Q: Can I glue down a resilient vinyl floor directly to an Oriented Strand Board (OSB) subfloor?
A: This is not recommended. Subfloors such as OSB usually require nominal ¼ in. or thicker underlayment panels for glue-down floors.
OSB is made up of different wood chips, and there are different grades (smoothness) of panels. When gluing directly to OSB, the chops can swell at different rates and telegraph through the vinyl flooring. At the tongue-and-groove joints of the OSB, you can also see buckling as the subfloor reacts to seasonal change. Plus, some OSB panels are manufactured with a moisture-resistant resin to which adhesives do not easily bond.
