On Saturday I went for lunch at the excellent Gambas in Bristol (bit pricey, but worth it...) The restaurant is one of a row of modifed containers, along with lots of other food outlets. When your beer intake has reached the point where relief is required, you go out of the door, down the steps and along the back to more modifed containers in which are the toilets. Inside, it was all lined with what looked like tiles with a wood look, but which on closer inspection, turned out to be pieces of OSB, all cut to the same size, (about 30x 60cm), glued to the walls like tiles, and finished with some sort of sealant in order to make them water/splash proof. Has anyone seen this way of using OSB before? Is this just someone being 'creative' or is this an accepted way of using OSB, in bathrooms and toilets?
OSB used as "tiles"??
- Thread starter SimoninEaston
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Cheap and easily replaced, seen mdf used on office reception floor, nightmare for the cleaners.
OK - sounds like it might be worth looking into. TBH I was just thinking of using it as a splash-back in my kitchen, so it'll have a relatively easy life. I imagine that in the toilets I referred to, the tiles are getting regularly treated to contact with industrial-strength cleaning products - hopefully! I guess what I'm saying is, it's all down the quality of whatever they used to seal the 'tiles'. I wish I'd taken a couple of pictures now - although maybe getting the phone out to take a couple of snaps in a public toilet wouldn't have been a good idea... ! 
D
Deleted member 174758
In fit-out work (bars, restaurants, hotels, etc) this sort of thing is currently in-vogue, but in those sort of environments if the item has a limited life there generally isn't an issue if a "tile" needs replacing - and they certainly do from time to time! In the last 10 years I've installed old wine boxes, rough sawn planks, OSB, old pallets, shot-blasted plywood, chestnut that was left in manure for 3 years then pressure washed, wormy oak, etc, to name just some - all as "feature" wall covering. Personally not my own taste, but what the customer pays for.... OSB is fairly absorbent and is one of those products which will be awkward to seal unless you throw a lot of finish at it and I think that sealing the edges will give you the biggest problems. And just remember that crevices are the enemy of cleanliness and hygiene - which is why commercial kitchens are almost all fitted out with whiterock or stainless steel wall coverings these days, at least in my experience. Even though it's bland and boring