Hardwood floors will not stabilize the OSB subfloor, so any movement must be remedied prior to hardwood installation. It will be OK to install it on OSB, because OSB is becoming the preferred subfloor for builders. Of course, they use OSB with the appropriate rating for use as a subfloor. Installation contractors can saw, drill, sand and fasten OSB panels easily with standard tools, although carbide tipped blades tend to wear better.
OSB was good enough to qualify as underlayment and was cheaper than plywood. OSB is good, but not as good as plywood. It's not as buckling resistant, it's more susceptible to swelling from water or even glues, and it doesn't hold nails as well as plywood. So, the direct answer to your question: plywood is better than OSB and more expensive.
In general, OSB is not the best choice to use as a subfloor for designer wood, and the main reason is that it swells when it comes into contact with water and does not shrink again. Creating a High-Quality Flooring System With the right specifications and installation, OSB works with other structural elements to produce a consistent and stable base for hardwood floor finishes. However, its striking aesthetics do not only depend on these surface characteristics, since what goes under a floor is usually just as important as the finishing material itself. Oriented fiber board (OSB) is an excellent material for a variety of applications, however, I was wondering if a wooden floor can be laid on top of it.
It's common knowledge in the professional hardwood flooring industry that OSB isn't the smartest for wood installations and, to me, it's a cut corner that can bite you over time. Thicker panels usually cost more, but net savings can be achieved for the overall floor assembly, as fewer joists may be needed. But, there's no T&g, that's bad and you can be pretty sure it's a coating grade, which means it's not meant to have a finished floor applied directly over the top. Interestingly, in my research I haven't come across anyone who recommends OSB under engineered hardwood.
To avoid void warranties (as with any underlayment material), it's important to consult with the hardwood flooring manufacturer for specific requirements. Nail a clamp made of wood 2 or 3 inches wide along the line if you start in the middle of the floor. The tile and floor transition is seamless, so I didn't use bamboo to tile transitions because it looks ugly. Unpack the floor inside the room in which you are going to place it and let it rest for three to five days.
Position the panels perpendicular to the floor joists and step the ends at least 6 inches apart to increase the stability of the subfloor. Before you start laying the floor, you should leave the boards to acclimate to your new environment for 48 hours. To prevent this from happening, many flooring contractors will use more glue on the outer edges to waterproof the OSB.
