
This house is typical of those sheathed in OSB. The layers are applied until the desired thickness is met, a minimum of 5/16 inch for studs on 16-inch centers or 3/8 inch for 24-inch centers. This manufacturing method creates a very durable panel, as the wood strands are applied in multiple layers, with each layer “crisscrossing” as they are laid perpendicularly. The optimal sheathing choice for most home builders and homeowners alike – mostly because they feel it offers the best combination of durability and cost – oriented-strand board (OSB) panels consist of hundreds of thin wood strands that are hot pressed onto sheets with a resin and wax adhesive. Here are some of those exterior wall sheathing options and how they affect your house as a whole. It's something that not many homeowners account for – mostly because they don't know the options that are available. The top 5 exterior sheathing materials includeīecause of its correlation to structural integrity, it is important to take wall sheathing materials and methods into consideration when planning a new home build or remodel. Depending on the materials used, wall sheathing also provides varying levels of thermal properties and is important for HVAC air retention. When used in home construction, exterior wall sheathing is very multi-functional.įor example, wall sheathing performs the obvious job of providing a surface to fasten siding materials to, but it also works to hold numerous studs together to give the home structural integrity, known as wall bracing.

It's as close as your local lumberyard or home improvement store.Exterior sheathing is used to help strengthen the walls of a new home. Luckily, traditional beadboard wainscoting is readily available and inexpensive. Sometimes the effect is achieved simply by separating sections of the wall with a chair rail molding and using a different paint color on the bottom section. Wainscotting is often made from wood beadboard painted white, but it can be made from many different materials, such as stained and finished hardwood paneling or a section of complementary wallpaper. It is also possible, though, to make very high wainscoting, a common treatment in dining rooms or dens. The top of the wainscot is often bounded by a chair rail molding. Traditionally, a wainscot rises to a level about one-third of the total height of the wall-about 32 inches on an 8-foot (96-inch) wall. Wainscotting is any wall covering that extends only part way up the wall. With a little creativity and a good design concept, you can cover walls with just about any material you can think of. So, for some of these coverings, consider installing them on a single accent wall rather than all four walls. But a word of advice: the more unusual and complex the wall covering, the more restraint you need when using them. Some are so highly textured and detailed that covering your entire house with them (or even an entire room) will produce visual overload. And that's a fine choice as well because wallpaper is a great way to introduce pattern and texture into wall surfaces.īut what if you're interested in wall covering ideas besides the obvious? Read further for some inventive ways to cover a wall.

And if not paint, then wallpaper is the covering of choice in most other walls. And there's nothing wrong with that since you can't go wrong with a nice coat of good-quality interior paint. Most walls in the home get the usual covering treatment: interior paint in a flat, eggshell, or semi-gloss sheen. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.
