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Discussion Forum

Living with a plywood floor

PenobscotMan | Posted in General Discussion on May 19, 2007 08:28am

This probably does not belong on any forum remotely connected with “Fine” homebuilding, but does anyone have thoughts on living with PW floors?  We are finishing/winterizing our summer, now retirement cabin.  The PW floors were painted with deck paint and held up pretty well to several years of wear.  Rather than doing a finish floor, our thought is to patch up the PW and buy nice rugs.  The DW, especially, likes nice rugs better than nice floors.  But, the PW (AC fir) needs work in some places.

Plan A: Sink some nails, patch and putty, repaint.

Plan B: Add an additional layer of PW, take more care with fasteners, paint. (One problem with this is that it will change the rise on the first step of a stairway.)

I’d appreciate advice, especially on an alternative to fir for the new layer under plan B.

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  1. jesse | May 19, 2007 09:29pm | #1

    You can get 4x8 sheets of 'Chinese Maple' ply here for cheap $30 for 3/4 and I think you can get 3/8 for less. Screwed and plugged, with a regular wood floor finish would be pretty cool. forums.livemodern.com has some examples of plywood flooring. You could cut the sheets in half and alternate the way the grain runs, for a checkerboard look.

  2. User avater
    JDRHI | May 19, 2007 09:33pm | #2

    Its your house, right?

    Do what you'd like with it.

    So long as its stable, it will last for years.

    I once installed a solid oak floor so that the HO could paint black and white squares over it.

    J. D. Reynolds
    Home Improvements

     

     


  3. User avater
    mike_guertin | May 19, 2007 09:41pm | #3

    I'm living with OSB floors - going on 10 years. Just sanded lightly and polyed. As a plan B option, if you like the look, try it.

    I was in a retail store recently where the flooring and all fixtures where just nicely polyed OSB.

    MG

    1. cliffy | May 20, 2007 06:21am | #5

      Wow was I glad to see your post.  I've shown a few of your articles ( with and without Rick) to my wife over the years.  I also said before I'd bring Tim Hortons  for you guys next time I drive 14 hours to Boston.   

      We are in our house that I started building 10 years ago.  With working all the time, raising twins,  getting the most out of our money and generally being busy, we have plywood floors in about 1/3 of our house.

      I see that I'm not alone!

      Have a good day

      Cliffy

  4. Piffin | May 19, 2007 11:51pm | #4

    For a camp?
    No problem by me! Just fill with Durhams Rock Hard wood putty, sand and repaint.

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

  5. Scott | May 20, 2007 07:36am | #6

    I don't think there is any sense in adding another layer of plywood just so you can have the same stuff you already have. I'd just sand lightly, vacuum, patch (body filler works well), sand smooth, and repaint. If your DW is happy with PW and rugs, consider yourself a lucky guy!!

    Scott.

    Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”

    1. Snort | May 20, 2007 04:50pm | #7

      If you just have to mess with it...about 30 years ago I glued 2'x2' 1/4" masonite squares down on a sub-floor. Client painted them to look sort of like mexican tile, then polyed. It was to be temporary 'til they could afford something else ...I went back a couple of years ago. They could definitly afford something else, but dang, that masonite still looked good<G> Outside of the gates the trucks were unloadin',

      The weather was hot, a-nearly 90 degrees.

      The man standin' next to me, his head was exploding,

      Well, I was prayin' the pieces wouldn't fall on me.

  6. Hudson Valley Carpenter | May 20, 2007 06:11pm | #8

    One other option, just as an alternate, would be to put down 1/4"AC with construction adhesive and finish nails.  Then you could stain it and roll on a couple coats of polyurethane.  That would be equally easy to clean and might look a little better with the rugs.  The poly over finish nails could last longer than deck paint over nail heads too. The added 1/4" wouldn't be a problem for you on that first stair tread. 

    Edit: Try Goggle using "veneer plywood" for alternates to AC. Here's one web site;

    http://www.bristolvalley.com/store.asp?pid=1430



    Edited 5/20/2007 11:16 am ET by Hudson Valley Carpenter

    1. fingersandtoes | May 21, 2007 04:01am | #9

      Problem with that is it will look so good he will never put down finished flooring!

  7. NatW | May 21, 2007 04:19am | #10

    Can't remember where I saw it, but somebody had the same situation and the wife decided to wallpaper the floor while they saved for something nicer. Covered it in shellac or polyurethane. They ended up liking it so much they never put a "real" floor in - just put down another layer when it got worn. Also allowed her to change the decor more often without breaking the bank.

  8. arrowshooter | May 21, 2007 05:17am | #11

    A friend of mine used OSB for the finish floor in his tavern. Just put it down and put about four coats of Polyethlene on it and started serving beer.

    The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
    Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
    Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
    Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it."
    - Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

     

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