Oriented Strand Board – OSB

By Pine1 Posted in - Interior Products & Black Pine Resources on October 29th, 2021

Creating healthy environments is the highest priority for us, we are continuously looking for the healthiest, toxin-free materials we can find.

These include the materials used as substrates for our finishes – wellness should be embedded in the bones of a building’s design.

OSB – or Oriented Strand Board – is strong, high density, versatile, reconstituted wood panels.

It is identified by its characteristic wood strand surface and is composed of layers of engineered wood strands bonded with heat-cured adhesives.

Each layer is orientated at right angles to the adjacent layer creating a strong, dimensionally stable panel that resists delamination and warping.

OSB is designed specifically for a range of building, furniture, and joinery applications.

It is a cost-effective and durable overlay flooring solution for residential and commercial settings and can also be used for wall panels, ceilings, stairs and as an overlay where a decorative look is desired. It has high impact resistance and an aesthetic appeal.

Look out for your selected product’s material source – some OSB options out there (such as Strandboard® from Laminex) are manufactured entirely from renewable, plantation pine timber, grown and harvested in New Zealand. Radiata pine flourishes in the New Zealand climate, where the cycle of planting and harvesting of plantation forests results in a sustainable process through the removal and storage of carbon.

The resin used in Laminex Strandboard® has been developed to resist the effects of moisture in areas of high humidity and reduce the emission of formaldehyde – which is often a key chemical compound used to produce adhesives for wood-based products.

Formaldehyde is a colourless strong-smelling gas that occurs naturally in the environment and is emitted naturally by all timber species. It is, however, harmful to human health and its content in interior products therefore requires testing.

Strandboard® has been tested as having a formaldehyde emission class of Super E0, which is the best formaldehyde emission standard for wood-based panels. This means that it has the lowest formaldehyde emission rating obtainable, making it allowed to be used in interior environments without extra treatment.

Laminex Strandboard® is a health and environmentally conscious product, being ISO 14001 compliant, Living Building Challenge compliant, Green Star rated, Homestar rated, and Red List Free.

Red List Free:

Laminex Strandboard® is declared as Red List Free in the Declare Products Database. This is a globally recognised nutrition label for the building products industry, formed as part of the Living Building Challenge. Red List Free products have all ingredients disclosed in the Declare database and none of those ingredients appear on the Living Building Challenge Red List.