If your dishwasher or clothes washer ever leak the plywood will still hold its strength for quite some time. The OSB may lose its strength much quicker.
 
Plywood will still delaminate with a bad leak, either one will need replaced if bad enough. Plywood might be better with a minor leak. Might. Not worth the extra cost for me.
 
If you're putting something relatively impervious over it like sheet vinyl I think underlayment grade OSB is fine. If something that a leak can get through, the ply can survive if you catch the leak early but it won't take a leak for very long before it requires replacement as well. Ultimately I'd say go with the OSB and put the savings into nicer flooring or something.
 
When I was in college I lived in a house trailer 10x50. It had plywood floors. Never a problem

Later I bought a bigger and newer house trailer.
It had 1 inch sawdust board. Don't think OSB was invented then.

A heavy person could eventually weaken the sawdust floor.
If the window on a trailer leaked a little, you could step through the sawdust floor.

I refuse to use OSB on my floors. Only 3/4 inch tongue and groove plywood nailed and glued to the floor joist.

Plywood in my house houses have never failed.
If a toilet, tub, sink leaks, washer, ice maker leaks it will cause plywood to come apart unless you use marine plywood.

I have 1/2 osb on the roof of my first pole barn, 15 years old.
Never a problem.
Get any floor wet long enough and you will have problems.

It's possible high humidity could cause glues to fail.
 
Personally I would not use neither one in a house.

AdvanTech is far superior to both OSB and Plywood.
 
My house has 3/4 T&G OSB floors with 1/4 underlayment over it, on floor joists on 16 inch centers. Two things I have noticed - the floors always squeak when you walk around. Over the years we've just learned to live with it. But four years ago we did a major remodel of our kitchen and removed the vinyl flooring and replaced with a better quality laminate. We now see a few cracks forming along the seams in traffic areas, I think the OSB flexes so much it is cracking the tongue and groove joint. I don't know for sure if plywood would have done better but I think plywood floors are quieter.
 
My floor creeks a little,but it would creek a lot more, if i hadn't pushed up all the nails that missed the floor joist's,and renailed them, they didn't care if they didn't have a good solid sound with the air hammer. I would go around after carpenter crew left and i would do it right!
 
15 years ago new utility room, half bath, the plywood as seemed a lot better. Have had OSB board break.
 


You can't do better than 3/4 T&G Advantech, which is actually a type of OSB. Don't even think of using plywood. The key is the adhesive. You can put it down for your deck then leave it to the weather for a year and it will still be good and still under warrantee.
 
30+ years ago used I think what they called sturdy floor on 16 centers. 3/4. Nailed and glued. Nothing on carpet side. Put down masonite on vinyl side. Only one squeak. Fixed with a screw. Few years ago I made wife an outdoor workbench with leftover pieces I had saved. Being outside it doesnt look the best but it is still holding together. Good stuff, little water doesnt damage it. Only thing I would do today is use screws. I think that was the name of it. Very high quality particle board.
 
I don't see any disadvantages. I started a project and circumstances changed my mine and I started tearing the section of the house down and the OSB subfloor has been sitting in the weather for more than a year and I don't have any reservations walking on it.
 
Thanks guys.

The local box store does not stock Advantech and the local lumber yards are closed today so I can not call them but I will tomorrow.

I did find LP Premium 23/32 in. Tongue and Groove OSB Sub-Floor on the box store web site.
I have used LP Smart Siding before and liked it so this LP product may be on par with Advantech.
It is made with Gorilla Glue Technology for water resistance.
 
(quoted from post at 12:30:04 05/06/23) At half the cost what are the disadvantages of using OSB vrs
plywood as a subfloor.

Both are 3/4 thick. Both are T&G. Only difference I see is one
is OSB and one is southern pine plywood.

If your really concerned about wetness
Huber makes a new product
Advantech X factor subfloor.
The entire surface is coated waterproof

Joe
 
I am not really concerned about wetness.
We are replacing a living room floor in a house so it is already rain tight.
The only wetness it may see is a child spilling a drink on the carpet floor.

I am more concerned with using the right product so it will last structurally.
 
With no worry of moisture, just use OSB. Those other products are just OSB with waterproof glue.
 

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