Use in Walls The recommended minimum thickness of OSB panels for timber-frame walls is 12mm when the cells in the supporting frame measure up to 62.5cm on a side, and 15mm for frame members spaced up to 83.3cm apart.
Wood frame exterior walls must be fully sheathed, including areas above or below wall openings, with minimum 7/16-in. wood structural panels.
If you are on the fence about materials to finish your garage, 5/8'' OSB has my vote. When trimmed and painted, OSB just looks like a straw-textured wall; however, you have the structural strength required for the harsh environment of a garage, and the ability to mount things on your walls anywhere!
If the garage will be used to store heavier items or if the walls need to bear a significant amount of weight, then 3/4-inch plywood should be chosen. This thicker plywood garage walls provides greater strength and durability, ensuring that shelves, cabinets, and other heavy installations remain secure.
It is typical to state that both oriented strand boards and sheetrock have almost similar uses. However, OSB has a much broader range of applications. From making furniture, doing subfloors, doing both internal and exterior wall sheath, OSB is the best option for these applications.
Use in Walls
The recommended minimum thickness of OSB panels for timber-frame walls is 12mm when the cells in the supporting frame measure up to 62.5cm on a side, and 15mm for frame members spaced up to 83.3cm apart.
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound that can cause respiratory problems and other health issues, so using OSB instead of materials with higher levels of formaldehyde can contribute to a safer indoor environment.
Over the years many homeowners have opted to line their garage walls and ceilings with oriented strand board, or OSB, as it's more popularly known. OSB is a strong, versatile, and inexpensive wood product that gets the job done.
Generally, insulation with an R-value between R-13 and R-21 is recommended. Adding insulation to exterior walls (including garage walls attached to living spaces) can help increase R-value and create a more powerful thermal boundary for your home. If you're insulating your garage ceiling, you'll need a higher R-value.
Drywall is a common material for garage walls due to its low cost and minimal effort required to install it. Plywood is another low-priced choice that is both sturdy and long-lasting. Metal panels are long-lasting and simple to maintain, making them a great choice for garages.
Structural sheathing shall be installed in accordance with Figure R603. 9 and this section on all sheathable exterior wall surfaces, including areas above and below openings. Structural sheathing panels shall consist of minimum 7/16-inch-thick (11 mm) oriented strand board or 15/32-inch-thick (12 mm) plywood.
Plywood, MDF, or OSB is the best material for building garage walls because it is both inexpensive and easy to work with.
OSB also has stamping that reads “This Side Down”. This directs the worker on the correct orientation of the board when installing. The side with the stamp is the smoother side. When installed smooth side down, the rough surface will then face up and give the worker traction for safety.
Strength. OSB and plywood are very similar in terms of strength, but plywood is stiffer than OSB by a factor of approximately 10%.
For the curious – 7/16” OSB has a span rating of 24/16 and with supports every 24 inches is good for a roof live load of 40 psf (pounds per square foot) with a 10 psf dead load.
The standard nailing pattern for sheathing depends on the type of sheathing material and the local building codes. However, a common nailing pattern for wood structural panels (plywood or OSB) is to place nails every 6 inches along panel edges and every 12 inches along intermediate supports (studs, joists, rafters).
The primary function of a vapor barrier is moisture control. In the garage, like other spaces in the home, condensation results from moisture in the air. Excess condensation and humidity levels in your garage can damage your garage's foundation and cause tools, vehicles, and cabinets to rust faster.
To achieve optimal U-value, garage wall insulation is generally recommended to be 50mm to 100mm thick.
In most cases, the best insulation for a detached garage is fiberglass batts or rolls. Classic fiberglass rolls/batts are probably still the most common form of detached garage insulation, and there's a reason why. They hit that sweet spot of being both easy to install and cost-effective.
These days in residential construction, 3 major types of sheathing materials are used: Oriented Strand Board (OSB), Plywood, and engineered/manufactured products.
Two other garage wall covering alternatives to drywall are fiberglass reinforced panels (FRP) and wallboard panels. Keep in mind that these products are used only for covering and finishing walls and aren't designed to accommodate hanging storage systems.
Ideally we'd have no vapor barrier in summer; but short of that we should at least have one that allows as much drying to the interior as possible without sacrificing its winter performance. So the closer your vapour barrier is to 60NG, the better.
“The major disadvantage of OSB is that if it gets exposed to significant amounts of water or moisture, the edges expand by up to 15% ... especially if they are cut edges. This swell will then telegraph onto the shingles or some flooring," according to PATH.
OSB2 is great for structural, non-load bearing projects in dry conditions whereas OSB3 performs better for structural, load bearing use and for use in humid conditions.