Should plywood sheathing be vertical or horizontal?

If the height of a wall is less than 8-feet, install the plywood (or OSB) vertically. If the height of a wall is greater then 8-feet, install the plywood (or OSB) horizontally.

Can you run sheathing vertically?

When installing walls, the strength axis can run either vertically or horizontally to supports.” Again check locally because certain conditions, e.g. high winds, can require sheathing be run horizontally to help stiffen the wall assembly. Stud spacing can also be reduced to meet those loads as well.

Should sheathing be staggered?

Most installations are Category 1, but the critical criteria in all categories is that the panels MUST fully meet (lap) the sill plate, both top plates and 1/2 of stud at ends. (Please stagger nailing into studs where the panels end, to avoid splitting of stud.)

What side of plywood sheathing faces out?

Using OSB Safely When installing in vertical applications such as wall sheathing, you’ll want to orient the smooth or stamped side facing out. The smooth side has a better moisture resistance and will ultimately provide better performance against weather.

Is plywood strong vertically?

In 8-ft. wall construction, vertical orientation is actually stronger because there are no horizontal joints. For shear-wall construction, code requires blocking between the studs along every plywood joint.

Do you stagger wall sheathing?

Which direction is plywood stronger?

Wood is strongest in the direction parallel to grain. Because of this, the strength and stiffness properties of wood structural panels are greater in the direction parallel to the strength axis than perpendicular to it (see Figure 1).

Does grain direction matter plywood?

Plywood with an odd number of plies starts with a central core ply with the grain oriented according to the total number of plies. As a point of fact, this plywood may actually be stronger across its face grain direction than with its face grain direction. And the reason has to do with the thickness of the face plies.

Should sheathing overlap foundation?

Generally, you want your siding to overlap your foundation by approximately 2 inches. However, you also want your siding to be at least 6 inches to 8 inches from the ground. Combining the reasoning for these two thresholds will help you decide where to run the bottom edge of your siding.