb / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Choosing between OSB or Plywood for house sheathing for Roofs, Walls & Floors.
Wood and organic materials

Which is better, OSB or Plywood for Roofs, Walls & Floors?

...OSB as an air and vapour barrier on the inside of walls - see here Plywood is better than OSB for subfloors: Despite its common use as such, we don't recommend using OSB for subfloors, but that's really just for aesthetic reasons. New homes will usually see a few rainfalls before a roof is on, and as noted above, OSB d...

Interior sheathing as air & vapor barriers in wood frame construction
Air and vapour barriers

Interior sheathing as an air and vapour or vapor barrier

...OSB or plywood for roofs, walls and floors? Well ecoHOME would reply "it depends where, and what other materials you are using!" Rated at 40NG, 3/4 inch OSB sheathing can be one of the better vapour barriers for home construction in most of Canada. But in order to act in that role, it needs to be on the inside. Sheathi...

How to Build With Less Wood for Best Performance
Wood and organic materials

How to build high performance homes with less lumber

...OSB with either 1 or 1.5 inches of EPS foam attached. This was something of an easy ad-on to meet the thermal requirements using a bit of foam, but there are durability concerns.   Exterior sheathing insulated with foam can trap moisture in walls.  Foam is at least a vapor ‘retarder’ (which slows the migration or moi...