Roof, wall & floor sheathing alternatives:

This article describes the common types of roof, wall & floor sheathing materials used in residential & light commercial buildings.

These include roof plywood, OSB, gypsum board and steel sheathing, wall sheathing using those materials and also foam insulating board products, and floor sheathing including those materials and also concrete slabs.

The article also refers to engineered wood panels used for building roof, wall or floor sheathing.

Index to Roof, Wall & Floor Sheathing Products

Roof Sheathing Products

Roof sheathing forms the base to which roof coverings are fastened and it also forms a component of the building's supporting structure.

Common roof sheathing materials include plywood roof sheathing, oriented strand board or OSB sheathing, steel sheathing/roofing combinations, and though not currently in widespread use, roofs have also been sheathed with gypsum board, fiberboard products.

It is noteworthy and perhaps counterintuitive that the volume of building sheathing used for floors and roofs in North America is roughly twice that used for wall sheathing, perhaps [OPINION] because roof leaks take a more severe toll on roof sheathing than leaks into wall structures.

Included are

• FIBERBOARD ROOF SHEATHING
  
  See SHEATHING, FIBERBOARD for details
• GYPSUM BOARD ROOF SHEATHING - shown at left in use as wall sheathing we have also found this product used in roof structures built before ca 1975.
  
  See SHEATHING, GYPSUM BOARD for details
• OSB - oriented strand board sheathing
  
  See OSB - ORIENTED STRAND BOARD SHEATHING for details
• PLYWOOD ROOF SHEATHING, typically 1/2" or equivalent (15/32") sheets
  
  See PLYWOOD Roof, Wall, Floor Decks & Sheathing for details
  
  Also see FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD.


• SKIPPED or SPACED ROOF SHEATHING boards, typically used with wood shingles, wood shakes or slate roofs

• STEEL WALL, ROOF, FLOOR SHEATHING
  
  Also see METAL ROOF EXPOSED FASTENER SYSTEM

• ZIP SYSTEM® OSB SHEATHING MANUAL [PDF] Huber Engineered Woods 10925 David Taylor Drive Suite 300 Charlotte, NC 28262 1.800.933.9220
  
  This sheathing combines OSB with a protective overlay that eliminates need for a separate housewrap. A companion product, a sealing tape, is applied to sheathing joints. Retrieved 2019/09/11 original source: https://zipsystemrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/ZIP-System-Installation-Manual-HUB-81670-REV-8_18.pdf
  
  Excerpt: ZIP System® roof and wall sheathing panels are oriented strand board (OSB), wood structural panels with built-in protective overlays that eliminate the need for building wrap or roofing felt. Install the panels, tape the seams with ZIP System™ tape, and the building is rough dried-in.
  
  When used on a wall, ZIP System® sheathing functions as a combination wall sheathing and code-recognized water-resistive and air barrier. The sheathing panel seams are sealed with ZIP System™ tape, protecting the wall from water intrusion.
  
  When ZIP System® sheathing is utilized for roof applications, felt underlayment is not required. In wall and roof coverings system requiring multiple layers of water-resistive barriers or underlayment, ZIP System® sheathing and tape is intended to replace only the first layer.
  

Wall Sheathing Products

• CANEBOARD PANELS - soft cellulose fiber panel boards also referred to as cane-board, Caneite, softboard, greyboard, pinboard
• FIBER CEMENT BOARD SHEATHING PANELS & ASBESTOS CEMENT SHEATHING PANELS
  
  See ASBESTOS CEMENT SIDING
  and
  
  See FIBER CEMENT SIDING
• FOAM BOARD WALL SHEATHING -
  
  See FOAM BOARD INSULATION TYPES
  
  A still wider variety of building sheathing, if we include wall sheathing, includes foil-faced or paper-faced insulating board thin sheathing (0.078 to 0.137 inch) products that can be applied in large sheets (up to 80 inches by 16 feet) and that include enough structural rigidity that permits the builder to eschew corner bracing on walls.

Foam insulating sheathings come in a variety of foam formulations including extruded polystyrene, expanded polystyrene, and polyisocyanurate. Each foam has its particular R-value associated with the material formulation and thickness of the panel.

Regardless of foam type, however, foam sheathing is the most insulative of all the sheathing options. Foam sheathing does require corner bracing, as it is not structural in nature. ... Foam sheathing does require corner bracing, as it is
not structural in nature.

While many options exist for sheathing products, these products have a number of issues related to their adoption.

These issues are related to their application, their structural limitations, and material characteristics, which impact thermal and moisture performance. When considering alternatives to traditionally used sheathing products, specifiers should factor in building design and local climate conditions. .

.. other than the imported wood panels or wood boards, these sheathing options do not act as a nail base. This complicates cladding attachment as additional nailers or care to attach to studs is required. - source: http://www.toolbase.org/Design-Construction-Guides/Interior-Partitions-Ceilings/plywood-alternatives

• ENGINEERED PANEL SHEATHING: engineered wall sheathing or floor sheathing such as provided by AdvanTech® are used with spray-in closed or open cell foams. These panels may be adhered to light metal framing or as subflooring over a concrete slab. (Special slab preparation is required). - retrieved Jan 2015 original source: http://www.huberwood.com/technical-library/1/16?alias=advantech-installation-tips. Contact: AdvanTech at 800.933.9220 Website: advantechperforms.com. The company produces both floor and wall sheathing panels that they state outperform both plywood and "commodity OSB" sheathing.
  
  See ENGINEERED WOOD Products
• FIBERBOARD WALL SHEATHING
  
  See SHEATHING, FIBERBOARD for details
• Also see SIDING HARDBOARD IDENTIFICATION & CLAIMS

Floor Sheathing Products (in addition to the above)

For floor sheathing one adds to the products listed above concrete slab on grade construction.

InspectAPedia is an independent publisher of building, environmental, and forensic inspection, diagnosis, and repair information provided free to the public - we have no business nor financial connection with any manufacturer or service provider discussed at our website.

• Also see CONCRETE SLAB CRACK EVALUATION

...

Continue reading at DEFINITIONS of ENGINEERED WOOD OSB LVL etc or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Building Sheathing Articles

• SHEATHING, EXTERIOR PRODUCT INDEX
  • FIBERBOARD SHEATHING
  • FIRE RETARDANT TREATED FRT ROOF PLYWOOD
  • GYPSUM BOARD is not FIBERBOARD
  • SIDING HARDBOARD IDENTIFICATION & CLAIMS
  • SHEATHING, FOIL FACED - VENTS
  • SHEATHING, GYPSUM BOARD
  • SHEATHING, OSB
  • SHEATHING, PLYWOOD
  • STRESS SKIN / STRUCTURAL INSULATED PANELS (SIPs)
  • STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION
  • WOOD FIBRE INSULATING PANELS - large coarse fibres

Suggested citation for this web page

SHEATHING, EXTERIOR PRODUCT INDEX at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING STRUCTURES

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Citations & References

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