Norbord, the world’s largest manufacturer of OSB, recently announced it is investing £35million into the second phase of development of its Inverness factory in Scotland.
The investment, totaling £145 million in the past two years, has seen advancements in the production of OSB at the state of the art facilities, including no longer adding formaldehyde to its resins, making SterlingOSB Zero the only UK-manufactured zero-added formaldehyde OSB range.
In addition to SterlingOSB Zero’s health and environmental benefits, the OSB boards are also coming off the continuous press with a smoother finish, removing the need for any sanding. Simon Woods, Norbord’s European Sales, Marketing and Logistics Director, emphasised the smoother finish: “With the daylight presses we used to sand the boards three or four times, now we don’t touch them; they come straight off the press and go straight out.”
As part of the Norbord’s ongoing investment, it has renamed its OSB brand as SterlingOSB Zero — reflecting that it is now manufactured with zero-added formaldehyde. A campaign, highlighting the products’ enhancements, was launched at the end of 2018, focusing on zero limitations, zero worries and zero compromise.
The SterlingOSB Zero range of products is the most popular OSB brand in the building and interior design arena and comprises of five products:
- SterlingOSB Zero OSB3
- SterlingOSB Zero T&G
- SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix
- SterlingOSB Zero SiteCoat
- SterlingOSB Zero Fire Solutions
The precision-engineered OSB3 board is loved for both its structural use in load-bearing and challenging conditions, as well as being hugely popular in the aesthetics-led interior design industry. SterlingOSB Zero is firmly recognised as the go-to resource in construction due to its flexibility of application — from hoarding to roofing and flooring — making it a key resource on any building site, regardless of the size of the project.
Due to its visual appeal, SterlingOSB Zero is repeatedly showcased creatively in its rawest form — in restaurants, cafes, bars, retail outlets, pop-up villages, adventure parks and festivals — as well as being used by architects and artists to create incredible works of art.
That said, its core function and purpose firmly remains in the realm of construction and, to that end, commitment to innovation for SterlingOSB Zero at Norbord HQ continues to focus on improving the product to make it even more fit for purpose.
Designed specifically for dry lining applications, SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix is a precision engineered OSB with a special groove machined into the edge for metal C-studs at 600mm centres. In accordance with the requirements of BS5234 Part 2, SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix achieves excellent pull-out ratings and is capable of supporting heavy weights of up to 400kg with standard wood screws.
The SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix panels are easily fixed between C-studs by simply fixing an L-section steel strip along the non-grooved edge with 25mm self-tapping drywall screws, and then angling the board so that the recessed groove engages the lip of the opposite C-stud. With the panel in place, it is secured with self-tapping screws driven through one C-stud into the L-shaped strip and through the opposite stud, into the edge of the board. The recessed groove allows quick installation and ensures a seamless finish, ready for hanging plasterboard without adding any extra thickness to the stud wall.
SterlingOSB Zero StrongFix is available in 18mm-thick, 2400mm x 597mm panels, with 50 sheets per pack. Non-standard sizes are available on request.
To find out how SterlingSOB Zero can help you, call 01786 812 921 or visit www.norbord.co.uk or www.sterlingosbzero.com.
