OSB as exterior sheeting?

[wickedinhere]

I am building a 12x12 shed and i was wondering if i could use osb(7/16) for the
exterior walls and just prime and paint them? I have some pieces of osb that have been in the weather and laying on the ground soaking up water when it rains and there doent seem to be any damage after a year. So i thought i could use it on my shed its pretty cheap at 5.70 for a 4x8 sheet. I just wanted to see if anyone has used it before and just painted it.

 

[EddieWalker]

I like OSB for siding. You just have to make sure to seal the edges. In time, they will start to soak up water and will start expanding and flaking off. It will give you an texture that you will either hate or life with. I live with it and like the character of it better than plywood or T11, but I know there are allot of people here who hate it.

Caulk those edges real good, prime it, paint it, and you won't have any problems with it as long as it remains painted.

Eddie

 

[bamatoolmaker]

I have not tried it exterior.The previous poster pretty much gave as much advice as anyone else could. sealing being the most important especially with the humidity.I was going add, I have used on interior walls using a clear sealer and sprayed with clear urethane it looked pretty good.

 

[wickedinhere]

Thanks i am goin to give it a try. I will post pics soon.

 

[Bedlam]

I have used it, and was real cheap for paint, and used driveway sealer . It last for a few years, and fades. but seems to seal it well.If you don't like the appearance, or have some extra dollars in the future, you could shingle right over it.Good luck with the project.
Al

 

[johnk]

Why not just use t11 siding? Looks much nicer. It's not that big a bldg so the cost difference would be marginal if you use a thinner T11. Price it out then you won't wish you spent a few extra bucks after you did it the cheaper way with OSB. Just a suggestion.

 

[Alan L.]

OSB is good stuff, but ugly as siding. If you do use it as siding, you could put some 1 x 2 vertical bats on it about ever 16" or so (including seams) and make it look better. It is cheap and pretty strong.

 

[Bedlam]

well here T-11 costs about 21 dollars for 5/8.
OSB is 5.65 a sheet.

 

[flusher]

I am building a 12x12 shed and i was wondering if i could use osb(7/16) for the
exterior walls and just prime and paint them? I have some pieces of osb that have been in the weather and laying on the ground soaking up water when it rains and there doent seem to be any damage after a year. So i thought i could use it on my shed its pretty cheap at 5.70 for a 4x8 sheet. I just wanted to see if anyone has used it before and just painted it.

OSB doesn't look pretty when painted. But if you're intent on going this way, I would prime it with Kilz 2 latex primer and then finish with some type of exterior grade latex paint. Use DAP latex caulk on the edges to seal the OSB before priming.

 

[wickedinhere]

I priced t111 and its a good bit more than osb.The shed is in my back yard behind a fence so looks wont matter that much. I think it will look ok when painted.