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L-P Waferwood: the Oriented Structural Board

By William F. Rooney Louisiana-Pacific Corp.

IIHE structural panel industry has I been the scene of claims and counterclaims as various oriented strand boards and waferboards elbow each other aside as they jockey for position in the traditional plywood markets. There's a lot of unnecessary confusion, but it really boils down to some basic business questions.

Which panel is the strongest? Who is the cheapest? What panel represents the best value? Which of these should I stock for my builder and do-it-yourself consumer customers? These are all legitimate questions which face the retail building material dealer today.

When Louisiana-Pacific introduced its first Waferwood panel six years ago, the slogan, "You Can't Afford To Do Business As Usual" was an integral part of the initial advertising campaign. Today that slogan is just as meaningful especially when a dealer faces the choice of what structural panel he should stock.

Story at a Glance

On this page, L.P sets forth its assertions ol superiority for its proprietary prod uct, Waf erwood ...including their claims as to its "superior structural ratings," lull range ol products and quality control.

From the original, large, approximately three-inch square wafers to the newer strandlike wafers of today, Louisiana-Pacific Waferwood has undergone a series of technical improvements. Although L-P is the acknowledged leader in the North American reconstituted panel industry, we still try harder. We're determined to remain Number One.

The bread and butter panel, the 7/16 " workhorse for general construction, started with a non-slip screen grid texture on one side to provide safer footing for workers on steeply pitched roofs.

Then an effective edge seal on all four sides was added to retard moisture absorption. The polymer edge seal was dyed a distinctive bright orange color since L-P was convinced that both our panel and our quality control were the best in the industry. We wanted to separate our Waferwood panel visually from other waferboard manufacturers.

The next major move was to expand into 5./8 " and 3/4" thick panels with a sealed tongue and groove long edge for one-step subfloor construction. L-P was the first company to receive the American Plywood Association Sturd-I-Floor Performance Rated Panel Approval for this application.

Other thicknesses, particularly the l/4" panel, were developed to meet demand from the home center d-i-y customers. Compared to sanded plywood, the thin Waferwood panels for interior wall coverings in garages,