osb floor, paint or no paint?

[Paul Saffold]

Almost done getting the floor in my shop. OSB. Should I paint or not?
If I'm going to now is the time to do it before hauling equipment in.
Thanks for your opinion.
Any recommendations for paint if you think I should?

[Dwayne Watt]

I would seal it with polyurethane. I painted the OSB with latex on my shop walls which hardened the OSB surface considerable. However, it also swelled and bowed the OSB a bit . The OSB never recovered from the swelling. This was only 1/4" OSB so your results will vary. Regardless, sealing the OSB with good paint or poly will make the surface more durable overall.

[Paul Saffold]

Thanks Dwayne,
I don't know if it matters but it is AdvanTech osb 3/4".
The last shop with concrete floor was much easier to keep clean after I painted it.

[George Yetka]

You may want it sealed in some way.

Maybe Thompsons, They also make varnish for OSB as well.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Thanks Dwayne,
I don't know if it matters but it is AdvanTech osb 3/4".
The last shop with concrete floor was much easier to keep clean after I painted it.

Advantech is good stuff. If you are worried about swelling or something if it gets wet, consider this: After getting my shed's walls up I hurt my back. From Nov. to June. Five months of winter snow and melt cycles, then a few months of spring rains in Iowa, the advantech was literally under water for extended periods (days... weeks). No puckering or swelling at any joint or screw location

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, I'd paint it, mostly to try to keep the OSB from wearing. OSB just isn't very hard, and the smaller bits are likely to flake off in use as a floor.

You might consider linoleum. It isn't too much more expensive than paint, is easier to install, and will wear better than OSB.

[George Yetka]

Yeah, I'd paint it, mostly to try to keep the OSB from wearing. OSB just isn't very hard, and the smaller bits are likely to flake off in use as a floor.

You might consider linoleum. It isn't too much more expensive than paint, is easier to install, and will wear better than OSB.

I had typed out doing linoleum but I thought I may get laughed at. There are also vinyl tile options for less than a 70 cents a foot Peel and stick

[Bill Dufour]

Be careful not to make it too slick with paint and sawdust.
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

Since I'm not fond of the look of OSB, I'd paint it for sure. And that will also help seal it.

[Michael Burnside]

Depending on your budget you could do linoleum or, my preference and what I did, garage floor tiles. I'm with Jim in that I don't like the look of bare OSB, so at the very least I would seal it with something that had color in it for a more subdued look.

[Paul Saffold]

I'm not worried about it swelling just want it to be easier to sweep up sawdust and a lighter color will brighten the room.
The Advantech website says to use oil based primer then paint. I'll use a latex.
So I was thinking Bin original or Zinzer oil primer. But both say not for floors. I may use 1 of them anyway.

[Jim Becker]

Well...Advantech and OSB are two different things, despite being made similar. The Advantech is smoother and doesn't degrade so easily and for "our" applications it can be left uncovered...it uses a waterproof polyurethane adhesive for the resin; LP's product is similar. Regular OSB would likely fall apart since it's very ship prone. I'd still paint it, however, because it will look far better (subjective I know) and should also be easier to keep clean.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I've had LP TopNotch 350 on my shop floor for about 10+ months now and it seems to be wearing well. A few flakes of wood have come loose while vacuuming that I've seen, but they haven't left a rough surface. It's not pretty but it seems to work.