OSB Boarding vs Softwood Floorboards?

I have a tender for a new build house and im realising the particular contractor has specified that the upper floors of the house will be finished in OSB boarding.

I presume this is cheaper then traditional tongue and groove floorboards, does anybody have any experience with them? Is it worth getting the builder to quote for softwood t & g floors instead? I do intend in either carpeting or laminate flooring over whatever finish is decided on

Thanks

P

I'd strongly advise against OSB as a flooring material. I've seen it used on a small scheme of new builds and it did not impress at all. If OSB receives even moderate exposure to rain, combined with heavy foot traffic (as is typical during construction) the surface will degrade very rapidly. Even where exposure to rain is prevented the wet trades are detrimental to the board and it will not tolerate scrubbing or cleaning like a good ply. Where you are going to tile or carpet I would recommend a good WBP Plywood, it'll cost about €10 more per sheet than the OSB but it will stand up to wear and tear during construction and provides the best substrate for subsequent finishes. T&G floor is also an alternative of course. IMHO OSB is really only suitable for use where it can be guaranteed that it won't be exposed to ANY moisture. Oh yeah, it's probably ok for packing case too!

What is OSB boarding?

Is it a cheaper form of plywood?

I was planning on using some SmartPly sheeting secured to a concrete slab and nailing my solid wood floor into this. I went with SmartPly as it is cheaper than WBP, and it looks like the portanailer could break the surface easier (had trouble breaking the surface of good ply with first strike before). Is SmartPly suitable for some moisture exposure?

OSB is Orientated Strand Board, which is basically a type of chipboard made with large flakes of wood, compressed and glued together. Don't know what smart ply is.

Thanks.

Checked their website and Smartply is actually OSB also, though it seems to be waterproof as they say it is suitable for exterior use, so it looks like it will be suitable for using on top of concrete for nailing a wooden floor to it.

I think it's roughly €18 plus vat retail price for an 8' x 4' 18mm board.