Testing Out Different Methods of Painting OSB (Pt 2 of 2) THE RESULTS

[@patrickkelly7258]

Outstanding 2 part experiment. I'm setting up painting an exterior and interior outdoor "specialized" shed/studio-type structure and have been spending a LONG time researching methods and type products.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you for the kind feedback, much appreciated 😀👍

[@morick11]

I painted my new shop ceiling and walls, which are OSB, after watching your videos. I believe sanding is necessary if for no other reason to eliminate your roller picking up pieces of wood.. I think you mentioned this in a previous video. I used the Zinsser 123 primer and went with 2 coats. I believe our top coat was Zinsser Smart Coat. Another coat might have been better but a single coat was good enough for a wood shop. I went with ultra white for the color. If a person is looking to hide all of the OSB fibers, the way I went won't do that but I am extremely happy with my results and this is in part, due to your videos. Thanks so much!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you for your very kind feedback which is really appreciated! I think showing the fibres of the OSB actually looks pretty smart, if folk want a smooth surface they’d be better off with a cheaper plywood 👍

[@CrashBoom]

Excellent, I didn't think I'd actually find a video on this exact topic!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you, much appreciated 😀👍

[@srednivashtar5432]

This little ‘mini-series’ is very useful, Leo. Thanks very much for taking the time and effort on it.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you Srendi, you’re most welcome 😀👍

[@pirellyn]

I have a new OSB wall to a shed damaged by storms. The rest is weatherboard. I’m painting the external side with Demi Dekk. Was told I wouldn’t need to prime it first but after watching this I’m having doubts. Any advice? I can’t sand it as it’s too difficult to get to.

[@Hi2Hana]

Thank you! I have been searching this for a while for my garage.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

You’re welcome 😀👍

[@claudiadickerman4218]

Thank you for making your experiment with OSB painting. I am about to paint my OSB sub floor and don't want to do it wrong.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Best of luck, hope it all goes well for you 👍😀

[@searchingfor6thgear44]

Thank you for all the work and follow-up. I'm preparing to insulate then sheet the walls of my garage with OSB. This was really helpful.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks and good luck with your build 👍👍

[@thriftyad1]

Thank you! More content like this please! You saved me money and time!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the feedback 😀😀👍👍

[@StatutoryRock]

Thank you so much for doing this work!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Very kind of you, much appreciated 👍😀

[@srednivashtar5432]

Oh and well done on the fantastic timing of saying “pointing out mistakes I’ve made or something I should have done different” and then immediately dropping your pencil!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

😂😂😂👍👍👍

[@centexan]

I didn't do the extensive tests you did. I wanted it to look decent, but it wasn't going in yhe living room. I used a high build primer, sanded lightly, a second coat of primer, then two top coats of Behr eggshell enamel. It worked pretty well.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the comment and great idea to use eggshell. I’d be interested to hear your long term results if you ever have to time to let me know, be interesting for any potential follow up questions 👍👍

[@Mrtaylormade365]

Really helpful. Thank you for making this video.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Really appreciate it, thank you 😀👍

[@kstewart3657]

A really well thought out, planned and executed test. ❤

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Keith, hope you’re keeping well pal 👍👍😀😀

[@jsmxwll]

Thanks so much for the information. It really is scarce. Zinsser B-I-N has been the best performing primer for me in most situations, so I'm not surprised by that result. For OSB I've had pretty good luck with exterior grade latex paint. I usually get get whatever decent brand is on sale. I haven't done any sort of testing on this level, but the walls I painted about 9 years ago are still going fine with no noticeable yellowing, at least that I can see under a 6500k reference light.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the comment and kind feedback, much appreciated 😀😀👍👍

[@kvis101]

Straight exterior latex or sealed with something first?

[@Duggy171]

just what I was looking for, thanks for your efforts. Subbed.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the kind feedback, much appreciated 👍😀

[@julesflys]

Great indepth video thanks.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Jules 😀👍

[@mandyleeson1]

Very comprehensive Leo and really useful, thanks for that. 👍🏼🙏🏼

[@Hand-i-Craft]

You’re welcome Mandy and thank you 😀

[@deankirk1008]

Great vid Leo! With your slight yellowing on OsB. Before you give it another coat of Masonary paint go over just the yellow bit’s with the Zinseer bin shellac. Let it dry then coat over that and your yellowing will be gone for good. It’s a wonderful product 👍

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Brilliant Dean, thanks for the tip and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing 😀😀👍👍

[@keithwiebe1787]

Sometimes we're just too critical. I have painted osb in my shop when I moved here 30 years ago and I put up a panel about 10 years ago and probably just painted it a couple times with final coat paint (latex). Really good enough. Going to put up a 14x42 wall in the near future. It would cost 80 bucks just for the primer plus top coat. Makes metal look better all the time.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Keith, interesting you mention latex paint for the top coat on your original board👍👍

[@Pete.Ty1]

👍👍👍 Thank you Leo, very informative.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Pete 😀👍

[@jimadams6159]

Really helpful experiment Leo. Well worth doing more videos of this type.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I think I will Jim but need to think of some more original ideas 💡 🤔😀👍

[@ashambset1]

If u take drywall patch mix and roll a thick layer/smooth with a putty knife. Then sand perfectly smooth and paint. Then u have a nice smooth osb

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the tip 😀👍

[@sreval]

Good follow up Leo 👍👍

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Harly 😀👍

[@FatManBuilds]

Nice one Leo, very useful thanks

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers pal, much appreciated 😀😀👍👍

[@srk069]

Absolutely excellent, you’re so right about the lack of info either here on YT or general internet searching. For me, I would love to know what is required as a treatment for wallpaper to be successfully hung on OSB. Learned the expensive way that OSB laughs at wallpaper paste. Thanks again, you’re very good at presenting.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the very kind feedback, much appreciated 😀😀👍👍

[@barry.w.christie]

Who knew OSB could be interesting ... well painting it ... good information for anyone using OSB and painting 👍 Personally I prefer plywood (not really a fan of OSB), but OSB is a lot cheaper so can understand why people go for it, especially at todays prices!!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

You’ve hit the nail on the head here Barry, I think the shift towards OSB in recent years has been cost influenced. These videos I’ve done have had quite a following from our friends in the US so I’m guessing the cost of ply is just as crazy over there now as it is here. I’d say OSB is more hardwearing as well so better suited to the likes of workshops, gyms etc 😀👍

[@idlersdream826]

Very interesting Leo, I think if you just touch up the yellow areas with Zinsser, then top coat again you’ll be fine 👍.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Great tip Bill and that’s exactly what I’ll do 😀😀

[@tomhoodjr]

Wondering if a combo approach would garner excellent results with less cost: use the Bin only on dark areas and trouble spots. Then prime everything with oil based primer. Then touch up any blead through with Bin...

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Sounds like a great plan and I’d be interested to hear how it goes if you decide to try it 😀👍

[@tinyhome-ownerbuilders4788]

very informative. t hanks

[@Hand-i-Craft]

You’re welcome 😀👍

[@kithdhasengh2013]

Excellent vid, thanks for putting the time and effort in putting this together. I'm building a shed and will be using OSB as flooring. Wondering how i should protect the underside of the floor. It won't have any insulation between joists so will be exposed to elements. Thoughts would be welcome.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the kind feedback, much appreciated! If you are using OSB for flooring with no insulation underneath it I would suggest looking at a polyurethane based varnish. Varnish will form a protective layer between the outdoor elements and the OSB board and should help protect it. Make sure you’ve got the underside of the shed ventilated to prevent the timbers and OSB rotting underneath 👍

[@bez750]

Very informative video although it would have been interesting to see the results of using an oil based gloss top coat.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the feedback and a fair point 👍👍

[@dwalsh3469]

BIN for the win. I don’t use anything else. It’s also waterproof. I’ve also used the 123, which is okay, but disappointing compared to BIN. THE Zinsser Permawhite is also very impressive, and the Zinsser Allcoat (exterior) is a miracle paint.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Absolutely pal, it certainly is the case of ‘you get what you pay for’ when it comes to the BIN. Haven’t tried the allcoat yet but will be checking it out in the future 😀😀👍👍

[@minitac6236]

😊 M

[@tycox8704]

A thought about time between coats. Paints dry, but paints also cure. Latex paints dry fast but typically need 30 days to cure. Oil based paints dry slowly but only need a week to cure. I suspect that a fast-curing primer isn’t easily compromised by the topcoat’s chemistry.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Good points made here Ty and thanks for sharing them. I don’t think the fast drying primer would be compromised as the instructions say ok to apply top coat within ‘X’ amount of time, generally hours not days 👍

[@SJ.77]

Good to see Scholesy finally doing something worthwhile with his life....

[@Hand-i-Craft]

😂😂😂😂😂.Never opened his mouth as a player, now you can’t shut him up😂

[@SJ.77]

@@Hand-i-Craft haha 🤣🤣

[@annawild7117]

I was thinking of painting a few shades of same colour for a Tuscan effect with the texture of the OSB maybe looking like an old plaster rustic lokk?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Be interesting to try it out on a sample maybe 👍👍

[@tonyworkswood]

I like OSB. 👍 Nice one, Leo.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Tony 😀👍. Just watched your vid about keeping your tops free from rust😀😀👍👍

[@bobx2387]

Leo..... Well done on this. As a tradesman who has just gotten round to retirement I have tested paints for a long time. Experience told me ( when you first started this) that oil based primer would "lock in" to the fibres better than any water based primer. OSB is not a thing that I have painted but I would recommend any user to rub down, 1 coat thinned traditional primer followed by a full coat and then an emulsion and 2 coats of this. Masonry paint is best avoided. If doing it for myself I would do two coats primer, 1 coat traditional undercoat and finish it with oil based eggshell. Now i realise that we all want to save on time/odour/use w/base BUT then I would use two coats Zinnzer 123 and two coats w/base eggshell (light sand between. Hope this helps Bob (Weston super Mare)

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Hello there Bob and thanks for he detailed message here. Really useful and much appreciated sir. Best wishes, Leo😀👍

[@Clitp00p]

Damn good, jolly good well done mate. CHEERZ!!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thank you, much appreciated 😀👍

[@mariagdesjardin1000]

Emulsion paint... If you have the Atlantic on your right and didn't know what the heck that is, I Googled it for us. Seems it's just the same stuff we know as latex. Whether interior or exterior flavor (flavour?) I dunno. Anyways, Muchos ThakYous, Hand-i-Craft guy!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the feedback and clarification for our friends over the pond 😀👍

[@Goody2shzToo]

@mariagdesjardin1000 thank you. I was wondering what that was. I think latex paint is the worst paint in the world and should be avoided unless it's for a specialty use.

[@rosanadancel7225]

Hi there. Can you show it again! W/out sanding I’m interested for. Which one are better? Thank you.

[@ronashoes8357]

Amazing 👏👏

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Rona folk 😀👍

[@philhario3640]

Hi. Thanks for this. I was a fan of your first part so came for the conclusions. In case you’re happy to take suggestions on how to improve your videos, i would recommend you use a text chart or similar near the end to summarise. It’s frustrating if you do everything by voice and then even watching all 14 minutes to get a summary, the number of considerations you provide deserves a clear text recap.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers Phil and great advice pal which I’ll be using moving forward 😀😀👍👍

[@Rich-ji3nw]

Used this to clad internal garden bar and wondering would like a shed paint be ok as I like wood colours and would it need undercoat. Daft question I know but I hate painting so take no interest 😅

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Good question and my honest answer is I don’t know as I haven’t tried it. If it is a darker colour you should be fine as any bleed through would be largely unnoticeable. However if it is a lighter colour I think you’d be running the risk of resin bleed through as it hasn’t been primed properly

[@davemurton736]

This has been a great watch. I'm in the middle of building a workshop for building VW Engines. Today off to B&Q to get the insulation, and then doing the internal walls. I have just ordered 5 litres of the Zinsser Bullseye 123, and wondered what sort of coverage I would get out of a 5ltr can ? I will be top coating with the Bathroom paint as you suggest, but suspect I'm going to need a lot lot more 123 ? 3.6m x 3.6m x 2.4 high. Anyway enjoyed the content 🤩

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks for the message Dave, the tin should give you the approximate coverage which which will give you an idea how much you’re going to need for the full project. Good luck and appreciate the kind feedback 😀👍

[@benjaqsonworkshop9974]

Really interesting outcome there Leo, thanks for doing this as it's a major undertaking to test. I suspect the same will be true for a lot of ply as I'm finding recently bought ply has some bleed through too. Not sure why but I used a water based primer and a water based emulsion and the bleed through was pretty obvious. Thanks to your experiment I can fix it, so cheers.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Thanks Ben. Yes it has been interesting, I cut the board in half this morning and I’m going to keep them to see how they develop further. Couple of folks ITK told me if I take some of the Zinnser BIN to the bleed through areas on my wall I won’t have anymore problems 👍👍

[@benjaqsonworkshop9974]

@@Hand-i-Craft Yes, I read them and you probably won't as you're effectively treating the patches of oil or grease with a sealant. So long as it doesn't bleed out around the patches. I hope you revisit the boards later.

[@rwillaz]

The obvious low-cost solution is just paint with topcoat only in a shade of yellow!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

😂😂😂👍👍👍

[@akbauer2525]

You concentrated on bleed through of the resin. What about the texture?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I did say if you wanted a better ‘finish’ then an emulsion top is better. What I meant by finish was texture / appearance. For the overwhelming majority using OSB as a finished surface will be for a outbuilding / workshop / garage etc so durability tends to be more important than quality of finish

[@barxracerful]

Does oil based primer cause individual wafers to pop up like water base does?

[@BHP15]

I'm confused. for the OSB in the garage which is/can be a damp environment, is masonry on the Zinsser bin or emulsion on the Zinsser bin a good match?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I’d go with masonry on the Zinnser Bin as the masonry generally contains additives to help prevent the likes of algae spores building up 👍

[@BHP15]

@@Hand-i-Craft I thought so because I had use Santex lemonish on the brick wall and last for years, I mean 15 years by now, and always was clean but I dont know or heard about zinsser bin.

[@YuckFou502]

I'm not sure how you could easily test a low permeability paint to see how the wood breaths and sweats with moisture forced either to the interior or exterior of the OSB, so I'll stick with asking you to do a test with different types of paints that have primer included in them. I'm considering putting painted OSB on the exterior of my add-on and leaving it at that so any information I can get would make that job easier and longer lasting. Thanks!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

That’s it for me with tests on OSB so I’m afraid you’ll have to do your own if you want to find solutions. Since making this video though I’ve used Zinnser Allcoat for a couple of different jobs and that I believe is your answer.

[@YuckFou502]

@@Hand-i-Craft thank you for the advice! I will look into that asap

[@williamsando4703]

Hey, great video thank you! Was this using two coats of primer or just one? Reason I ask is, I've got a 150m2 of OSB to paint and I'm trying to avoid paying for 2 coats of bin primer. Also you mentioned that emulsion gives a nicer finish but I noticed that the swatch with masonary on top of the bin actually seems to have resulted in a smoother finish (unsanded), is this the case, would you mind clarifying? Hard to tell on the pictures alone, thanks!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the message. Yes if you’re using the Bin primer you’ll be fine with one coat then either emulsion or Masonry will give a nice finish. I wouldn’t say the Masonry is smoother (to the touch) but it does look good and will be harder wearing than the emulsion. I spoke with a guy in the profession since making this video and he gave me a great tip. If once you’ve finished primer and top coat and several months you get some yellowing coming through from the OSB resin in some little patches, just go over them with the Zinnser BIN, let it dry then touch up with the top coat and that will prevent any further yellowing in that area😀👍. Good luck and hope it all goes well

[@williamsando4703]

@@Hand-i-Craft Ah, that's amazing news to hear! As it was going to be another £200 for a second primer coat 🤪😂 Thanks for the tip that's a great idea. I read that the side with the black writing on it is the smoother side so I'll try that with masonry and fingers crossed it won't look to bumpy. Cheers once again

[@janicedizon1129]

Hi. Can I get away with not sanding and applying 2 coats of primer and paint? Will it still look okay? Thank you

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Personally Janice I think the sanding is very important and shouldn’t be skipped, particularly if it is the ‘nice’ shiny side. I’m pretty confident after a period of time the resin would seep through if you don’t prepare the surface properly by sanding it first 👍

[@ivansoto8949]

Thanks for your video. I just finished putting a coat of oil based primer on my shed. I used osb for the walls. Do you recommend oil based paint or water based paint for the painting?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

If you’ve primed the OSB with an oil based primer I’d recommend an oils based paint as my understanding is they don’t work too well together if you use water based for one part and oil based for the other 👍👍

[@gieb6428]

@@Hand-i-Craft I believe oil base first then water base is OK but no good to paint oil base over water base.

[@livingoffgridinscotland]

Any primer usually needs at least 30 days to fully cure before using a dissimilar top coat

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I think the major issue with that is the logistics of that time scale 👍👍

[@deathtothebots1]

What I've read into says not to use a water based primer with OSB.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I wouldn’t recommend any standard water based primer, but the Zinnser bullseye isn’t any ordinary water based primer, very good quality product and worth the extra money. Oil based primer works just as well as Zinnser bullseye, but oil based is a nightmare to apply. Absolutely stinks and takes forever to dry.

[@wilbearworks]

Thanks, Leo. You do know this means I have no excuse not to paint the beach hut now. I'm not 100% sure what you are saying would you like to come and show me?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

😂😂😂😂I have merely shown the path my friend 😂😂👍👍

[@12davidful]

Did you every experience wood swelling with the latex primer/paint at any point?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Good question and no I didn’t see any wood swelling. I’ve still got the pieces and is fine several months on 😀👍

[@robarmstrong6066]

The Leyland bathroom paint is probably a durable acrylic matt which is a bit thicker than normal Matt and has added ingredients so it is scrubbable and harder wearing ideal for kitchens and bathrooms johnstones acrylic durable Matt, crown clean extreme and dulux diamond Matt are the equivalent types (PPG own both johnstones and Leyland paints so it may be the same paint in both tubs)

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Nice one Rob, cheers for the insight and thanks for the tip about the Zinnser allcoat 😀😀👍👍

[@robarmstrong6066]

You could always do another update date when 12 months has passed, I will see if work will give you some free paints to add to your test

[@HewAndAwe]

I always wonder why peeps say usb is shocking with water, water just beads off it!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

If I had to make a choice between osb or ply for exterior work, osb wins hands down every time

[@brown55061]

It's funny because on the screen even in HD they all look the same to me. I'm sure in person there's a noticeable difference.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

When I watched it back after uploading I thought exactly the same! It is different when you see them with your own eyes though 👍👍

[@jroark101]

So do you think the sanded is worth the extra effort if you use the Zinsser BIN?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Personally I’m a bit of a ‘belt and braces’ guy so I’d still sand the surface down but I reckon you’d be ok with BIN and no sanding

[@jroark101]

@@Hand-i-Craft ok thank you

[@tattedone6753]

My osb has a thin wax coat am I able to paint over that?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

I’d sand that back before applying primer and paint 👍👍

[@JohnOsCreations]

If I am Painting osb Black, is there any need to use a primer? The reason I ask is does yellowing show up on a black painted surface? Just curious. Great videos. Watched part one and two.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Hello John, cheers for the message. It’s a good question and tbh I don’t have a definitive answer as it is something I haven’t done myself. What I think would happen is the resin / glue would seep through causing yellowing, but you’d only notice it up close, unlike when painted white you can spot it from a distance

[@JohnOsCreations]

@@Hand-i-Craft Thanks for your advice much appreciated. Plus your life story and achievements in woodworking are very inspiring. Good on you. Have a great day from a very wet Ireland 🙂👍

[@71160000]

The best finish I've ever seen of osb was some that was painted dark red or green and then a coat of toner run over it. The dark toner highlighed each chip in the base color. It would have looked fantastic as paneling in a den.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Really interesting and I’d like to see that done 👍👍

[@simonemarchica4745]

Hi, i am Building a Little climbing Wall with osb3. I was thinking if Is needed and/or Better to put a layer on the wood. If It Is Better, is there anything transparent? Thanks a lot!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Hello Simone, can I ask is it for outside or inside?

[@simonemarchica4745]

@@Hand-i-Craft Sure! Is for inside

[@Hand-i-Craft]

@@simonemarchica4745 Ok, depending on your budget any kind of oil or varnish will work with osb. With it being a climbing wall look for something that is hard wearing. Make sure the area is well ventilated when applying and prepare the surface by sanding then cleaning all the dust off before oiling / varnishing. Make sure you wear a mask as well 😀👍

[@simonemarchica4745]

@@Hand-i-Craft ok great! Thanks a lot, i will a layer of varnish and i'll be ready to go! Great video

[@DennisMathias]

Do we need to paint the OSB?

[@Hand-i-Craft]

No you don’t have to Dennis. 3 of the 4 walls in my workshop are bare OSB, painting is optional 👍👍

[@TL_coyote]

If I'm understanding correctly sanding beforehand helped but is not considered a 'deal-breaker' if you choose to go without? I've got a lot of OSB wallspace to conquer and am trying to find the best use of both my time and money. Thanks for this video!

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers for the comment. What I would say is if you’re not going to prep it sanding, you’ll need one of the more premium products to prime the surface like Zinnser BIN. Or use an oil based primer, but they take forever to dry and stink the place out! I’ve come across another product since making this video called Zinnser Allcoat which is both a primer and a top coat. Used it to paint upvc windows from white to black and the results were fantastic! Reckon it would work a treat on OSB, but haven’t tried it personally

[@TL_coyote]

@@Hand-i-Craft Appreciate the reply, thanks for the additional intel!

[@SnowyOwlPrepper]

Thank you.

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Cheers 😀👍

[@dutchbeef8920]

No sanding, rattle can 😮 😉

[@randyragland9218]

Why use OSB anyway.For all the expense your spending on prep,be cheaper just to put up drywall or metal????

[@Hand-i-Craft]

OSB is very popular now as an internal wall for the likes of workshops 👍👍

[@rwreuter]

Confusing and hard to follow

[@Hand-i-Craft]

Sorry you feel this way about it. Have you watched part 1?

[@randallsmerna384]

Inside who TF cares?