Wood sheathing, such as plywood and oriented strand board, are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
Sheets of sheathing cover the exterior of standard, stick-frame structures to strengthen and brace the structure's framing and to provide a substrate for the installation of weatherization coatings and siding materials. Manufacturers produce sheathing from a variety of materials, including lumber, mineral materials and resins. An overview of the costs and capabilities of common sheathing materials helps you choose the right sheathing for your project.
Wood Sheathing Products
Two of the most common wood sheathing products are plywood and oriented strand board (OSB). Plywood consists of several overlapping layers of wood bound with glue. Each layer consists of a single sheet, or ply, of wood. Often called "chip board," OSB consists of several layers of wood chips bound with glue. Depending on local codes and the specifics of a building project, both plywood and OSB are suitable for exterior sheathing. Notably, not all plywood and OSB contains exterior-grade glue and, if a project requires the sheathing to provide structural bracing, the sheathing must have a structural rating. While OSB is typically inexpensive, plywood is relatively costly.
Gypsum Sheathing Products
Gypsum has outstanding resistance to fire and provides a stable underlay for finish siding materials. Also the main ingredient in drywall, gypsum is quarried mineral. Manufacturers process the mineral and press it into sheets similar in size to plywood. Many gypsum sheathing panels are coated or covered with waterproofing and insulation material. However, compared to wood sheathing, gypsum sheathing is relatively weak under stress and rarely suitable for bracing framing against heavy structural loads. Gypsum sheathing is moderately priced, yet typically costs more than OSB sheathing.
Cement Sheathing Products
The most common types of cement sheathing products are cement boards and fiber cement boards. Cement board sheathings consist of a cement mixture bound between fiberglass mesh, and fiber cement boards consist of a dense mixture of cement and natural fibers. Both types of cement sheathing exhibit good resistance to moisture and moderate bracing capabilities. However, fiber cement products are relatively costly and difficult to install.
Fiberboard Sheathing Products
Fiberboard consists of natural fibers bound by heat, pressure and filler materials with adhesive properties. Also called felt board or soundboard, fiberboard exhibits tremendous sound insulation properties, and the surface of many types of fiberboard feel smooth or soft to the touch. Vapors easily pass through fiberboard; a characteristic called permeability. Fiberboard's high permeability allows trapped moisture to easily exit wall cavities. Fiberboard is relatively inexpensive, extremely lightweight and fairly easy to install. Fiberboard is generally unsuitable for structural bracing.
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