Sterling board or T&G for shed roof

[Martin]

Hi,

I'm looking for a garden shed and was intending to get one with a roof made from T&G planks as I am concerned that when the inevitable failure of the roof felt happens a roof made of processed wood will fail in the wet and I will be faced with the task of replacing the roof boards as well as the roof felt whereas with real wood planks it would just be a case of drying out any water and replacing the felt.

However the local shed place is trying to convince me that sterling board is as good as T&G planks and even makes the felt last longer because as T&G planks dry out they shift and cause the felt to wrinkle and eventually tear. He also claims that sterling board is waterproof and doesn't go soggy when wet like chipboard. He even showed me a display shed with a sterling board roof which they hadn't bothered to put felt on (but of course I don't know how long it has been there - he might have put it up yesterday).

What is the consensus here? Is sterling board a good option for a shed roof or is it just a cheap low quality option.

Thanks, Martin.

[Steve Walker]

It's good for that sort of purpose, I'd say.

[The Medway Handyman]

Sterling board or OSB is NOT waterproof. Some grades are 'moisture resistant', but not waterproof. The resin used to bond it together is waterproof, but not the finished product.

Wickes used to sell waterproof OSB - it was black & seemed to be coated with some kinda tar. They apparently stopped selling it because the black stuff contaminated everything that touched it.

[Phil L]

OSB (sterling board) is as good as T&G, it's thicker and isn't as prone to rot as T&G. Obviously you'll be felting it?

[Steve Firth]

I'd say there's an advantage to not having T&G and I'm more or less in sympathy with the shed makers statement, since felt over T&G does seem to break along the seams. I was going to whine about Sterling board as a low quality, cheap solution but my own shed has a Sterling board roof with a double felt layer, and it has stood up to the elements for sixteen years. So I can't see a problem with it.

[Pete Verdon]

I'm not sure I'd claim total impermeability, but it doesn't instantly turn to Weetabix. Unable to find some paddles when testing a mate's borrowed boat, I quickly knocked up some "temporary" ones out of 2x2 and some OSB offcut. We never got round to replacing them and so they've been dunked in seawater for hours most weekends for the past couple of months. No obvious signs of deterioration.

Pete

[RubberBiker]

I made up some temporary exterior doors from OSB - which actually ended up staying for 18 months. No additional protection, quite exposed to wind/rain/sun. A little water damage was starting at the bottom, but by no means was it falling apart.

Another alternative is exterior grade spruce ply - about the same price as OSB - or an even better grade of ply if you're ok with the cost.

[Andrew Mawson]

failure

wrinkle

waterproof

Use OSB3 which is waterproof - do not use OSB1 or OSB2

AWEM

[Mark Spice]

To reinforce this I made my kids' fortress with an OSB skin that has just had normal B&Q fence paint on it - it seems to be standing up to the weather so far... (2 years later)

Mark

(Hopefully this won't post multiple times but I had problems getting it to send at all)

[PeterC]

This must be what I got. Some boarding had been taken off the windows next door (council house) and dumped in the garden, so I 'liberated' it. Used some for a cover on a water butt, so it's nearly horizontal and, of course, doesn't dry out underneath. It's abit soft on the surface underneath but still OK after about 15 years.

[Martin Wiseman]

Hi,

Thanks everyone, that's put my mind at rest.

Martin.