Useful tips to help you avoid mistakes when installing OSB boards with your own hands.

Currently OSB boards are actively used in various construction and repair works. And this is understandable.

After all OSB boards, unlike their competitors (for example, plywood), have almost the same technical characteristics, but wherein are cheaper.

As for installation of OSB plates, then it is often made by handwithout seeking help from specialists.

Wherein the features of this material are not always taken into account and quality, of course, suffers.

Avoid annoying mistakes during installation and do everything right, helpful tips will help,discussed below.

Let's begin with that OSB boards are almost 90% wood chips and shavings, therefore they have the same properties as any wood.

They change their volume depending on humidity and temperature. Therefore, when installing slabs, this property must be taken into account first of all.

First tip: acclimatization is required.

Before installation OSB boards need to withstand in the place where they will be attached within 48 hours.

During this time, there is an equalization of moisture indicators and OSB boards after installation are not further deformed.

Second tip: an expansion gap is required.

Necessity the gap between OSB boards, also due to material properties. When installed without a gap during operation, the plates can go in waves.

therefore gap between plates with smooth edges should be 2-3 mm, a next to walls - 10-12 mm.

When joining the OSB board with the groove-ridge faces, a gap is not left.

Third tip: when installing slabs on the outer frame of the house, it is better to use nails, rather than self-tapping screws.

The fact is that self-tapping screws under the weight of the plate OSB can break, a nails, under the same conditions, just bend. For fastening, nails should be chosen 2.5 times longer than the thickness of the OSB board.

And here for interior work during installation are quite suitable self-tapping screws. They are screwed in with a step of 10-15 cm from each other and indented from the edge of the OSB board not less than 1 cm.