Can I Make a Floor From Plywood?

Plywood

• This common building product is used to construct furniture, built-in, houses and other structures. It comes in 4-by-8-foot sheets, resists warping and shrinking, is strong and has a low cost relative to its size. It is generally made from five to seven layers of veneer that are bonded under heat to form one panel. As a flooring material, it commonly works as underlayment or base for resilient floors such as vinyl and other synthetics, tiles and certain kinds of carpet. Plywood also bridges the differences in thickness between different types of adjacent floors.

Flooring

• Plywood is a far more economical alternative to traditional hardwood floors. Its top layer can consist of almost any wood, such as birch, oak, pine and beech, to match any decor. Though contractors can lay complete sheets as floor, a more common approach is to cut the boards into squares with equal sides. They can then lay the squares so that patterns either complement or contrast with one another. The smaller boards are also lighter and easier to handle. Because the product comes in larger sheets, even do-it-yourselfers can install them more easily than wooden planks, producing even more cost savings.

Finishes

• Lower-grade plywood is cheaper and is sufficient for floors that receive paint. They can look like almost any material with faux finishes, take different patterns and designs or use solid colors or checkerboard patterns. As with any other painting project, such floors need to be as clean and smooth as possible and then primed with sealers. Boards with higher-quality surfaces (cabinet grade) can be stained to bring out their natural beauty. No matter the finish, these floors require several coats of sealer for durability.

Alternatives

• When homeowners tire of a finish on a plywood floor, in many cases they can paint over the previous finish with a little preparation. (Paints can easily go over stains but stains cannot go over paints.) It is unnecessary to pull up the old material and lay new boards. The same holds true if the homeowner wants to use different material for flooring. As previously stated, the existing finished plywood floor works well as a foundation for flexible floors, rigid tiles and carpets.