How To Make A Plywood Floor Look Good

Make sure you use an oil based polyurethene made specifically for flooring.

How to make a plywood floor look good.

Sled house is a low budget project which utilises the affordable beauty and durability of plywood to perfection. When you choose wood flooring you may look to the standard laminate or hardwood panels for installation but you can make a beautiful floor out of plywood with simple care techniques. Yes plywood is a soft wood and yes it will get a little beat up over the years. Your stenciled floor looks nice for sure.

They were perfectly imperfect and all worn and full of character. When i was planning my approach to the diy i had those gorgeous floors in mind. Remove the existing flooring. The oil based poly brings out the color of the wood and the grain and makes the plywood look warmer.

There are lots of other choices you could make on the plywood. If you are painting plywood to use it as a surface in your home such as a painted plywood floor you will need a more heavy duty paint. There are two basic ways to go. Although you want the finished floor to resemble wood grain leaving the plywood grain exposed will belie the painted effect you create because the grain of some sheets runs perpendicular to the the painted grain.

Given the house is on sleds you read right the bracing ability of plywood is particularly important in this project. These are water based artists paints that can be used to create beautiful and detailed images on wood. For me though one of the negative factors for going with a painted plywood floor is how the baseboards no longer fit because the plywood floor is a sub floor only. The plywood feels laid back and beachy the perfect look for a family beach shack.

A plywood floor is more work to install than laminate but it will last much longer too especially if you buy the cheaper laminates in the price ranges you are talking about. Consequently there is an unfinished look to the final product. An inexpensive alternative to real plank flooring is to fake. It s almost like putting on a mild stain.

I had the thought that cutting down and using plywood as the planks could achieve a similar and even more rustic in a good way look. To hide the plywood grain mix dilute floor leveling compound and spread it over the whole floor using a 6 inch drywall knife. If you are painting plywood to make art consider purchasing acrylic primer and paints. Once reserved for subfloors and sheathing construction grade plywood is now making a splash as affordable residential finish flooring.