ᐅ Is it possible to install OSB boards as a subfloor over carpet?

When making an old house livable, we are considering simply using OSB boards as the floor covering and leaving the existing old carpet underneath as insulation.

Has anyone done this before?

Heidi1965 schrieb:

Has anyone done this yet?

Why would anyone do something like that? I know carpet under laminate flooring – it’s terrible. Why use OSB boards as flooring instead of proper floor coverings?

Affordable and natural product.

Heidi1965 schrieb:

When making an old house habitable again, we are thinking about simply using OSB boards as the floor covering and leaving the existing old carpet underneath; basically as insulation.
Has anyone done this before?

"Making habitable again" might need some explanation. You could also consider dyeing the old carpet...
But honestly... an old carpet harbors things you probably don’t want to preserve like that.
The carpet needs to be removed. To lay an OSB floor properly and cleanly, especially at joints and seams, you need to be very thorough.
It would be better to buy very cheap laminate flooring or something similar on clearance; it is also easier to install. Considering the carpet as insulation is quite risky.

Heidi1965 schrieb:

Affordable and natural product.

In terms of price per square meter (square foot), yes it may be cheap, but including additional work it can be more expensive than inexpensive laminate. Also... eco-friendly OSB (check what exactly is in it!) with a damp-smelling carpet underneath hardly qualifies as natural. Your carpet is almost certainly not made from natural materials.

Heidi1965 schrieb:

Affordable

More expensive than laminate. If suitable for walking barefoot, then much more expensive than laminate.

Heidi1965 schrieb:

Natural product

True, except for the binding agents such as phenoplasts, melamine-urea-phenol-formaldehyde, or polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate. Check the binder and consider whether you actually want natural formaldehyde emissions from your natural product.

Affordable can also mean reasonable quality. You want something cheap and simple. Carpet always adds cushioning and causes issues with tongue-and-groove joints.

I wouldn’t do that. For one thing, it’s not a good idea to install something over carpet. Besides, you usually want to remove an old carpet anyway, and OSB boards are only really suitable as a floor covering for an attic or storage space, not for living areas. My advice: remove the carpet. With some luck, there are wooden floorboards underneath that you can sand yourself at low cost, giving you an affordable natural floor!