# OSB + Drywall for kitchen?



## tambourinecactu (Jun 19, 2018)

Would it be ok to have one wall of our kitchen be OSB + sheetrock, while the other walls 2 layers of sheetrock? The reason for OSB + sheetrock is to make it easier to hang cabinets and such, or maybe 2 layers of sheetrock would already be strong enough to hang pretty heavy items?


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

normally, kitchen cabinets are hung with screws into the studs.
are you doing something outside of the norm ?
OSB does not hold screws very well, IMO.
if you still want to use wood, I strongly suggest 1/2" plywood
over OSB any day.

.

.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

You wont hang cupboard on 2 layers of drywall and screws in osb might be questionable too.
If you don't think you will have good location with studs then blocking would be best.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Yeah, you'd probably spend more on OSB than just blocking strategic places. You really only need the blocking for upper cabinets; the base ones are held up by the floor.


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## tambourinecactu (Jun 19, 2018)

Nealtw said:


> You wont hang cupboard on 2 layers of drywall and screws in osb might be questionable too.
> If you don't think you will have good location with studs then blocking would be best.


What type of screws are used then to hang the cabinets? Drywall screws or wood screws?


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

tambourinecactu said:


> What type of screws are used then to hang the cabinets? Drywall screws or wood screws?



Drywall screws are only for drywall, nothing else.
Even if they can screw and work on something else, if someone sees them, they'll think you're a hack. :wink2:


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## tambourinecactu (Jun 19, 2018)

123pugsy said:


> Drywall screws are only for drywall, nothing else.
> Even if they can screw and work on something else, if someone sees them, they'll think you're a hack. :wink2:


hmm, ok, but they have to go through the drywall to hit the stud. So its ok for wood screws to go through the drywall?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Wood screws or deck screws as long as they are long enough to secure the cabinet to the stud/blocking are fine. The reason you shouldn't use drywall screws is they are brittle and could snap.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ca...hardware/fasteners/screws/cabinet-screws.html


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

Nealtw said:


> https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ca...hardware/fasteners/screws/cabinet-screws.html



These are nice. Wood screws with tapered heads could potentially sink in too far and get loose.


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## HenryMac (Sep 12, 2018)

tambourinecactu said:


> What type of screws are used then to hang the cabinets? Drywall screws or wood screws?


Good quality cabinets will come with the proper screws and instructions. The size and type of screws vary, based on the size and type of cabinets.

But, if they don't... as others have linked to above, use *Cabinet Installation Screws*.



mark sr said:


> Wood screws or deck screws as long as they are long enough to secure the cabinet to the stud/blocking are fine.


:vs_mad: No, no, no, no, no, no, no :vs_mad:

Never ever use deck screws for structural applications such as hanging cabinets. They are not designed for this application. And wood screws also can be wrong for the application, depending on their quality.


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

There's so many kinds of screws (and nails) out there that it's easy to be overwhelmed. Besides the shape of the head there's a lot of other factors that affect how a screw will work or not work for that application. Shear strength is a big one. You don't want to have your cabinet come crashing down with all your heirloom china in there or your little one under there!


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I built my cabinets about 17 yrs ago and installed the uppers with deck screws. I haven't had any issues. Not saying that is the right way to do it [I'm just a painter] but deck screws have worked fine for me.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

50 years ago they used nails.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Roger that! I have cabinets in my shop that came out of a house being torn down and they were originally nailed to the wall.


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## HandyAndyInNC (Jun 4, 2018)

Nails are fine, nothing wrong with that as long as the heads are large enough to not pull thru the wood. I would not use nails on cheap particle board cabinets, only on solid wood cabinets. Nails have tensile strength, only special screws have tensile strength, and they are mighty costly.


I have known folks that used 3/4" plywood to line the studs behind the sheetrock for easy installation of cabinets. Nothing wrong with that either. Allows one to use more fasteners. But I would not use OSB for anything in my house, or garage, or workshop.


Andrew
Handy Andy In Mt Airy NC


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## NotYerUncleBob2 (Dec 29, 2017)

HandyAndyInNC said:


> Nails are fine, nothing wrong with that as long as...
> 
> 
> ...But I would not use OSB for anything in my house, or garage, or workshop.


So let me get this straight, you'd be ok with nails for cabinets even though they have little pull out resistance, but you'd never settle for OSB anywhere?


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

123pugsy said:


> Drywall screws are only for drywall, nothing else.
> Even if they can screw and work on something else, if someone sees them, they'll think you're a hack. :wink2:



Bingo.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

HandyAndyInNC said:


> Nails are fine, nothing wrong with that as long as the heads are large enough to not pull thru the wood. I would not use nails on cheap particle board cabinets, only on solid wood cabinets. Nails have tensile strength, only special screws have tensile strength, and they are mighty costly.



Tensile strength is not the issue with cabinets. Pull out strength is the issue. This is why you use cabinet screws with cabinets. You don't need the "special screws" - those are used for structural carpentry where tensile strength is needed, not cabinets.

FYI to the OP, cabinet screws are specialty screws, basically pan head screws (which is the design you want) with particularly wide heads, that work well with the inside materials on any cabinet, including cabinets made with particle board (which is not ideal, but cabinet screws are the ideal screw for them).


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

mark sr said:


> Wood screws or deck screws as long as they are long enough to secure the cabinet to the stud/blocking are fine. The reason you shouldn't use drywall screws is they are brittle and could snap.



Additionally they have the wrong head design. They are meant for countersinking into soft drywall, where they can sit flush or below the surface. You don't want a screw to countersink into cabinet structure, you want a wide pan head design, and they don't need to be flush.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

mark sr said:


> I built my cabinets about 17 yrs ago and installed the uppers with deck screws. I haven't had any issues. Not saying that is the right way to do it [I'm just a painter] but deck screws have worked fine for me.


And you probably used REAL plywood or wood backs - not some 1/4" paperboard backed with a 3/8" upper and lower nailer made from something we used to call cardboard...

Yup - you could have hung those good puppies with nails, screws or even bolts driven into the studs with a hammer! Oh, yeah, the screws where made like "real men" back then, also! 

Alas - I remember the days when I couldn't twist the head off a bolt using my short 3/8 drive ratchet - not today - they just seems to pop off (especially from the big "L" company - don't know where they get their steel from...)


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

> you probably used REAL plywood or wood backs - not some 1/4" paperboard backed with a 3/8" upper and lower nailer made from something we used to call cardboard



That is one of the reasons I built my own. All plywood or dimensional lumber! The cost was cheaper than the cheapest box cabinets and I expect them to last longer than me. If I had bought cheap cabinets I suspect they'd be close to needing replacing by now.


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