osb walls

[David Rideout]

I have oriented strand board walls in a bedroom.I want to paint them but I don't want that painted wood chip look.I'd like them to be smooth or at least somewhat smooth.Can you skim coat OSB?:confused: Has anybody tried?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

David....Welcome to the Creek! Wade right in the water's fine!


I hope you don't mind but I"m going to move your thread to the General Woodworking forum where you'll get more views. The Support forum is generally used for computer support....problems related to using the rest of the forums here at the Creek.

Again.............Welcome to the Creek!

[Jim Nardi]

No matter what you do it shifts all the time. If at all possible I'd drywall it.

[Matt Meiser]

I'd drywall too. It would probably be less work than skim coating even if you don't have problems. I'm wondering about fire safety too in a bedroom?

[David Rideout]

In regards to fire safety do you think we should take the osb out or gyprock over it?It 's an old house and the bedroom was probably an add on and then I 'd say in the 1970's {?} maybe they did the osb.

[Brian Weick]

:rolleyes: Yes- in response to the removal of OSB- I know it's some work but that is a fire hazard -definitely- and while the framing is exposed you may want to insulate and put a vapor barrier in. My 2 cents.
Brian

[Von Bickley]

I would remove the osb, inspect the framing & insulation, and replace with your choice of wall covering.:) :)

[David DeCristoforo]

Maybe I'm missong something here but I don't think OSB even existed in the '70s. At any rate, whatever you have on your walls should either be replaced with drywall or at least covered with drywall. Just what everyone else has suggested...so this is one more "vote"...

[Matt Meiser]

While there would be an advantage in removing the OSB to insulate underneath, I'm wondering if it is absolutely necessary? My thinking is that SIPs are 2 sheets of OSB with insulation between. They just drywall right over the SIPs. Would this be different?

[glenn bradley]

In regards to fire safety do you think we should take the osb out or gyprock over it?It 's an old house and the bedroom was probably an add on and then I 'd say in the 1970's {?} maybe they did the osb.

What Brian said although I don't envy you the job. On the upside; fire safety for sure.

[Jim Thiel]

I don't see an advantage of removing it unless you know there is no insulation behind it. (exterior wall(s)). I don't believe there is a code violation here to just skin the room without removing the osb.

Jim

[Jamie Buxton]

... in response to the removal of OSB- I know it's some work but that is a fire hazard ...
Brian

Hunh? In my neck of the woods (earthquake country), it is not uncommon to make interior walls as shear walls. They're built as standard stud walls, but covered on one side with OSB before the sheet rock goes on.

[Tom Klass]

no reason to remove the osb unless you need to insulate better. some of the new prefab homes are osb both sides with ridgid foam insul between, then at a later time the home owner will drywall. with the osb already there you could get away with using 3/8 drywall instead of 1/2 inch a little cost savings. osb was around in the 70's I worked in a lumber yard in my youth and as we called them the weekend wood butchers would get confused between flake board and the osb when they would order materials.
jut my buck and a half in the mix
tom k