Installation of floors on logs yusb. How to make a floor from OSB: features, laying technology, recommendations and reviews. Fixing OSB boards to the old floor

Many floor coverings require level ground. One of options- OSB floor. It can be done by lags, by subfloor, put on concrete. It is only necessary to choose the right class, material thickness and follow the installation rules.

OSB is sheet finishing and construction material. The given name is made up of the first letters of the full name: oriented strand board. That is how it is deciphered. But there is also the name OSB and the Latin OSB (sometimes they also say USB, but this is from a completely different opera - this is a type of port in computer technology). The Latin name is the first letters of the English name Oriented Strand Board. The translation is the same as Russian name. And the OSB variant is just a transliteration (replacing Latin letters with Russian ones) from the English abbreviation. Both options are legitimate, but more correctly, after all, the OSB.

Composition and properties

OSB is made from long chips (6-9 cm) coniferous trees, which is mixed with resins and synthetic wax. The percentage of binders is low - 5-10% of total weight. Small chips and wood dust from raw materials for OSB should be removed. This increases the strength and flexibility of the material, but increases its cost. Therefore, more expensive material of the same brand may be more practical.


What is OSB (OSB) - material from wood chips with resins

It is the binders - wax and resin - that give increased moisture resistance to the material. In the basic version, this sheet material already underway with increased moisture resistance (tolerates moisture better than, say, moisture resistant plywood). Waterproof OSB has almost zero water absorption. On the one hand, this is good. Such material serves as protection against moisture penetration. On the other hand, not so much. There is no way to remove moisture from the room if the humidity has become high.


To increase strength and elasticity, the material is made multilayer. This can be seen on the cut and ends of the plate. In the outer layers, the chips are placed along the long side of the slab, in the inner layers - across. This makes it much stronger. In addition to increased strength and water resistance, the properties of OSB are as follows:

  • Doesn't rot.
  • Almost does not swell in water, after drying retains its shape.
  • Not affected by fungi and mold.
  • It burns badly.
  • High degree of elasticity.
  • Good sound insulation properties.
  • Easy to cut.
  • You can paint with any paint, use varnish.
  • Sheets can be glued.

All these properties, coupled with low cost, make this material popular. What can limit demand is the release of formaldehyde. This substance is contained both in the wood itself (natural content) and in the binder. For indoor use, choose materials with formaldehyde emission class no higher than E1. This is an absolutely safe material that can be used even for children's and medical institutions.

Classes, sizes, markings

OSB was invented in Canada, gradually appeared on the market in other countries. With a low weight, the material has high strength, which makes it popular in frame construction. There are two classifications of OSB boards. According to European EN 300, there is a division into four classes, which differ in the degree of water resistance:


The third class is the most commonly used. It has a sufficient level of strength and moisture resistance, both for indoor and outdoor use. If you want to make a floor from OSB, look at the slabs of this class. If you prefer to have a margin of safety, put the fourth class. But it's not easy to find it. Due to the high cost, it is produced infrequently.


OSB plywood - classes and their main characteristics

Sometimes in our market you can find an American oriented particle board. They have a different classification. It can be approximately correlated with the European one as follows:

  • Interior roughly corresponds to OSB2. Can be used for interior work in dry rooms.
  • Exposure 1 - similar in characteristics to OSB3. Withstand damp conditions for a short time, so they can be used in damp rooms or for exterior finish subject to the subsequent installation of a moisture-resistant finish.
  • Exterior - an analogue of OSB4 for sheathing the frame from the outside.

With the American and Canadian OSB (OSB), everything is also clear. If you want to make an OSB floor, take Exposure 1. By the way, it is usually best quality than domestic.

Which is better - OSB or plywood, OSB or fiberboard

About which of the sheet materials is better, we will talk about the use of OSB (OSB) for the floor. If we compare fiberboard and oriented strand board, then it is better to take the last material on the floor. It is less heavy, more flexible. Compared to plywood, it is cheaper. In general, it is difficult to compare with plywood, since this material, depending on the technology (glued or bakelite) and the source wood (coniferous or birch), has very different characteristics.


What can be said for sure:

  • Fasteners in OSB hold better. By 25% when compared with softwood plywood, and by the same amount when compared with fibreboard.
  • When moisture gets in, OSB almost does not swell. After keeping in water for 24 hours, its dimensions increase by no more than 10%. In this she clearly better than plywood and chipboard.
  • After drying, plywood and fiberboard delaminate, begin to crumble. For OSB, this is not observed. It dries up and looks exactly the same as before.

Based on these properties, the OSB floor will be more reliable. Water on the floor is not uncommon. So this is important. And formaldehyde is present in plywood and chipboard. And it can also be neutralized using a VASILOL primer. It absorbs formaldehyde and partially binds styrene. For complete safety, you can add STYRODET, which absorbs styrene. An additional advantage is the complete incombustibility of the material - for wooden and frame houses it is very important.

OSB floor by joists: sheet thickness and lag installation step

When arranging the floor along the logs, it is not necessary to lay boards on them. You can use sheet material. As an option - an OSB floor along the lags. The thickness of the sheet is selected depending on the installation step of the support: the more often the timber stands, the smaller the thickness of the plate is required:

  • Step lag 40-42 cm, the plate must be at least 15 mm thick. If a high load is planned, 18 mm is better.
  • Logs are installed after 50 cm, the thickness of the plate should be 20-22 mm.
  • The beam is fixed in increments of 60 cm, OSB is laid with a thickness of 23-25 ​​mm.
  • If a draft floor lies on the logs, sheets 10-12 mm thick can be laid on top.

We select a specific value from the range depending on the planned load. For example, for a summer residence, where massive furniture is not expected, you can take it thinner (from the fork that is given for each step of laying the lag). For home permanent residence it is better to take a thicker one than to think later how to eliminate sagging.

As you understand, any of the options can be implemented - with any distance between the lags. How to choose? For reasons of economy. Consider the price. In terms of strength and reliability, they will be equivalent, but the price may differ. Each region has its own situation with prices for materials. Somewhere nearby they produce slabs, somewhere you can buy timber inexpensively. So consider each of the options and, based on the calculations, make a choice.

What else can be guided by when choosing a lag step? The dimensions of the OSB sheet - the joint of the plates should fall on the beam. Therefore, the distance between them is selected so that both plates rest on the beam.


What height should be the logs under the OSB? Depends on what properties the floor should have. If you need additional insulation and sound insulation, then appropriate materials can be laid in the gaps. In this case, the height of the lag is selected depending on the thickness of the materials. If you are making an OSB floor along the logs in the apartment, for sound insulation, it is worth putting a piece of vibration-damping foam rubber under each log. Stick the same gaskets on the ends that go to the walls. Rubber can be bought at auto shops, it is sold in strips glued to a sheet. Several of these strips with glue on the bottom of each support beam. This will help to make you almost inaudible to the neighbors below, and will also significantly reduce the noise that is transmitted through the concrete structures.

OSB laying: installation rules

Although OSB does not change dimensions slightly, there is still thermal and moisture expansion. Therefore, when laying sheets indoors, we observe the following rules:


Under soft coverings(linoleum, carpet, vinyl tiles), the seams must be filled. To maintain the elasticity of the joint, an elastic sealant is used, which, after drying, “does not harden”.

How and how to attach OSB to logs and boards

When attaching OSB plywood to the joists, you can use self-tapping screws or rough nails. For greater reliability, fasteners are sometimes lubricated with glue (universal). Which is better, nails or screws?


So it is more reliable and convenient to mount the OSB on high-quality self-tapping screws. But this is if there are no restrictions on time and price.

Fasteners are installed around the perimeter of the sheet and in intermediate beams (if any). The step is not standardized. Focus on feelings. But the obligatory fixation of the corners, and then, along the long side, they put fasteners in increments of 40-60 cm.

Features of laying OSB on a wooden floor

If there is a plank floor that you want to cover with another floor covering, you need to level it. To do this, sheet building or Decoration Materials. One option is OSB. You can put a not too thick sheet on the boards - 10-12 mm is already enough.


First, the boards are leveled, eliminating irregularities. Then OSB boards are laid. They are positioned so that the long side runs across the boards. The laying rules are the same as described above. The joints of the sheets should fall on the board, preferably in its middle.


If some other material is already lying on the logs - boards, plywood, fiberboard - you can put OSB on top. In this case, the sheets must be positioned so that the seams of the lower layer do not coincide with the joints of the upper.

OSB on concrete floor

Concrete is a solid base, but very cold. And the usual screed is rarely perfectly even, so it needs to be leveled. Sometimes, over time, cracks appear in the screed. They also need to be sealed, since it is not worth laying a finish coating on such a base. There are two ways. The first is to lay logs on concrete, fill the gap with insulation, and lay OSB or other sheet material on top. This option is correct, and it is described above. But sometimes even those 5-8 centimeters cannot be stolen from a height, since the ceilings in the rooms are low. Then you can do it wrong - lay the OSB directly on the concrete.


Laying OSB slabs on a concrete floor is not quite the right definition. Rather, do not lay, but glue. Acrylic adhesive is used (not for tiles, but simply mounting universal adhesive). When choosing a composition, pay attention that it is compatible with concrete and wood, and brands may be different.


How to glue OSB on concrete

The glue is applied to the base, passed with a notched trowel with a tooth of 4-6 mm (more is possible, but the glue consumption will be large). The height of the tooth depends on the size of the irregularities that are present. The height of the tooth should be 2 times greater than the amplitude of the irregularities. But such an alignment will work only if the difference is not more than 4 mm. With more significant irregularities, it is necessary either to fill in the leveling screed, or to grind the existing one, removing the most significant protrusions.

Before laying OSB, concrete is primed. You can use the same glue diluted with water, you can use other acrylic primer. If necessary, you can find a primer with water-repellent properties.


The plates are not placed close to the walls, but leaving a gap of 5-8 mm to compensate for thermal expansion. The same gap is left between the plates. So that there is no empty space around the perimeter, they roll out or cut into strips of foam plastic under the wall suitable thickness.

To make it easier to maintain the gaps between the plates, you can use gaskets of suitable thickness. As an option - crosses for laying tiles. After laying each sheet, be sure to check its horizontalness, control the level with neighboring sheets. They must all be at the same height.


If in the future there will be a soft floor covering (linoleum, carpet, vinyl tiles), the seams must be sealed. They are filled with elastic sealant.

Note! It is important that the sealant remains elastic after drying. Then he will act as a compensator. Otherwise, it will just crumble.

OSB as a floor finish

Sometimes there is not enough money for finishing flooring. In this case, the OSB floor can be left without finishing. But if the slab is not covered with anything, in places of intensive use, the chips can bulge. To prevent this from happening, it should be varnished in several layers. Varnish choose at your discretion, but keep in mind that there must be at least two layers. The view is quite normal, although not "luxury".

The consumption of varnish on the OSB floor is very large. The plate does not absorb moisture, but the varnish goes like a sponge. To reduce consumption, it is better to prime the chipboard first. Choose a primer for the selected varnish. And it is better to cover with soil twice. The consumption of varnish will still be large, but much lower than without impregnation.


One more moment. If you are using unsanded OSB, the surface may be uneven. This is typical for not very high-quality plates. If you varnish it without preparation, a lot of varnish will go away. If you have a grinder, sandpaper with a medium or fine grain, you can remove the protruding parts, walk with a vacuum cleaner, then a primer and then a varnish. If there is no grinder, when buying plates, pay no attention to the quality of the surface. If possible, take, after all, polished OSB.

Wooden floors in a private house lose their presentable appearance over time. Numerous layers of paint are cracking and flaking at the edges. And because of this, often even a newly painted surface looks sloppy. To tidy up such a floor, you have to completely clean the boards, process the wood, and then periodically re-stain.

Therefore, when carrying out the next repair, many homeowners make a different decision. Specifically: to lay one of the modern decorative coatings on top of a wooden floor - a laminate, parquet board, linoleum or carpet.

To implement such an idea, it is necessary that the base of the floor is suitable for laying a decorative coating. That is, it had a perfectly flat surface, aligned in a horizontal plane, without protrusions, "ladders", bending sections. This can be achieved by installing OSB on a wooden floor.

Characteristics of OSB boards

General information about OSB boards

Unique physical and mechanical characteristics, with relatively affordable price, make OSB boards more and more popular in various areas of construction. With the help of this material, floors are perfectly leveled and laid, and with minimal effort, low cost and saving time. In addition, even an inexperienced homeowner in the construction art can handle the installation of plates on the surface on their own.

Before studying the installation technology of OSB boards, it is necessary to briefly consider their characteristics and compare them with other similar materials.

It must be said that oriented strand boards, in some of their technical and operational characteristics, are superior to other materials of a similar purpose. But, due to their design features, they most often cannot be used as a floor finish.

Oriented strand boards are made from wood chips laid in several layers in a longitudinal-transverse manner. On the outer layers, chips, as a rule, are placed along the length of the slabs, and on the inner - across. The layers are fastened together under pressure with polymer resins.


Thanks to this technology for the manufacture of OSB-boards, they have improved physical and mechanical properties compared to some other similar building materials.

The main characteristics of oriented strand boards are shown in the table:

The characteristic features of OSB-boards during their installation and operation can be described as follows:

  • High moisture resistance. When tested in laboratory conditions, the material was completely immersed in water for 24 hours. As a result, the swelling was only 18÷25%. And at the same time, the plate was not destroyed, and its strength was preserved.
  • Durability and long service life. Oriented strand boards are able to withstand high loads and extreme conditions. Due to the multilayer structure of the material, the plates hold the fasteners well.
  • Ease of installation of sheet large-format material.
  • The low cost makes such stoves affordable, even if the amount allocated for repairs is limited.
  • OSB boards, manufactured in accordance with technological requirements, consist of 96% natural materials. Therefore, they can be called conditionally environmentally friendly. If the plates are purchased for use in residential premises, you should choose a material marked E1.

Thanks to their technical specifications Oriented strand boards are great for subflooring under decorative flooring.

  • The plates have a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, they can easily level wooden floors, equipped with an ordinary wooden board and deformed during long-term operation.
  • Each slab covers a fairly large floor area. The most common sizes are 2240 × 1220 mm and 2500 × 1250 mm. And this corresponds to 2.98 and 3.125 square meters. When laying them, the surface will have a minimum number of butt joints. Therefore, they are ideal for arranging a base for flooring, consisting of small format elements - parquet board, parquet, vinyl tiles, etc.

  • OSB boards are self-supporting and have a stable geometry. Therefore, they can be used as a rough floor covering, fixing them to frequently installed logs or sparsely left floorboards. Thanks to the same qualities, it is possible to strengthen the old one with plates, increasing its bearing capacity and rigidity.
  • Since the plates consist of several layers of wood, which in itself has sound and heat insulating qualities, the coating of them is to some extent able to protect the room from extraneous noise. In addition, an extra layer fixed to the wood floor will help reduce heat leakage from the rooms.

  • OSB boards are not afraid of moisture, so they can be used to create a subfloor structure on logs. Moreover, by sheathing the logs with them both from above and from below, it is possible to fill the resulting space with one of the insulating materials.

In the table below, for greater clarity of information, comparative estimated characteristics of various board materials made from wood raw materials and having approximately the same purpose are given.

Name of estimated parametersEvaluation on a five-point scale
Final average score2,86 3,00 3,28 3,57
MDF Chipboard glued
plywood
Plates
OSB
Strength2 3 4 4
Resistance to external atmospheric influences1 2 3 3
Dimensional stability2 3 3 3
Weight2 2 3 3
Manufacturability of machining3 4 4 5
Manufacturability of painting surfaces5 3 3 2
The probability of defective material (stratification, the presence of sinuses, knots)5 4 3 5

Varieties of OSB-plates

Today, construction stores offer several varieties of oriented strand boards. They differ in characteristics, and therefore - in purpose. Therefore, when choosing a material for a particular area of ​​​​construction or repair, this factor must be paid attention to.


  • OSB-1 - this material has very low moisture resistance and strength, does not differ in special quality. Therefore, such plates are used most often only for auxiliary work.
  • OSB-2 - these boards are already much better, but their moisture resistance indicators are still not outstanding. They are intended, as a rule, for use in dry rooms in those structures where contact with moisture is completely excluded.

  • OSB-3 are versatile products that can be used for surface cladding both in dry rooms and in rooms with high humidity. They sheathe walls with them, lay them on wooden floors when leveling them, equip the floors along the logs.
  • OSB-4 have a thickness of 15 ÷ 25 mm and are most often used for the construction of load-bearing structures in rooms with any level of humidity or even outdoors. They can also be used for flooring as a subfloor.

Plates can have different linear dimensions, but those dimensions that have already been mentioned above are more common. However, this parameter must be paid attention to when purchasing the material. So it will be possible to reduce waste when cutting them.

Surface preparation for OSB flooring

In order for OSB boards to lay perfectly on top of the plank floors, and during operation there were no problems in the form of squeaks and deflections, a number of preparatory work must be performed before installing them:

  • An audit of the plank base is being carried out to detect rotten boards and logs. Creaking and deformed areas of the old flooring are revealed.
  • In addition, it is necessary to check the condition of the insulation, if it is present in the general “pie” of the floor structure. Thermal insulation must not be damp, sagging, damaged by rodents, etc. Sometimes you have to change it too.

You can check the evenness of the wooden floor with building level or rules. The tool is installed on the surface across the boards. If a gap has formed between the boards and the tool, then the floor is deformed and needs to be repaired.

The unevenness of the old wooden floor is by no means uncommon. Over many years of operation, it is not only subjected to high loads, but also “tested” by changes in humidity. A wet board deforms when it dries - it can bend, wrap itself in a “propeller”, etc.

If the floors are not tidied up, then the laid OSB boards will not rest on the entire plank surface, but only on the raised sections of the boards. And what will be the result?

At installation work ah slabs having a small thickness will take the form of irregularities of a plank base. It will not be possible to lay a laminate or a parquet board on such a surface in a quality manner due to the peculiarities of the interlocks.

Oriented strand boards of large thickness do not have pronounced flexibility, so it will not be possible to press them tightly against an uneven base with fasteners. And this means that the coating will begin to creak either immediately after installation, or after some time.

There are two ways to level a wooden floor:

  • Dismantling deformed boards and replacing them with new, even ones. The option can hardly be considered cost-effective, so they resort to it infrequently.

  • Scraping the surface with the help of special equipment.

The second option is possible if the boards have risen above the main surface to a not too high height.

If the boardwalk sags, it means the board is too thin. Or the lags under it are spaced with too much step. If thin OSB boards are used to level such a floor, they will begin to sag along with the plank base. Well, along with them, the decorative coating will begin to “dance”. In such situations, if the state of the lag itself does not cause any complaints, it is necessary to use OSB 18 ÷ 22 mm thick for sheathing the surface.


However, we repeat, this is only possible if the plank flooring is mounted on strong, reliable logs. That is, they also need to be inspected by temporarily removing two or three floorboards.


If the floors were leveled with sanding, then upon completion of the work, the boards must be well cleaned and then coated with a special antiseptic impregnation.

Installation work on laying OSB on a wooden floor

OSB boards are laid on a wooden floor in different ways. Often it depends on what kind of flooring will be laid on top.


  • For example, if you plan to lay laminate, parquet board, vinyl tiles, etc., then the laying should be planned so that the joints of the parts floor covering did not coincide with the joints of the OSB boards.
  • If there is no desire to calculate the location of the flooring elements, then you can choose the option of its transverse masonry. That is, lay the OSB boards so that the joints of the finishing flooring elements are perpendicular to the joints of the base plates.
  • Or, if you like, you can choose to lay the finish coat diagonally, at an angle of 45 degrees. By the way, such a mounting scheme, for example, a laminated board, is relevant in rooms with uneven walls. This option will visually hide the flaws in the geometry of the room.
  • Before starting laying, it is necessary to check the evenness of the corners. And it is advisable to start installation work with the smoothest of them.
  • Another common problem is the divergence of opposite walls in the form of a trapezoid. In this case, it is necessary to make a preliminary marking and adjust the plates laid along the walls along it. Leaving narrow wedge-shaped strips along the walls in the hope of then filling them with scraps is absolutely the wrong approach.

Mounting tools

To perform installation work, of course, you will need some tools and auxiliary materials:


  • To cut OSB boards, you need to have a hacksaw, an electric jigsaw or (and) a hand-held circular saw on hand. A cut made with an ordinary hacksaw will not be very accurate, and it takes incomparably more time and effort. So best option- it's an electric jigsaw. Even a novice master can handle this tool. With circular saw work is somewhat more difficult, but faster, and the cut is the most even.

If there are no such tools at your disposal, you can look for the possibility of renting. Many shops practice similar services.

  • To fix the plates on a plank surface, you will need
  • You will need a tape measure, a long metal ruler, a construction square, a paint cord for beating straight lines and a black marker.
  • Fasteners - black self-tapping screws 35 mm long.

There is a lot of controversy about black self-tapping screws, which, they say, do not provide reliable fixation. It is difficult to agree with this - with a prepared, leveled stable base, prohibitive loads are not expected. And such a self-tapping screw can break off only by very very catastrophic destructive effects. But in such a situation, no other fasteners will help.

Installation of OSB boards

So, the installation process consists of several stages and is carried out in the following order:

  • The first step along the longitudinal wall of the room is to beat off a line that will immediately show how even it is.
  • The edge of the slab, which will dock with the wall, must be marked and trimmed so that it takes the direction of the wall and the shape of the corner into which it will be laid. The outer lines of the slab must remain perfectly flat, with a factory edge. Therefore, it is not recommended to touch at least two sides of the sheet.
  • When laying the slab against the wall, it is necessary to observe a deformation gap, which should be 10÷12 mm. In order for the gap to be the same, expansion wedges can be used. Another option - before starting work, an elastic damper tape is glued at the bottom along the perimeter of the walls.

  • All sheets of the first row may have to be adjusted along the line of the wall so that on the outside their edge forms one straight line. In order to make it easier to observe this border, focusing on the outer edge of the first sheet, with the help of a masking cord, a straight line is beaten off on a plank floor from wall to wall.

  • Along this line, all the plates of the first row are laid, and then fixed. Between the plates it is necessary to leave a gap of 3 ÷ 5 mm, in order to avoid the occurrence of squeaks or even deformations during the thermal expansion of the material.

  • The second row of sheets, whatever size they may be, is laid so that their joints do not coincide with the joints of the sheets of the first row. That is, a shift is made according to the type " brickwork". It often happens that the Ostyaks of the last sheet of the previous row become the beginning of the next one.
  • The last row will also have to be adjusted, but already to the opposite wall. Well, the very last sheet - and to the corner.

  • The plates are fixed to the base with self-tapping screws. They are screwed strictly vertically in increments of 350 ÷ 400 mm. And their hats should be recessed into the thickness of the plate by 2 ÷ 3 mm. In order for the plates to be fixed as firmly and reliably as possible, it is best to fasten them not only around the perimeter. As an option, draw two diagonal lines, and also screw self-tapping screws along them with the same step. This is especially important if the base is covered with large, whole sheets of OSB.

Some craftsmen use nails for fastening. But this is not recommended, since squeaks may occur during further operation of the coating.

In fact - this is all the secrets of installing OSB-plates on wooden base. As you can see, the task is not so difficult, and any owner should cope with it.

* * * * * * *

A few last words. Although oriented strand boards are considered suitable only for arranging a subfloor, some craftsmen easily turn them into a decorative coating. This process uses special technology and varnish. At the same time, the surface of the floors is no less aesthetic and durable than when laying expensive materials on it.


One more thing. You should never forget about your health, your own and your loved ones. Absolutely environmentally friendly OSB can be considered products of the E1 or E0.5 emission class with the designations "Green" or "ECO".


Such materials are made without components harmful to human health. As a rule, these are products of European manufacturers that fully comply with the technology that meets the strict environmental standards of the EU. However, the cost of such products is somewhat higher.

Some Russian manufacturers, unfortunately, do not care enough about the health of the consumer. And most often, adhesives containing formaldehyde resins are used as a binder. The cost of such materials is low.

When purchasing OSB, each owner himself must decide what is more important for him: the price of the material or the health of his family. And to make sure the selected plates are clean, you should ask the seller for a material quality certificate.

The informational content of the article will be supplemented by a video, which shows the nuances of installing OSB-plates on a wooden base.

Video: Leveling a wooden floor with OSB boards

Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a relatively new type of building material. They are often used as alternative instead of chipboard and plywood in the construction of flooring. Plates help to get rid of various irregularities. This increases the strength of the floor. He's getting warmer. Such a base can be used for mounting almost any type of decorative coating.

Material Advantages

The advantages of the material include:

  • it has a high density;
  • moisture resistant;
  • the floor slab can be used to finish an unheated room or bath;
  • the surface does not crumble;
  • environmentally friendly;
  • natural wood shavings are used in the production process;
  • easy to mount;
  • has a low price;
  • with the help of one element, you can process a large area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe floor;
  • able to withstand large deformation loads.

Classification of different types of plates

In the manufacture of the plate, pressed wood shavings are used. Waterproof resins are used for its bonding. The product consists of three layers. In the outer layers, chips are laid along the surface of the material. In the inner, it is perpendicular.

There are 4 types of products:

  • OSB 1 is used in packaging production and in the manufacture of furniture blanks;
  • using OSB 2, internal rough work is carried out;
  • OSB 3 is moisture resistant material, used for indoor and outdoor decoration;
  • OSB 4 is a high-strength material, with the help of which load-bearing structures are formed.

The flooring is laid using OSB 3 sheets. They are able to withstand the necessary load and are resistant to temperature changes. They are easy to handle and install. The material can be used as a basis for laying linoleum, laminate and ceramic tiles.

Laying material on an old wooden surface

With the help of plates, the surface to be treated is leveled. Laying OSB on a wooden floor is carried out in a certain sequence:

  1. There are uneven areas using the building level. Wobbly or raised floorboards must be pulled to the joists. For this, special dowels are used.
  2. The paint is peeling off the floor. Blisters are removed with a grinder or sandpaper.
  3. Products are laid out on the floor surface. Cross joints should be avoided.
  4. Gaps are left between adjacent panels. Their value should not exceed 3 mm.
  5. Holes are drilled in products. Their diameter must correspond to the diameter of the self-tapping screws used. The holes are located along the perimeter of the panels at a distance of 30 cm.
  6. Countersinking for self-tapping screws is performed.
  7. Panels are fixed with fasteners.

The length of the screws must not be less than 45 mm. To make the flooring more durable, the OSB board is laid in 2 layers. The seam near the wall is filled with polyurethane foam. After it dries completely, the excess is removed with a construction knife.

Creating a floor surface on a concrete base

Consider how to lay the coating on the floor with a concrete base. The composition of the plates includes natural wood chips. This structure of the material allows you to create a high thermal insulation. In addition, the panels reliably isolate the room from the penetration of various noises.

Installation of OSB on a concrete floor is carried out as follows:

  1. debris is removed from the concrete surface;
  2. if necessary, it is additionally leveled;
  3. a primer is applied to the concrete for better adhesion of the adhesive to the base;
  4. panels are laid out on the surface to be treated;
  5. an adhesive having a rubber base is applied to the inside of the plates;
  6. sheets are glued to concrete;
  7. the coating is additionally fixed with the help of driven dowels;
  8. between the panels there should be seams that compensate for deformation changes in products;
  9. at the final finish, they are filled with mounting foam;
  10. after drying, excess foam is removed with a sharp knife.

OSB sheets on wooden floor

Installing the coating on the logs

How to properly install panels? Is it possible to do without the use of a leveling screed when laying slabs on a concrete base?

The installation technology of oriented strand panels allows you to work in a similar way. In this case, wooden logs should be laid directly on the concrete surface. For fastening, special dowels or anchors are used. The installation step of the fasteners will depend on the thickness of the wood boards used.

In the space formed between the lags, the concrete floor and the top coating is placed thermal insulation material. If there is a damp basement below, vapor barrier films or membranes are additionally added to the structure.

When performing installation work, the following rules must be observed:

  • expansion joints must remain between adjacent sheets;
  • plates are laid across wooden bars;
  • self-tapping screws or special nails are used to fix wood panels;
  • the distance at which the fasteners will be located should not be less than 15 mm;
  • their length should exceed the thickness of the applied panels by 2.5 times.

Mounting sequence

Installation of panels on logs is carried out in the following order:

  1. on the foundation base or lags are attached;
  2. the fastening step depends on the thickness of the sheets used (it increases with the increase in the thickness of the material);
  3. a rough roll is installed on the surface of the log;
  4. the main coating is laid on top and fastened;
  5. its inner surface is treated with waterproofing materials;
  6. a vapor barrier layer and insulation are installed on the panel;
  7. the top layer of OSB is laid on the floor.

Features of the installation work

When performing installation work, special clothing, gloves and goggles should be used. The material itself has a fairly strong structure. But in the process of cutting and additional processing, small chips and wood dust are formed, which can damage the eyes.

Lay and cut the panels carefully, without using excessive force. Using the above instructions, you can easily lay the material yourself, without resorting to the services of professional builders.

We continue our traditional series of articles from Yuri Voedilo (professional builder-repairman). Yuri writes:

More and more people of all floor coverings are opting for laminate flooring. So I think it's worth giving him one topic. We will understand a little about the types of laminate, where it can be laid and where not. Let's talk about correct styling laminate on concrete, wooden floors, as well as on floors and OSB. And all this in a step-by-step form, having familiarized yourself with which, you can lay the laminate with your own hands.


For the production of laminate, impregnated paper is used, from inexpensive wood by pressing. Therefore, he is afraid of moisture and this is his biggest drawback. So, for such a room as a bath, it can not be categorically used! Also, do not lay laminate near front door especially if you have private sector. It is not allowed to lay a laminate on top of an electric underfloor heating, otherwise it will simply disperse at the seams. Installation of the laminate should be done only on a well-prepared flat surface, and we will start with it.

For work, we will need the following tools:

  1. Electric jigsaw or electric saw "parquet";
  2. Construction corner and tape measure;
  3. Substrate;
  4. Scotch.

Stage 1. Preparation of the subfloor: concrete, wood, OSB

You need to remember one thing, the deflection on the laminate is allowed no more than 2 mm per 1 meter. Following from this, it is necessary to level the surface as much as possible. If you are installing laminate concrete base, then it needs to be repaired, cover up the cracks cement mortar. It is advisable to make a thin screed with a self-leveling mixture. After hardening, the floor is polished with sandpaper, removing small irregularities. The old cement screed is primed, for example, with a Ceresit ST-17 primer, so that the top is weak concrete layer did not dust and did not creak under the laminate. A vapor barrier layer must also be placed on the concrete base. Its function is perfectly performed by a special diffuse membrane or ordinary polyethylene. It is not necessary to lay a vapor barrier on a wooden base. If your floor was wooden, then I would advise you to first fasten sheets of OSB or chipboard over the entire area.

Stage 2. Laying the substrate for the laminate


Laminate lay on a bare surface is strictly prohibited., it is always laid on a special substrate. Substrates are polystyrene foam, polyethylene, cork. Cork is environmentally friendly, but they absolutely do not tolerate moisture. The polyethylene foam backing is moisture resistant, but at the same time, like a sponge, it can hold spilled water in itself. Therefore, we usually use a 2-3 mm thick polystyrene foam underlay, laying it on the floor in a checkerboard pattern. Between themselves, the sheets must be glued with adhesive tape. This will provide additional protection against moisture and dust. Yes, and laying on a glued substrate is much more convenient and easier.

Stage 3. Do-it-yourself laminate laying

The laminate consists of individual strips called dies. Along the perimeter of each plate there are locks and ridges for locks. The most common locks are of two types Lock or Click. Personally, I am a supporter of the Click system, since if necessary they can be disassembled and reassembled several times, but Lock cannot be disassembled, it will most likely break down and will no longer be used. Panels with the Click lock are assembled as follows: one plate is laid on the floor and the end of another plate is inserted into its end at an angle of 45 degrees and lowered, aligning the two plates in one plane along the floor. (See photo below)

So we collect a whole strip along the entire wall. If necessary, we cut the last die to length, and we will use its remainder as the beginning of the second strip. But at the same time, it must be taken into account that pieces of dies less than 30 centimeters cannot be used!

Note: Never glue or screw the laminate to the subfloor. This is also one of the conditions so that the laminate does not swell and the locks do not disperse!

As soon as the first strip is folded, the second strip is assembled side by side in the same way. Having collected the second strip, we need to insert it into the first lock. To do this, we raise it at an angle of 45 degrees and insert it into the lock of the first strip, while gently shaking it up and down, pressing it against the first strip, lower it to the base. During work, it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the transverse seams is at least 30 centimeters.

Between the laminate and the walls around the entire perimeter of the room there should be a thermal gap of 08-1.2 cm, both along and across the laminate. This is done so that with an increase in moisture, the laminate has a lot to expand and it does not begin to warp and swell in the middle of the room. At the end of the work, this gap will be closed with a floor plinth.

Note: for convenience, in order to withstand the thermal gap, I use improvised materials. For example, pieces of unnecessary osb or lining trim. Inserting them every 50-60 centimeters.


Sometimes it happens that the longitudinal locks do not close tightly, leaving millimeter gaps. Specialists who are constantly engaged in laying laminate flooring have special finishers and ties. I can advise you to cut off a small piece of laminate and, inserting it into the lock, use it in place of the striker, then your locks will remain intact and will last a long time.

OSB is a modern building material that can replace chipboard and plywood. To put on your own OSB board on a wooden floor, you do not need to have special skills or knowledge. Installation of this material does not present any difficulties and everyone can do it.

Advantages and types of OSB

First, the surface is primed, then the plates are laid out and trimmed. Then, using a notched trowel, glue is applied and the sheets are glued, not forgetting to leave gaps. Dowels are used for additional fixation. After garbage collection, the seams along the perimeter of the room are foamed, and after drying they are cut off with a knife.

Depending on the purpose of the appointment, the thickness of the plates also differs. If it is necessary to level small defects in the floor, then 1 cm of thickness is enough. To level the surface with large bumps or pits, a thickness of at least 1.5 cm is needed. If the plans are to lay the OSB floor on the logs, the thickness should vary from 2 to 2.5 cm. In some cases, a substrate under the OSB is used.

Plates can be used for both rough and finished floors. But most often they are used for intermediate leveling of an existing rough coating. A popular way is to install a subfloor from OSB on wooden logs. In this case, the side that faces the ground must be treated with mastic so that it becomes immune to moisture. At this stage, a heater is additionally laid between the lags, which is then covered with a special protective material.

Installation of OSB on a wooden floor

Many are interested in whether it is possible to lay the plates directly on the wooden floor. It's quite real. Old floor from wooden planks it looks unattractive and cannot boast of evenness and the absence of cracks, so it will not be possible to lay more than modern material. The best way out is to lay on a plank floor to level the surface. Moreover, if there is a sharp drop in levels, it can be leveled with the help of logs and plates stuffed on them. Of the tools you will need:

  • hacksaw;
  • screws and nails;
  • roulette;
  • screwdriver;
  • a hammer.

Before installing the plates, you need to prepare a rough surface. If the wood floor is painted, old paint need to be removed. If there are irregularities, they can be removed with a planer. Cleaned surface. After that, the slabs can be laid out on the surface to determine where trimming is needed.

When laying out, it must be remembered that there must be a gap of at least 3 mm between the plates, while the width of the gap along the perimeter of the walls should not be less than 1.2 cm. These seams are necessary to compensate for possible expansion or contraction during operation. The plates are fixed with nails and self-tapping screws at a distance of 30 cm from each other. The length of the fasteners should be equal to the thickness of the sheet multiplied by 2.5. In this case, the plates will be securely fixed. Hats must be fully sunken. The gaps around the perimeter of the room are filled with mounting foam.

Knowing how to lay and how to lay OSB, you can safely get to work. It is simple, convenient, inexpensive and reliable. OSB is rightfully considered one of the most economical options for installing floors.