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we begin the sheathing let's talk about types of sheathing. The most common
sheathing would be 3/4" tongue and grooved OSB (oriented strand board).
Another type of sheathing is 3/4" tongue and grooved plywood. The
common thread here is tongue and grooved which provides stability at the
ends of the sheathing material between the joists.
Either type of sheathing is adequate
for the floor - the driving factor is typically cost of the material.
This is why OSB is typically chosen for most residential projects.
Another issue involved with floor
sheathing is how the floor is attached. Several methods of fasteners are
nails, staples, or screws. I personally like screws for their ability
to resist pullout. Staples and nails provide this resistance with glue
that is typically placed on the surface of the nail by the manufacturers.
No matter what the type of fastener
chosen the sheathing should be glued down. I typically choose PL-400 or
Liquid Nails. Floor adhesive along with using screws will stop most, if
not all, floor squeaks down the road.
Now on to the actual sheathing
of the floor. We begin at a corner that we can place a full sheet of OSB
where the 8' length of the sheathing will run perpendicular to the joists.
The first piece will allow for
a double check on how square the framing was installed. If you've done
the layout correctly when placing the sill plates you shouldn't have any
problems.
With the tongue and grooved OSB
there will be several times where you can't get it tight enough. If this
happens I will use a sacrificial rip of OSB with a 2x4 and a hammer to
beat it into place. Don't confuse a hard to install piece of OSB with
the 1/8" expansion gap that will be present on most tongue and grooved
products.
A major point to remember when
installing consecutive rows of sheathing is that you will want succesive
rows to split between the previous rows. So starting the first row with
a full sheet the second row will be a half sheet and alternate each row
as you continue.
When you get to an edge (or end
of a row) I typically let it overhang a little bit (up to 4') and then
come back later and snap a line to cut it off. You don't have do this
but I find that it saves time and allows one individual something to do
during a slow time in installation.
Wrapping up the installation of
the floor sheathing is as easy as making sure all the screws were installed
correctly, ends were trimmed, and all openings were cut out.
If there are any questions please contact the webmaster
or ask the question at the Home
Construction Forum. The next series of articles will deal with wall
framing.
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