FLOORING ORIENTED STRAND BOARD (OSB) T&G UNTREATED 3600 x 900 x 18mm

FLOORING SIMBOARD OS T&G UNTREATED 3600 x 900

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The unsanded version SimBoard® T + G has a water and moisture-repellent ContiFinish® surface for use in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms. SimBoard®

T + G excels in a vast range of applications with its stiffening properties and very high flexural strength. Despite its relatively low weight, SimBoard® achieves

bend strengths similar to those of plywood.

Thanks to its good technical properties and closed surface, SimBoard® T + G is excellently suited for renovating and refurbishing existing buildings and for

constructing new, eco-friendly houses. The precisely fitting tongue-and-groove system permits fast, easy installation directly on bearers and joists or on top of

insulation for reducing footfall sound. Another advantage is how much faster SimBoard® is to lay than solid-timber flooring.

SimBoard® is an engineered wood material that lends itself to a vast range of applications. It is most often used in timber construction and interior finishing.

SimBoard® is a very good and cost-effective solution for construction projects.

LAYING INSTRUCTIONS:

When using boards outdoors, cover them immediately after installation to protect them from the weather.

Leave expansion gaps where boards adjoin other structures.

Surfaces longer or wider than 10 metres should have at least one expansion joint in the middle.

When installing on beams or rafters, place the boards with their short sides down.

Boards with straight edges should be laid on joists with a surrounding expansion gap of at least 3mm.

When installing boards with tongue-and-groove joints, leave an expansion gap at walls. With floating floors, the expansion gap should

be 12mm wide.

Place boards with their long sides perpendicular to the joists.

Joints must always be on joists.

Long board edges that don’t rest on a joist must be connected by tongue and groove joints or provided with an appropriate support or connecting element.

For ground-floor hardwood flooring that rests directly on the ground or foundation, seal the underside of the floor construction against wind and moisture.

Use wood screws, staples or nails to attach SimBoard® boards to the floor. Observe the applicable standards and regulations.

Before laying the board on the joists lay a 5mm adhesive bed on the joist.

Use wood or PU glue.

SimBoard® is often used to make large floors. The product can remain visible or be covered by another material. Regardless of which part of the floor the boards

are used for it is essential to leave expansion gaps and joints otherwise moistureinduced deformation can cause buckling. Therefore always leave an expansion

gap of at least 10mm at all walls, projecting elements and those that rise out of the floor (pipes, conduits, thresholds, columns, room dividers etc.).

In rooms more than 10 metres wide or long, provide an additional 15mm wide expansion joint in the middle. In rooms more than 20 metres long, provide

two expansion joints. Cover expansion gaps at walls with skirting mould.

Cover joints in the middle with special expansion units.

When attaching strips or covers, do not screw them to the OSB boards, as this would defeat the purpose of a floating floor.

The 18mm and 22mm SimBoard® may be used as sub-floor on floor joists spaced at a maximum 600mm centre to centre, provided the imposed load is maximum

3,0 kN/m2 uniformly distributed load and 2,0 kN concentrated load.

The boards should be installed with the long side perpendicular to the floor joists and the tongue and groove joints glued with an adhesive designed for sub-floor

installation. End joints should be staggered and always be continuously supported by joists. SimBoard® may be applied in platform constructions where the

boards are exposed to direct precipitation for a limited period.

TYPE OF FIXING:

The kind of nail or screw that should be used to attach OSB boards depends on several factors. The most important factors are the material of the rafters and the

thickness of the OSB boards.

The following table provides information on different beam/joist materials (hardwood, softwood, steel), the corresponding attachment methods (manual or

powered) and types, SimBoard® thicknesses and minimum fastener dimensions.

SimBoard® Floor Coating

Because of their decorative surfaces, OSB boards are often used exposed, for example as ready-made flooring, for furniture or shelves,

or as ceiling or wall panelling.

In these cases, it is a good idea to protect the boards against soiling and wearing and/or to stain or paint them as appropriate.

The approach taken differs depending on whether sanded OSB or unsanded OSB with ContiFinish® surface is used.

For directly coating unsanded boards, only solvent-containing PU (DD) or synthetic resin

paints should be used. For other coating systems, it is advisable to use sanded boards instead.

Any type of coating suitable for solid wood can be applied to sanded surfaces.

This includes paints, varnishes, oils, waxes and glazes. Like with solid wood, the wood fibres stand up after applying the first coat,

which initially causes the surface to become rough.

Dealing with ‘Nests’ and Blue Stain

OSB boards are characterised by so-called ‘nests’. These are small flaws caused by overlapping strands that cannot be removed by sanding. The

only way to obtain an absolutely smooth surface is by applying and trowelling a filler, which can be a mixture of clay and sanding dust from the

board or a special product for this purpose.

OSB is a natural product. The colour of the boards can therefore vary depending on the time of year and the source of the wood.

As a result of bad weather or inappropriate storage, pine wood can very quickly become discoloured by blue stain. However, this does not affect its

Distributed by technical properties. For large surfaces, it is advisable to mix up the boards to create an irregular pattern.

Transport and Handling

Protect the corners and edges before lifting, moving or stacking especially with T + G boards.

Take steps to prevent the boards, and especially the unprotected edges, from absorbing large amounts of moisture during transport and

installation. Be careful not to damage the edges when lifting, moving and stacking boards (this applies especially to tongue-and groove boards)

Check against the labels or producer’s documentation on-site to make sure that the following are correct: thickness, approved utilisation class,

surface (sanded or unsanded) and edge type (square-edge or tongue-and-groove).

During installation, boards may be briefly leaned against a solid structure at a 70° angle.

Always carry individual boards in an upright (vertical) position.

Acclimatisation

Precondition boards prior to installation.

Store boards for about three days under the same climatic conditions as at the installation site.

This adjustment to the ambient moisture at the installation site will prevent excessive shrinkage or swelling.

Machining

OSB can be sanded, sawn, milled and drilled just like solid wood and using all of the same tools.

Exposure Statement

SimBoard® may be exposed to the weather for up to three months.

However, it is always advisable to enclose the building as soon as possible after laying the floor.

Ponded water should be swept off. Please note that a high moisture content and swelling will cause a reduction of the characteristic values.

Do not install floor coverings on a moist board.

Minor swelling that may result from weathering can be removed by a sanding following the enclosure of the building. Before sanding the

board, should dry back to moisture content of at least 18%. The depth of material removed shall not exceed more than 1 mm over the whole

board and max. 2mm within 80mm to the edges.