Using Plywood For Flooring

Yes plywood is a lot of work, but if you do a good job and get the right type of plywood. It should hold up for a while. Stay away from veneer plywood because the veneer is like a 64th of and inch thick and with wear off in no time.

Sanded plywood is nice looking and if sawed into planks can look almost like real wood flooring but not warp and move as much. Because of the make up of the layers of the plywood being turned 90 degrees in every other layer.

I'm renting a place where I have to and enjoy doing repairs, upgrades, etc. Outside my bedroom window is a 15'x15' space of clay and gofer holes. It's very uneven and sterile so I covered with some plywood sheets available and made livable ghetto deck. I never sealed it but did screw it down to 2x4s underneath and it went through a season of wet weather with minor warp-age. But I don't care, it least its potted flowers, not mud and no mowing.

Got this deck sealer on clearance and wondering, if don't want to paint out the grain I should stain then seal right? And the stain is just gonna be? Uuh...diluted light base interior latex with old acylic artist tube paint pigment added for color ; many different colors. BTW I'm not going to sand or sweat to much. In fact I might paint with my footprints.
So Hey....what do you think? No I do not live in a ghetto ....but if I did! Being creative is a learning experience for sure.

Quick question? Can I just add pigment to the sealer like it was a base medium? Anyone know?

My father built the home I grew up in and used 'tongue in groove' flooring. I believe it was pine and could be easily stained and finished. It would most likely be more expensive than plywood but it would be a good long lasting floor.

A few years ago, friends of mine redid their floors with plywood. They sanded it down, then started spreading several coats of varathane with a very soft material. Between each coat, they let dry, then sand lightly. They chose not to use stain and let the natural pattern come through. It was so beautiful and a lot of work, but worth it. Good luck to you.

I have seen it done on DIY shows. Some have even used a saw and made shallow cuts on the plywood to make it look like slats of wood nailed together.

Yes indeedy, jmart. We went to a fancy/smancy Italian restaurant in the mall in the trendy section of Tampa, Fl. The floors and walls in the room they put us in (for a fancy b-day party with 100+ guests) were plywood! They were stained and sealed and glossed with polyurethane I presume. They had very large mirrors interspersed on the wall of the same plywood and chandeliers.. Breathtaking! Call a lumberyard and ask what products to use. I've already decided to one day redo the indoor outdoor carpet in our Fl room this way when we can afford to rip this old carpet out and buy the plywood and products to get this beautiful effect. I don't believe we will use large ornate mirrors and chandeliers though. LOL But to answer your question, Yes indeed! Good luck! Let us know if you do this and maybe include a pic of your new floors.

I have a raw plywood floor in my craft room that's an add-on to my mobile home. I've had great success with using stick-on vinyl floor squares from the dollar store & sticking them to the plywood. You can buy them at Dollar Tree or order them from their web site by the case. You get 3 for $1 & they are 12" x 12"... So you can do 30 square feet for $10. I heated them up with a blow dryer or heat gun after they were stuck down then rubbed a soft towel over them & pressed down at the same time to make the glue on the back stick even better. By the time, money & energy you put into sanding & staining the plywood you could cover the plywood with these easy-to-apply vinyl floor tiles. The ones I chose are VERY classy looking & looked like wood in 3 different shades with a diamond shape weaving behind another shade of "wood"... In fact everyone thinks that these stick-on vinyl tiles are REAL wood! Dollar Tree has 8 or so designs to choose from & all are nice. If you need the squ number to order them I can find mine. They also sell these stick-on vinyl tiles at Home Depot but they cost 2 for $1 instead of 3 for $1. Also look at liquidation stores!

Another way you could go is to lay down vinyl flooring that looks like hardwood... We did this in our kitchen before we sold our house & everyone thought the vinyl flooring was REAL hardwood (it looked just like it!)... It costs very little & is easy to clean & install which sanding & sealing plywood isn't! ...They have a brand that bends & is soft so it's MUCH easier to self install, unlike the older brands. In fact Armstrong will guarantee your self-installation if you spend $20 & also buy their installation directions & template... If you buy this kit along with your flooring & you make a mistake then THEY will pay for brand new flooring for you! ...This also comes in a hardwood wood or parquet look-a-like. We figured it would cost about $80 - $100 for a bedroom sized piece from Home Depot. But then you wouldn't have to rent the sander or buy 4 or 5 gallons of varathine to seal the plywood!

You can also buy used industrial carpeting that they take out of businesses for almost nothing (then they don't have to pay to take it to the dump!) This industrial carpeting can look like new & is so sturdy it lasts almost forever. Put a note up on Craig's List that you want some "like new" wall to wall industrial carpeting or call one of those places that takes the goodies out of buildings for recycling.

My friend had a plywood floor for years until they could afford real wood & she had the hardest time keeping it clean! If I was to do what you're thinking about, I would thin down a dark color of 100% acrylic paint in a color I liked (50-50 paint to water) then using a mop, I'd stain it with a color (like a dark emerald or olive green, med brown or indigo blue) & lastly, using a new mop, seal it with at least 2 or 3 coats of water-based varathine. Water-based doesn't last as long as oil-based & isn't as durable, but it dries quicker & isn't nearly as toxic. You can buy 100% Acrylic paint at Home Depot (not to be confused with Latex paint) Acrylic paint sticks better & lasts longer than Latex. A gallon is just under $20. For more details write me here on ThriftyFun. Remember, always use oil-based paint with oil-based sealer & water-based with water-based!
---> GOOD LUCK! <---