OSB and Plywood Buckling Roof

OSB and Plywood buckling roofs can be solved very easily.

Have you ever seen a roof that has had areas that were lifting up? It looks like a big air bubble that is stretching the roof sheathing, felt and shingles. The spacing of roof sheathing is very important for installers to do, as this will avoid the potential for buckling. Buckling can occur when excessive moisture is in the attic due to condensation. It can cause the OSB or Plywood to swell with the result being a buckle upwards or downwards of the sheathing. Installing these sheathing panel tight without spacing can cause problems later. Some manufacturers recommend a 1/8th inch space between all panel edges to allow for expansion. One simple way to do this is by adding a spacer between the panels as the panels are installed. My crews would use a nail as a spacer set in the rafters, a nail on two of the upper rafters and two nails near the upper and lower side of the panel whichever direction you are working.

APA recommends using a 10 penny box nail as a spacer. The American Plywood Association APA primary functions are to provide product certification and testing, applied research, and market support and development of wood products like OSB { oriented strand board } and plywood, just to mention a few. They say by “using a #10 penny box nail as a spacer is a way to gap the 1/8 inch needed for panel expansion.” Please take a minute to watch this great video where Mr. Clark of APA explains this very well.   Click on the APA logo for video.

Of course, this is all-important to do before the roof is installed. So what do you do to repair this without removing the roof?

Since the expansion is a result of moisture getting to the wood, then that attic must not be ventilated properly. The recommended amount of ventilation without a vapor barrier is 1 sq foot for 150 sq feet of attic space. This also must be a balanced system. The goal is 50% intake and 50% exhaust. There are many ways to ventilate an attic. Seek a licensed roofing contractor to provide this service and design a balanced ventilation system for your attic to avoid future buckling of OSB.

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