Products that contain sodium chloride, calcium chloride or similar compounds are not recommended for melting snow and ice from wood structural panels such as OSB or plywood.  The salts in these products can potentially absorb into the panels, allowing them to retain more moisture.  The increase in moisture will cause the panels to expand and may lead to thickness swell and buckling problems.  In addition the salts can also create corrosive problems with the fasteners used to attach the panels to the support framing. The safest and most effective way to melt snow and ice from the panels is to spread dark colored sand.  The dark color will absorb heat from the sun and help melt the snow and ice and the sand will provide a gritty texture to minimize slipping.  The panels will obviously need to be dried and swept before applying the finish flooring.

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