# Particle Board Acceptable for wall covering in House?



## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

I am looking at buying a house in which part of the basement walls are covered with Particle board/Strand board. I am wondering if this is code-compliant and acceptable or if it needs to be replaced with sheet-rock. See the attached pictures, this is in the walk-out basement.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

The code doesn't dictate what the wall finish/material on the inside of your home is. The only room where sheetrock is actually required is the garage (for fire resistance). 

Personally, I'd want to know why they covered the walls with a cheap product like particle board. What is being concealed? Cracked foundation walls? Mold? Water infiltration? There's the possibility that they just wanted it as a shop area and needed a wallcovering that would be good for nailing into. 

Another thing to check is that the electric boxes are flush mounted with the face of the particle board. If the boxes are not flush then spark rings are required. With sheetrock there is a little allowable tolerance, but with wood products there is not...Can't have any electrical exposed to that wood.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

No problem using OSB for interior walls......... of a barn. You can even use it for flooring. But you will never get it to look like anything other than what it is.... u-g-l-y!


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## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

I do have full intentions on replacing it with sheetrock, but the reason I am asking about if its a code violation is with the FHA loan I will need to have the house fixed up to standards before I can move in, and if this is not a code concern or issue, then I'd like to put it off until a later date. It's the family room space down in the basement, I have no idea why someone would want to cover the walls with this stuff inside a house and yes I do agree it looks ugly. I doubt this was intended for a shop space but who knows, maybe they didnt want to tape and top the sheetrock down here for some strange reason.

I was recalling the garage had to be covered with sheetrock becuase of the 15 minute fire rating, I assumed it applied inside the house as well. 

I am getting a 203k rehab loan on the house and I want to keep the loan as small as possible and fix what needs to be fixed now before I can move in, then worry about anything extraneous later after I close and have moved in. My plan would be to turn this space into a home theatre room, there is a built-in bar around the corner, its just not a wet bar .... yet!


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i saw it used as a counter facing in a chinese restaurant a while back..... 
you know what? when it has a nice, high gloss thick coating of polyurethane..... it's STILL ugly! lol

DM


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## Just Bill (Dec 21, 2008)

That is OSB, not particle board. I would never use it below grade, and definitely not touching concrete.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

true... big difference between strand board and particle board.

DM


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## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

Either way its still ugly in the basement and I really would like to replace it, but if its not a requirement to replace it before I can move in, then its probably something that will be put off for later. Just trying to keep the initial rehab costs down since it will be a loan on top of my mortgage there by increasing my monthly mortgage payments. Granted it doesn't really matter what I think needs to be done or what anyone else says needs to be done its what the appraisal says needs to be done. I already have a pretty good idea what the list will include, just trying to get some information on some of the stuff that may or may not have to be on that list. And it appears from the comments here that this particular issue can be dealt with later.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

i wonder what the original owner had planned for it? mud/texture? panelling? i might consider another route if it meant tearing all that down.
maybe a faux finish would be cool?

DM


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## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

I suspect its possible they had planned on wood paneling, but looking at the fact that there are shelves hung on the wall in this area and the drop ceiling is also installed over the OSB I suspect they fully intended to keep it like this. Which I can't think of a reason why anyone would want this on the walls in the living space of their house! Like someone else said it would be OK for like a work shop or a BARN, but this is what would be considered the "family room" in the basement of this house. There is a fireplace in the room next to this space, along with a bar that they built out of brick.


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

theatretch85 said:


> the drop ceiling is also installed over the OSB


i noticed that too, maybe they were just going to PAINT it???? *yuk*
well, anything you decide to do short of using dynamite will surely be an improvement! let us know what you decide.

DM


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## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

DangerMouse said:


> i noticed that too, maybe they were just going to PAINT it???? *yuk*
> well, anything you decide to do short of using dynamite will surely be an improvement! let us know what you decide.
> 
> DM


Yeah, painting it would look *slightly* better, but it would still be rather ugly. It will be removed at some point during the first couple months, i'll be installing some additonal outlets and some ethernet runs as well and running new RG6 coax through the wall not ON TOP of the wall! I can't imagine the coax really went in after the OSB was installed, looks like they didnt really want to put the coax behind the wall for some reason.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

I've seen it mostly installed in work areas
It was sanded & stained, looked OK
Main reason was the ability to hang things up & screw in anywhere to wood


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## elmizmo (Feb 24, 2009)

theatretch85 said:


> Either way its still ugly in the basement and I really would like to replace it, but if its not a requirement to replace it before I can move in, then its probably something that will be put off for later. Just trying to keep the initial rehab costs down since it will be a loan on top of my mortgage there by increasing my monthly mortgage payments. Granted it doesn't really matter what I think needs to be done or what anyone else says needs to be done its what the appraisal says needs to be done. I already have a pretty good idea what the list will include, just trying to get some information on some of the stuff that may or may not have to be on that list. And it appears from the comments here that this particular issue can be dealt with later.


You would have to check with your local code official to see if it is ok. You can also check with FHA. Typically the residential code is fairly lax when it comes to rated walls (smoke or fire) with the garage as the only exception but unless it is a storage space or shop area you would want to sheetrock anyway to use it as livable space.


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## elmizmo (Feb 24, 2009)

FYI, you don't need to remove it, you can just sheetrock over what is there but ad any electric before you rock.


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## Bob Mariani (Dec 1, 2008)

Code does not prohibit the use of this, but good sense would. Pull a piece off and see how bad the mold as accumulated behind it. And materials that mold can feed on are a poor choice for a basement wall. And this wood looks to be in direct contact with the concrete floor, which is also wrong. Be sure to check the electrical boxes as mentioned. They must have 0 inch recess (flush) whereas drywall allows up to 1/4" recess.


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## theatretch85 (May 17, 2008)

Bob Mariani said:


> Code does not prohibit the use of this, but good sense would. Pull a piece off and see how bad the mold as accumulated behind it. And materials that mold can feed on are a poor choice for a basement wall. And this wood looks to be in direct contact with the concrete floor, which is also wrong. Be sure to check the electrical boxes as mentioned. They must have 0 inch recess (flush) whereas drywall allows up to 1/4" recess.


I don't have any reason to believe there is any water damage behind the wall, we couldn't see any signs of mold or any musty smell in the basement. I will be removing it at some point to add additional outlets and probably conduit for network, telephone and coax jacks to run back to a wiring closet. Working on this in the basement all depends on how much other sheetrock work I need/want to do at the same time. I have plans to remove a wall in the kitchen upstairs and part of another wall as well.


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## pyper (Jul 1, 2009)

theatretch85 said:


> I suspect its possible they had planned on wood paneling, but looking at the fact that there are shelves hung on the wall in this area and the drop ceiling is also installed over the OSB I suspect they fully intended to keep it like this.


Things change -- maybe they had initially planned on putting up paneling and then life got in the way. I've had all sorts of temporary measures that I've ended up living with for years.

One contractor I talked to about a kitchen addition told us that their standard procedure for kitchens is to put up OSB and then put sheetrock over it. Makes it easier to hang the cabinets. I've never met anyone else who did it that way, but maybe he's who built it .

Also, if you leave the OSB under the sheetrock it will help with noise.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Remove the OSB....then sell it to one of the garage guys.....they love using that stuff on the walls......they have some much stuff on the walls that you can't see the uuuggllly stuff anyway....


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