# stain or paint OSB floor



## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

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You could use a Porch and Floor Enamel (latex) or an All surface enamel (oil-base) that would hold up to extensive abuse, although the chains on a mower are gonna tear up just about any type of coating on OSB.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

OSB was not made to be a finished floor!
It's just never going to hold up even with just foot traffic.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

joecaption said:


> OSB was not made to be a finished floor!
> It's just never going to hold up even with just foot traffic.


Ditto...........

Your going to have to cover it with something....

The attic of my garage is OSB....we have it covered now in some cheap engineered flooring ($0.88/sq ft)....15 year warranty....so far, stuff is doing fine....but the OSB was NOT doing fine before we covered it...


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## passinthru (Jul 19, 2013)

ddawg16 said:


> Ditto...........
> 
> Your going to have to cover it with something....
> 
> The attic of my garage is OSB....we have it covered now in some cheap engineered flooring ($0.88/sq ft)....15 year warranty....so far, stuff is doing fine....but the OSB was NOT doing fine before we covered it...


Thanks guys. 
I guess I should have thought of this before I used OSB. I sure wasn't planning another 1,000 + on the floor.

When searching SW site,I saw a product called ArmorSeal Tread Plex but its a water base, I don't know nothing about the differance in water base, oil, or latex paints.

If I would paint the floor with something like that, and then put floor covering on the first 10-12 ft. were I would park the mower. Do you think the pant will hold up to lite foot traffic.or am I just wasting my money.
Thanks


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

It might hold up the first couple of seasons....if your lucky....

There is a pretty good reason you see it called 'sub-floor sheathing' or 'shear wall'.....

You will never see it called 'flooring'................

On a 'positive' note....don't beat yourself up.........................Your not the first one to make that mistake (I was)....and you won't be the last.....

(don't ask me about orientation floor sheathing)


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

It's true that OSB is not flooring material. However, it's probably good to remember that this is a garage - not a cathedral. Just how perfect does this have to be?

If this were my garage, I think I'd do what Gymschu suggested - coat it with some good oil-based porch & floor paint, and call it good. It won't be perfect, and won't last forever, but it'll be pretty strong. Again, use oil-based paint.


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## passinthru (Jul 19, 2013)

OK if I go with the oil base floor paint, can I just sweep, blow the floor off, or would it have to be sanded. If so what would I use? I really don't care what it looks like I just want to protect the floor as long as possable.

How about the epoxy coatings? Anyone know if they would work for me?
Thanks guys for your help.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

passinthru said:


> OK if I go with the oil base floor paint, can I just sweep, blow the floor off, or would it have to be sanded. If so what would I use? I really don't care what it looks like I just want to protect the floor as long as possable.
> 
> How about the epoxy coatings? Anyone know if they would work for me?
> Thanks guys for your help.


I'd just sweep it, and maybe use a leaf blower on it. If you start sanding OSB you'll never stop.

You can get gloss oil-base porch & floor paint anywhere they sell paint. Usually runs (currently) $25-$30 per gallon. The nice thing is that when it starts showing wear, you can just roll on another coat.

I have no experience with Epoxy Coatings on OSB, so I won't comment on that.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

No need to sand----vacuum it well and paint it--two coats would offer you a good degree of water protection---plan on recoating every couple of years (in the wear areas---)---it's a storage /service area----not a cathedral.(thank you Dr. Hicks)


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Even going over it with 1/2 A/C plywood making sure the seams do not line up with the seams below then using the epoxy on that would work out far better and be far easier
to sweep off.
I once did the floor in a shed I built using strips of parting bead prestained a dark color between the plywood seams. I had cut the plywood in 4 X 4 squares.
I then used three coats of floor poly.


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