Exposed but painted OSB on rear storage shed

Did an inspection today and the owner had a detached storage/tool shed. Wood siding on front and left side that were visible. …The rear and right side of the shed had exposed OSB that had been painted. I am going to recommend installing siding on both these sides…
Is there a chance that painted OSB that is exposed is acceptable? photos
Greg

You can recommend anything you want. Exposed osb will become vertical mulch (right Carl?)eventually if not protected.

Here’s a piece of anecdotal evindence on the durability of OSB.

I was the Inspector of Record on a commercial rebuild in Long Beach for a year and a half… In front of our job trailer there was a couple of pieces of OSB that laid there in the dirt for over a year, through rain and sunshine. Forklifts, ten-wheelers, and concrete trucks rolled over these two pieces material and in the end they stayed intact and did not delaminate one bit, they only warped because the ground was uneven.

Now do you think a piece of OSB would fail if hung vertically on a structure unpainted?

In the interest of storage, I think it really depends on what’s going to be stored inside the shed, you’re going to want walls that are more resistant to the elements if you want to keep perishables inside. And on OSBs, the durability would probably be dependent on who it’s bought from too yeah? So I think at the very least, siding (for insulation) and painting would be a good requirement for the storage unit.

OSB is worthless as exposed siding.

Its a frigging shed.!

Don’t be an alarmist… Just say what you know and be done with it.
If not! Its a lie.

I agree :smiley:

Some “osb” is rated for exposure. The small shed I have is “t1-111” style made of a type of osb, chipboard…whatever. Just chips and glue. Painted…seems to be holding up very well. And yes…it’s just a shed. You can’t expect to do something like that and it last forever.

:):):slight_smile:
Thank God it wasn’t the outhouse.:wink: