OSB processing methods

For repair and construction work, it is very often used material that has appeared on the market relatively recently - oriented particle board (OSB, if you use the English abbreviation). This allows you to get significant in size area with a flat, very solid foundation, while saving time and money. To preserve the appearance, performance, you should know how to cover the OSB plate from the outside and from the inside.

Content:

• Where are the panels used?
• Under the feet
• Internal partitions
• Exterior finish

Where are the panels used?

Today OSB boards are widely used:

• construction works;
• manufacturing of furniture, containers;
• bodywork of trucks from the inside.

Not all applications require compulsory material processing. The most urgent need and at the same time the complexity of the implementation is with such types of work:

• floor device;
• external cladding of frame structures;
• installation of indoor ceilings, partitions.

Under the feet

Any finishing of the floor requires a perfectly flat base. OSB-3 slabs are best able to cope with this task (the number indicates the number of layers). This kind of material is strong enough, resists moisture, and is equally easy to lay on both wooden logs and concrete screeds.

The type of floor determines which coating will be used to cover the OSB board:

1. Roll materials. Before covering the floor surface with carpet or linoleum, you should make sure that where the plates are connected to each other, there are not even slight roughnesses, irregularities. The detected gaps are filled with silicone-based sealant, and then carefully cleaned.
2. Lacquer. OSB-panels should be painted with varnish in several (at least two to three) layers, while the surface should be degreased. If it is not intended to further cover the floor with anything, preference should be given to polished, smooth plates. If unpolished material has been used, it should be sanded first and then primed. Varnish treatment allows to obtain a surface with full preservation of the OSB structure, but without deviations.
3. Tile. Installation will require an adhesive suitable for gluing wood surfaces with ceramics.
4. Laminate. This type of flooring requires an ideal foundation in terms of flatness. Provided that the OSB boards are laid according to the rules, this is not difficult to achieve.

Internal partitions

In the manufacture of OSB, a variety of binders are used, which will appear if you apply the finishing materials without pre-treatment. Therefore, finishing inside the room is preceded by a special impregnation - a primer. It is important to know that in some cases, paraffin or wax is added as one of the binders. Such boards should be pre-coated with a special primer. It contains quartz sand that holds the coating elements.

After completion of the preparatory work, OSB boards placed indoors can be covered with any material of the facing plan:

1. Lacquer. Varnishing the internal surfaces is no different from the process of installing the floor.
2. Paint for OSB. Preference should be given to a paintwork material that has a water base. This component improves steam circulation through the stoves. Accordingly, a qualitatively different microclimate is created indoors. Paints should be designed to work with wood. It is important to remember that water-based paints and varnishes can lead to swelling of the chips and, consequently, deformation of the plate.
3. Wallpaper. Direct sticking is not possible due to the high probability of an OSB integrity violation. To avoid this, before fixing the wallpaper, the wall should be covered with a mixture of PVA and wallpaper glue.

Exterior finish

The use of OSB as a material for external cladding requires strict observance of the rules that are dictated by the characteristics of the material. If possible, specialists suggest using traditional materials for exterior decoration:

• siding;
• lining;
• clinker tile.

The use of OSB for decorating outside is often dictated by the need to get the result quickly and with minimal financial and time costs. In such cases, the most common finish is painting.

For external work, it is better to choose dyes that are designed to process wood from the outside.

It is important to consider such points:

1. The ends of the OSB are extremely vulnerable, so it is recommended to fill all the gaps with acrylic sealant.
2. Sharp edges, edges should be rounded with a radius of 3 mm - so the paint will be evenly distributed over the surface.
3. All surfaces are pre-primed. If materials containing water are used, the board should be carefully sanded after the coating has completely dried.
4. Paint should be applied in layers, waiting for each layer to dry. It is better to give preference to oil types of paints and varnishes to avoid deformation.

Thus, in order to process oriented particle boards regardless of the purpose of use (arranging the floor, partitions, replacing walls), the same materials from the finishing family can be used as when processing boards made of solid wood. For example, to protect them from moisture, they are varnished. At the same time, panels have more advantages when compared with other finishing materials. This is an optimal and inexpensive solution for the installation of various building structures.