OSB for studs?

[Cooler]

Don’t get it wet. Or let it catch fire.

Though I think it is more strand than flake, I’d still prefer read wood.

Wood is my preference too.

A kitchen fire in a house on Long Island where the interior walls used steel studs instead of wood studs resulted in a huge loss for the home owner.  Wood burns of course and steel does not.  But a kitchen fire can often be more heat than flame.  And that was the case here.  Te heat compromised steel to the point that it looked fine, but is way too soft.  

With a wood stud, if it is only lightly charred it is still usable.  

On the other hand, steel studs are nice and straight and wood studs (especially at Home Depot and Lowes) not so straight.

[Lynden]

I guess they don't want to use steel.  At least the engineered lumber will be straight, which would be a big plus, I don't know how people build houses nowadays.

Finger-jointed studs are another option. Cheaper than LSL and LVL studs.

https://www.wwpa.org/western-lumber/stru...er-jointed

[Robert Adams]

The house they built next door used finger jointed 2x6 which I don't have an issue with them when used properly however the very short pieces used are an issue. Some of the finger joint pieces were as short as 2" including the finger joints...   

       Steel studs are oK for some applications but you need to have  2" pipe posts in the corners and along the way for proper support. They are horrible in fires as steel will bend and collapse way before a wood structure would. 


       As for the timberstrand, lvl, lsl and others they are nothing like osb. They are great materials to work with. Extremely strong, perfectly straight and stay straight very stable in water. I have had pieces sit in water and show no sign of swelling etc but they are sealed unlike osb. They are often very pretty and left exposed in some applications.
        However those materials have the same drawbacks. They are expensive, very heavy, a pain to run screws and nails in and they are heavy, did I mention heavy...   


        As for damage to say osb in a wall. If the sealing is done right it isn't an issue. But house construction techniques are far far better than they used to be. However the lumber quality is poor hence much of the reason for the engineered products.

[KC]

The house they built next door used finger jointed 2x6 which I don't have an issue with them when used properly however the very short pieces used are an issue. Some of the finger joint pieces were as short as 2" including the finger joints...   

       Steel studs are oK for some applications but you need to have  2" pipe posts in the corners and along the way for proper support. They are horrible in fires as steel will bend and collapse way before a wood structure would. 


       As for the timberstrand, lvl, lsl and others they are nothing like osb. They are great materials to work with. Extremely strong, perfectly straight and stay straight very stable in water. I have had pieces sit in water and show no sign of swelling etc but they are sealed unlike osb. They are often very pretty and left exposed in some applications.
        However those materials have the same drawbacks. They are expensive, very heavy, a pain to run screws and nails in and they are heavy, did I mention heavy...   


        As for damage to say osb in a wall. If the sealing is done right it isn't an issue. But house construction techniques are far far better than they used to be. However the lumber quality is poor hence much of the reason for the engineered products.

OSB has the same reputation as Chrysler.  Doesn't matter how much improved it is, people are still gonna remember the bad stuff.

I left a sheet of plain old OSB out in the weather against the garage wall for probably 5 years, then used it on a repair in the in-law's trailer house floor.  No problem.

[Splinter Puller]

Here's my experience with OSB vs plywood for roof decking-

I built a house in 1996, insisted on 5/8" Plywood roof decking.  I put a metal roof on (26 gauge), screwed-down with standard 5/8" head rubber washer screws.  6 years later, I built an addition, used 7/16" OSB, same roof system.

7-8 years after the addition, many of the screws that were in the OSB were backing out.  Couldn't find a one in the plywood area.

No shirt!  The plywood was thicker by almost a third.  Of course the OSB won't hold as much.    I always specify 3/4" sheathing minimum if metal roofing is to be used.  You have far fewer fasteners holding down the metal roofing compared to a shingle roof so you need to embed them in thicker wood sheathing.

[Robert Adams]

Here's my experience with OSB vs plywood for roof decking-

I built a house in 1996, insisted on 5/8" Plywood roof decking.  I put a metal roof on (26 gauge), screwed-down with standard 5/8" head rubber washer screws.  6 years later, I built an addition, used 7/16" OSB, same roof system.

7-8 years after the addition, many of the screws that were in the OSB were backing out.  Couldn't find a one in the plywood area.

7/16 is too thin for roofing even if it was plywood or solid wood the screws aren't going to hold in it. There is also a big difference in the consumer grade osb that the borgs carry and the brands you get from a lumber supplier where they actually have a brand name and reputation not just osb printed on it. There are brands like Advantech  that make a very nice product which is also water resistant.

[John Mihich]

One thing about the studs - they are perfectly straight.  I would consider them on walls where cabinets will be - kitchen for one.  Other than that I wouldn't use them - cost issue mainly.  Metal studs the straightness also - used all the time in commercial buildings.  Of course you have to deal with hanging cabinets a bit different.

[JosephP]

Cabinets and doors still need wood stud support with metal studs. I've helped with one metal studded building and will avoid them as much as possible in the future... As was stated earlier, they don't behave well in fire either. No, they won't add fuel to the fire, but they'll fold like a sheet once exposed to heat.

I'd be curious to know more about nail and screw holding off LVL studs....but they really do sound like they have great potential. Wider use/distribution should drive prices down.

[Woodenfish]

Custom home builder Matt Risinger from Austin Texas has a YouTube channel where he has discussed usage of LVL’s in framing custom homes. Quite a few discuss some of the pro’s and con’s. I’m a long time subscriber.