Advantech vs other brands of 23/32" OSB T&G subfloor?

[Zachary Hoyt]

In a couple of weeks or so I plan on buying 16 sheets of 2" XPS foam and 16 sheets of subfloor to go on top of it in my new workshop building. There are 1" rough cut boards on the floor now, and the subfloor will probably be the final floor at least for a while, unless I find a good deal on something to go over it. Right now Advantech is $81.30 (down from $91 a few weeks ago, but still high) and off-brand sheet goods that have the same characteristics are available at Lowes and Home Depot for $44.78. This would come to $716.48, or $1300.80 for Advantech. I'd rather save the $600, all other things being sort of equal-ish, but if there is a big difference in strength, longevity or surface durability I would be willing to pay more. I'll be grateful for any advice. I've never used either product before, but have been told Advantech is the best thing for this job. So far my subfloors have all been either boards or 3/4" plywood.

[Jim Becker]

Keep in mind that Advantech and LP's equivalent are engineered to be extremely water resistant and more consistent than other typical OSB type underlayments/subfloors, using things like polyurethane glues to achieve those goals. They cost more as a result. (Both are also available in thicker versions for more weight support, too) I've used a little Advantech on a project awhile back and I really liked it. It's heavy for sure, but really cut cleanly and was amazingly flat.

[Brian Gouldman]

Having practiced a version of this same subfloor assembly on my shop a couple months ago, I opted for Advantech even with the higher price. It just feels insanely sturdy once you see and feel it in person. I went overkill and actually did 2 floating layers, top layer screwed to bottom layer, and then nailed down prefinished 4” red oak that I got of fb marketplace for <$1/sqft. Even with a traditional shed framed foundation the floor has almost no detectable deflection when I walk or even jump on it.

[Jim Becker]

That's definitely a "wood shop" Brian!!!

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When laying the Advantech or similar from LP, pay attention to the installation instructions for spacing, etc. There are also new foam adhesives that are a lot easier to use and more economical than the tube-in-a-caulk-gun version.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Like Jim said, Advantech is for weather resistance during construction. The cheap stuff will swell on the edges if it gets rained on, which is usually will, and Advantech will not. In your use there isn't much advantage to advantech. BTW, LP's TopNotch 350 TG is just as good as Advatech in my opinion. LP finding ways to duplicate Hubers patents is a really good thing for the building industry as Huber just couldn't keep up with demand.

[Dave Sabo]

Agreed. If your shop is already “dried in” , much of the advantage of these type products is wasted.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you all, that gives me more to think about. The shop is fully dried in, and if I bought the cheaper material (especially if it comes down more) that would leave me with some money I could put into buying some kind of flooring in the future to go over the subfloor. The price difference now is a little over $1 per square foot.

[Tom Bain]

This is the advantage of Advantech … when you know the floor is going to get rained on, probably many times before the roof goes on.

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[Sal Cangialosi]

We just installed Advantech in my new shop. I was impressed by both the flatness and the solid feel of the subfloor. Only one data point and I assume other materials will provide as good a result; but I was impressed.