osb boards (158 offers*)

The abbreviation OSB stands for "oriented strand board" or "oriented structural board" and means that the board consists of aligned chips. The coarse particle boards are made of wood chips and binder. They are more resistant to bending than conventional particleboard due to their coarse structure. They are most commonly used in carcassing and interior finishing as well as for roof planking.

The commercially available thicknesses of OSB boards range from 6-40 millimetres. So that you get as little waste as possible when installing the boards, you buy the boards in the available sizes to fit as closely as possible. The blanks are usually available in the following sizes:
184 x 67.5 centimetres
205 x 62.5 centimetres
125 x 67.5 centimetres
250 x 125 centimetres
300 x 125 centimetres

Rough particleboard is categorized based on its moisture resistance and load capacity. The higher the category, the more resistant the boards are to moisture and load. Depending on your application, use one of the following categories:
OSB/1: These boards are suitable for interior construction, but they don't have much load-bearing capacity. You use them for dry construction and furniture. They can also be used as wall cladding.
OSB/2: Category 2 boards are load-bearing. You use them in dry areas for interior finishing. However, they cannot be used in damp rooms.
OSB/3: In this category you will find boards that are suitable for damp interiors or outdoor areas protected from the weather. You can use them, for example, to cover sloping roofs or to panel partition walls. You can also use these boards as concrete formwork.
OSB/4: They are particularly resilient and suitable for load-bearing purposes in damp areas. They can also be used in bathrooms or kitchens.

The thickness of the board and the category determine how much weight it can support. The thicker it is, the more weight it can bear. The load point and the length of the loaded material are also crucial. An example shows you the load capacity of OSB3 boards as shelves.

From a design point of view, it is not important which side of the board is on top. However, in the case of OSB boards with tongue-and-groove profiles, as are often used when laying floors, the profile of the boards only fits together if both are on the same side. With smooth edges, it doesn't matter in theory. However, it is helpful if the labeling on the panels is visible after installation. For flooring this would be on the top side, for roof cladding on the bottom side. This way you can also see afterwards which material you have used.

At best, you use wood screws. They should have a length that is two and a half times the thickness of the board. For a thickness of 30 millimetres, this would mean screws with a length of 75 millimetres. Often, when using different building materials, there are different requirements for fasteners. For example, black screws, which are used for fastening plasterboard, are not suitable for screwing the rough chipboard.

You saw the glued chipboard with a hand-held circular saw or a stand-up circular saw. You should pay attention to the saw blade. An alternating tooth blade with 32 to 48 teeth is suitable. Make sure it is suitable for composite materials. Blades for soft materials will become blunt after a short time with the coarse chips and glue. The following applies: The more teeth the blade has, the less the edges will fray.

Depending on the use of the boards, oiling or waxing will provide sufficient protection against moisture. Pay attention to the basic suitability of the OSB board. You can find out more about this under "Which OSB board is the right one for my project?
A nano-sealing for spraying or painting is also possible. Several coats of high-quality wood varnish can also provide greater resistance to moisture. Even more effective is a coating with foils. If you apply these professionally, the plastic layer effectively protects against the penetration of moisture into the wood chips.
Alternatively, you can make the chipboard completely weatherproof with an epoxy resin coating. In doing so, you should proceed very carefully and seal the cut edges completely with the synthetic resin.
It is also possible to apply weather-resistant layers such as bitumen sheeting. This method is particularly common when using OSB boards as roofing.
For any form of sealing, the board should be treated beforehand so that it is sanded smooth and dry. It must also be free of wax, oil or grease for proper application of the sealer. If the board has previously been treated with these substances, it is almost impossible to prepare it for a sealing coat of varnish. In this case it is more worthwhile to prepare a new board for sealing. You can also find suitable sanding tools for this at Preis.de.