Why is everyone using pressure treated plywood for basement subfloors in Edmonton?

I ripped up a floor last week that was installed just three years ago and the pressure treated plywood was already warped and cupping from the humidity down there. My buddy at Rona told me they sell it to guys all the time for basements but it's way too wet for our climate when it's fresh. Am I the only one who thinks standard OSB with a proper vapor barrier is the better call up here?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_roberts8022d ago

You used to think differently but this changed your mind. I was one of those guys buying pressure treated plywood for my own basement a few years back. Thought it was the smart move since it's treated and all that. Then I pulled it up after two winters and it was cupped so bad you could trip over the seams. The moisture content is just too high when it's fresh, and it shrinks and twists as it dries out down there. Standard OSB with a proper vapor barrier and a good layer of closed cell foam on the walls has been way more stable in my place. I see guys at the lumber yard grabbing that wet treated stuff and I want to tell them to save their money.

mary46222d ago

Read that treated stuff comes out of the mill soaking wet and takes months to dry.