# Idea to Cover Wood Pile Involving OSB



## velvetfoot (May 12, 2011)

I stopped in HD on the way home and looked at potential wood pile covering material.  The nominal 1/2" ply was $14 something and the osb was $6 something.  My idea for my pile which'll be maybe 22 ft x 6 ft or so, is to put the osb sheets, each covered with stapled black poly (or a cut up tarp).  They would be laid next to each other and connected to each other by ropes through drilled holes, as a kind of hinge.  They would be tied down to screws in a lower layer to hold them in place.  When it comes time to draw wood, the end piece could be opened like a hatch and left open so that wood can be drawn from accross the width of the pile while standing.  When it comes time to go farther down the pile, the hinge ropes can be undone or cut as well as the holddown strings for the next piece.

Has anyone used plastic-covered OSB?  The stuff would appear to be naturally more straight than the plywood, less than half the cost, but I can see it not liking water.  Would the plastic stapled on top do the trick?


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## SolarAndWood (May 13, 2011)

Pallets are free and you get an air space under the plastic.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2011)

A reliable supply of pallets isn't availble, plus I don't like messing with the.  I was just stepping on one tonight when I was moving wood, and it felt a little sketchy, as in, watch out for your ankle.   Plus, in my plan, they'd be hinged covers.  I just wonder if I cover the top side of the osb with plastic, if it would last.  Would paint work just as well?  Should I cover top and bottom of the osb board?  And, what's with the different finishes on the osb=is one side or other better to be up or down?


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## gzecc (May 13, 2011)

I personally hate osb for anything even interior. I would never consider using it outside, even covered.


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## okotoks guy (May 13, 2011)

OSB will act like a sponge. It won't be long before it turns into turtle chit outside. I would spend 
the $$$ and get treated 1/2 plywood. You could also keep an eye on the classifieds for some 
used or over-purchased stuff that will work.

If you are pretty set on using the OSB,use lots(and I mean LOTS) of staples so that wind cannot
get under an edge. Just something else to think of......Try finding a lumber jacket off a 20 foot
lift of lumber from a Lumber yard and use that on the whole stack. These jackets have corners
already built into them and you can trim to your needs. Cost should be free as well and they are 
very durable.


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## nate379 (May 13, 2011)

That is super cheap for 1/2" OSB!  You could by almost 3 sheets for what I pay for 1.


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## woodsmaster (May 13, 2011)

I wouldn't use osb, but if your set on it maybe put a coat or two of water sealer on it before the plastic.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2011)

Well, it's not really 1/2", it's 7/16".  What's with that anyway?  The plywood was 15/32".
My concept is that I have something approaching flatness for the snow removal aspect, and that the panels be hinged and removable for the wood drawdown.
I had some pt plywood once for something or other, but it shriveled like a pretzel.
So, I take it, even protecting the top and edges of osb wouldn't be enough?  The bottom has to be protected as well, from condensate?
The cost is pretty cheap.  Even with the 6 mil plastic, it's still in cheap-tarp land.


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## Got Wood (May 13, 2011)

Personally, I aint spending any money on covering my wood stacks.


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## Backwoods Savage (May 13, 2011)

I have used osb outdoors with good luck. We simply painted it using 3 coats of paint. If you intend to use it to cover wood I'd suggest doing the same thing but your biggest problem will be that the osb will warp and do so rather quickly unless you fasten it to maybe some 2 x 4's to try to keep it straight. This would further help with having an air space under the osb. It might work and the price is not that bad but will go up when you factor in the paint and 2 x 4's.


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## Wood Heat Stoves (May 13, 2011)

I wouldn't use osb or anything else that I had to protect from the moisture to cover something else (the wood) that I had to protect from the moisture. Too complicated. My best past solutions were to build a wood shed from pallets and then use corrugated metal (sometimes you can find old, rusty pieces cheap) for the roof. Actually, just the corrugated metal laid on top and held down with rocks or something heavy works great. You want to protect the wood from rain and snow from above but allow plenty of air flow from the side so moisture from the ground doesn't build up under the covering as it would from tarps going all the way to the ground.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2011)

I am still thinking paint work too, but I thought the 6 mil plastic sheeting could potentially be better, (until gouged with a snow shovel), and could overhang nice on the front where the hinged panel drops down in the draw down end of the pile.  If I put 2x4s or a frame underneath, it could get heavy to lift when opening to get at the wood.  This is right next to the garage so it can't look too bad.

Ultimately: a shed, though I have to say, it's very easy stacking right on blacktop, even with a bit of a slope.


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## cygnus (May 13, 2011)

If I really needed to cover my stacks I wouldn't spend a dime.  Maybe just use the best tarp I had on hand.

If you are set on the hinged OSB plan, I'd use a paint roller and apply 2 or 3 thick coats of exterior poly to the top, 1-2 on the bottom.  Let dry thoroughly in between.  That should last a few years and probably just as long as the plywood treated the same.  Plastic will rip, break down, fall apart and probably leave a mess of plastic scraps around the wood pile.


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## Kenster (May 13, 2011)

I'm not an advocate for covering wood except for two or three days worth during burning season.  Of course, I'll never have to worry about snow piled up on my stacks.  Still,  I certainly wouldn't use any type of sheet wood for a cover.   Or Tarp.   If I wanted to cover my stacks I think I would use either corrugated metal or corrugated fiberglass, like what you might find on a patio cover.  If you wanted to build hinged doors with these, you could just screw them down to 2x4s and have a nice, solid frame and a base for whatever you wanted to use for hinge material.   Or, to keep it simple, just lay the corrugated sheets on top of your stacks and use rocks, or some uglies/ crotches or other unsplitables for weights.

As a 100% scrounger I say keep it simple; keep it cheap.


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2011)

When you shovel snow off the top, the uglies on top become a factor.
This'll be right next to the garage, so rather than clear poly, if I go that route, it'd be something like stealthy dark brown.
I'm not sure about building a frame and putting some corrugated material over it;  at the least, it wouldn't be cheap, 'cause I'd prob. have to buy new, probably cut the tin, etc.
The 6 mil black plastic I have covering (well, in places, at this point) the old pile that I am now moving lasted well, but it was under trees, not in direct light.

The best part of any of this is that it will not be a tragedy if it doesn't work.
All it would do would be to reinforce the need for a shed!


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## Lumber-Jack (May 13, 2011)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> The best part of any of this is that it will not be a tragedy if it doesn't work.
> *All it would do would be to reinforce the need for a shed*!


You got that part right  ;-)


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## woodsmaster (May 13, 2011)

Im with Kenster. I just use what I have laying around. That is usually throw away tarps or rubber roof scraps . I nail them down with button cap nails so they don't blow off and only cover the top.


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## Kenster (May 13, 2011)

I wonder how sheets of vinyl siding would work.   I've never priced them.  Maybe scraps from a house under construction?  Or does anyone use it anymore on houses?


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## velvetfoot (May 13, 2011)

But this is for right next to the garage during the winter.
My drying stacks are uncovered and away from the house.
I've used tarps in the past, and probably will again, but I'm trying to 'improve'.
Not sure this board thing is worth hassle, but I do recall that messing with tarps in the winter is a pain.


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## weatherguy (May 13, 2011)

velvetfoot said:
			
		

> But this is for right next to the garage during the winter.
> My drying stacks are uncovered and away from the house.
> I've used tarps in the past, and probably will again, but I'm trying to 'improve'.
> Not sure this board thing is worth hassle, but I do recall that messing with tarps in the winter is a pain.



I agree with you on tarps, especially if you live in a snowy climate. Id like to get some fiberglass roofing material at a good price otherwise Ill probably stick with tarps til I build a shed.. Every year I say I should build a shed, maybe one of these years I will.


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## velvetfoot (May 14, 2011)

As I was moving some of the last of the four cords from one place to another this evening, it occurred to me the hinge thing won't work for me.  Chances are, I wouldn't go 4' in each time I get wood (2/3 cord), so unless I braced the sheets with 2x4's or something, the sheet would probably get all bent up.  There was another thread where someone said he put a tarp over sheets, that I'll have to look for.   It's nice that the sheets would keep the tarp away from the side of the wood, and the surface would be flatt(er) for shoveling.  It'd mean messing around with the sheets though-remove from pile, throw over bank, sheet warps, disolves, etc; might not make for a good "look", have to be disposed of, etc, etc, etc.

Instead of ruminating on this, I should figure out where to store the grapple load that I've yet to start on.

A shed is needed....


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## Backwoods Savage (May 14, 2011)

Kenster said:
			
		

> I wonder how sheets of vinyl siding would work.   I've never priced them.  Maybe scraps from a house under construction?  Or does anyone use it anymore on houses?



Ken, I've thought about trying that because we just finished with some new siding and have lots of scraps. Maybe I'll test the waters and see how it works.


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