When the moisture causes the plywood to expand and then contract when it dries, it can bend out of shape. Moisture causes the individual thin layers of the plywood to swell and push each other apart, while also weakening the glue’s adherence between the thin sheets.
When plywood gets wet and is not dried out fast enough it will absorb the moisture and will start to swell up similarly to particleboard, however not nearly as bad. In addition to this, because plywood is often glued together from multiple layers, the moisture can cause the different layers to fall apart.
While we were researching we ran into the query “Can plywood get wet?”.
Plywood can get wet, and short, isolated periods of moisture should not cause any long-term damage. Standard plywood is not waterproof, though, and the use of marine plywood or a waterproofing sealant is recommended to prevent rot in especially wet conditions, for example, from outdoor use.
Can plywood get wet during construction?
In nearly all houses that get built, plywood is one product that is used extensively as either wall bracing or flooring in double-story dwellings. More often than not, this plywood will get rained on before the roof is on which begs the question, can plywood get wet during construction?
The type of plywood you have can also affect the rate at which the water will absorb. A tightly pressed A-grade plywood will be better than a cheap sheet of OSB. Some plywoods also have hardwood layers which have denser cells and can take longer to absorb water.
OSB that does get wet will tend to swell and delaminate first at the edges of the boards. Can sheathing get wet? It is made of plywood, which can withstand a small amount of water before beginning to disintegrate. The sheathing may need time to dry out, but it will eventually be fine.
You should not conduct roof installation over wet plywood or any other type of roof sheathing. Trapped water under the roof will boil when the roof heats up in the sun, which ends up in shingles having small pits in places where the steam finally escapes. Without a roof, your property’s lifespan and foundation will greatly decrease.
Does OSB get wet easily?
It is important to note that OSB is not extremely sensitive to small amounts of water, and it absorbs water slowly. However, it is also slow to dry out. Is it OK for lumber to get wet ?
Is wood stronger wet or dry?
Wood exhibits the greatest strength when the moisture content is between oven-dried ( less than eight percent WME ) and about 12 percent WME. However, when the moisture content is above the fiber saturation point (30 to 35 percent WME), the strength of polymers in the cell wall is reduced.
Why is plywood better than OSB?
In all fairness we will never escape these chemicals and for some who worked in that manufacturing sector it becomes personal. In all reality OSB is soaked in these chemicals to bond all the wood fiber as one. Plywood becomes a better solution because there will be less chemical used by weight.