As a practical matter, OSB and plywood are equally well suited for wall and roof sheathing. There are some differences however to consider, including: --OSB is generally somewhat less expensive; --Ply has greater shear resistance and strength; --You should use a water barrier/drainage plane for either (do not directly apply the finish material to the OSB or Ply); --OSB may have an issue if left for extended periods in the rain (but then what doesn't?). Properly installed, either material will be durable and serviceable. Good luck on your build.

I wouldn't listen to them either. most know very little about what they sell. call the company that makes the vinyl you bought. there ARE sheet vinyls that you can 'float' - and it will say so in the specs. look on the armstrong site and the congoleum site. they both have some. I just picked out a few yesterday to look at IRL when I go to a FLOORING store, not HD or Lowe's. If they sell it at a better price, great - but I don't believe much of anything they tell me. I was hoping to go with something else but everything has problems I don't want to deal with... with this sheet vinyl (providing I like one of my choices when I see it in real) I know it's easy to clean and is easy on my feet, legs, back. it can be floated so I don't have to smell the glue! and I can possibly drop something on it w/o it chipping or cracking...and I drop lots of stuff. Otherwise I'll have to shift to vinyl tiles - which I don't really want either. They sure do make some ugly sheet vinyl tho...not very many I'd have on my floor. I picked out very light, plain neutral colors - like all beige. I don't want a lot of busy pattern or dark or ugly. that really limited my choices. this is one of my options: http://congoleum.chameleonpower.com/product.cfm?sku=46631 congoleum - from installation docs: AirStep Plus, with UltraTec construction, is guaranteed not to curl. This construction allows the flooring to be installed by the Your Choice Plus Installation System which includes the fully adhered, perimeter fastened and loose lay installation methods. AirStep Cloud Nine and Basis are constructed with a fiberglass inner liner and a dense cushioned backing that resists curl and shrinkage and can be installed either fully adhered or loose laid. Cloud Nine and Basis should never be installed perimeter fastened. With these installation choices, AirStep products address a wide variety of job conditions. Here is a link that might be useful: congoleum

weedyacres we had already bought the OSB before I started researching OSB vs. plywood. Although most articles seemed to prefer plywood, I did read that OSB is supposed to have the same performance. We had to rent a truck and everything just to get it from the store to our house, so we didn't think the cost/effort was worth returning the OSB for plywood (and hence my post, just to be sure :)). Why do you recommend it over OSB?

A Newport engineering study done at the behest of the Vinyl Siding Institute and the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority in 2008 and 2009 showed energy saving benefits from using insulated vinyl siding. Subsequently, the IECC recognized the product as a form of continuous insulation in homes meeting energy compliance codes. Poor installation can reduce effectiveness; as well, vinyl siding with insulation inserted on site is not the same as insulation bonded to the vinyl at the time of manufacture. The Vinyl Siding Institute maintains a list of certified products. Martin Holladay, when he was at the Green Building Advisor, had concerns about the siding not allowing vapour drive to the exterior and the lack of a drainage gap. He preferred adding foam board to the wall followed by un-insulated vinyl.