What altenatives are there to OSB for someone with chemical sensitivities?

What is safer than OSB for someone with multiple chemical sensitivities?

Ian Smith Published: April 27, 2020, 1:01 p.m.Last updated: May 6, 2020, 2 p.m.

I have had some negative respiratory reactions to OSB building products, I think?? I want to build a new home. Are there safer plywood options? What is the healthiest product for home contsruction? Who makes the healthiest structural plywood or building product? Please help. I am also interested in finding an indoor air quality consultant to aid me with my builder. Thank you in advance?

Responses (1)

Mike Reynolds May 6, 2020, 1:57 p.m. Reply

OSB isn’t considered to be overly toxic, but it is not impossible that you are experiencing sensitivities to it. There are alternatives, but for which application are you thinking - is this intended to be for interior finishing or exterior sheathing? We prefer to use Plywood instead of OSB as sheathing, read more here.

The latest Ecohome demo house is targeting LEED Platinum, and has extremely safe air quality. All the interior finishing (walls and trim) were done with a formaldehyde-free UV treated non-toxic plywood, so if you are considering it for indoor finishing then that is probably your best bet.

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