Is plywood the best material for non-bathroom sub-floors?

[jimmyn197]

I'm trying to refresh my sub-floor as some of it is water damaged and as I've got my carpet up it seems like the perfect time. I've tried to do research into this but it's hard to find reliable info.

So far I've found I can use either Plywood, OSB or Chipboard for my floorboards and I'm getting the impression 18mm Structural Plywood is the best but it seems incredibly expensive.

Is Plywood actually the best to use? If so, I may just make the investment but I just want to make sure it's actually worth it.

Also, how do you guys advise removing the sub-floor? I could potentially pull up the skirting board.

 

[cdbe]

Nothing wrong with 22mm flooring grade chipboard suitably fixed.

 

[jimmyn197]

Nothing wrong with 22mm flooring grade chipboard suitably fixed.

What about 18mm OSB3? That seems to be the best value

 

[JohnD]

Nothing wrong with 22mm flooring grade chipboard suitably fixed.

In my house, it cracks in traffic lanes, at the bottom of the stairs, and in front of the sink. In at least one bedroom the legs of the bed punched through.

I have replaced with ply which is much better.

Chipboard also fares very bady if it sees water.

To the builder, it has the overpowering advantage of being cheap.

 

[dazlight]

marine plywood is the best.

 

[jimmyn197]

In my house, it cracks in traffic lanes, at the bottom of the stairs, and in front of the sink. In at least one bedroom the legs of the bed punched through.

I have replaced with ply which is much better.

Chipboard also fares very bady if it sees water.

To the builder, it has the overpowering advantage of being cheap.

Wow, is that even with flooring & underlay over it?

 

[cdbe]

In at least one bedroom the legs of the bed punched through.

**** me! Your love life must be better than mine! I find it hard to believe you're talking about 22mm caberfloor on 450cc joists. On the other hand my sister's 1980s house has Weetabix 18mm stuff that you can stamp your heal through.