OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
(OP)
Hey, while trying to get enough stiffness out of wood shear walls, I've run across the HDU holdowns and OSB as the stiffest options. But try as I might, I can't find anything online talking about plywood vs. OSB for shear walls. Is there a disadvantage for OSB? Why doesn't everyone use OSB since it has something like double the stiffness? Would it be wrong of me to start using OSB as my shear wall default?






RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?
Coming from the wet coast, i think building envelope issues have been more or less sorted in the past 10 years where it is reasonable to assume that your wall will stay mostly dry - at least not saturated for a long time, where rot would start to be an issue. And buildings that begin to rot are usually addressed within a few years.
One thing that still bothers me about OSB shearwalls though, is I am unsure how nth cycles of wetting and drying would affect the integrity of the panels, even if the OSB doesnt stay wet long enough to rot. Also there is the issue of the OSB getting wet during the construction - OSB swells and the nail head will partially puncture the panel.
RE: OSB shear walls stiffer than ply - is OSB or ply the industry norm?