DIY Plywood Plank Floors

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Cso51108026 on Oct 01, 2022
Plywood is a great way to do floors! We had subfloor differences in a 1906 Craftsman that has 2 1/4" maple floors, and needed to continue flooring where reclaimed flooring would have been much too tall, due to the subfloor being thicker. A real trip hazard! We would up using 5/8" maple plywood that we cut into 2 1/4 strips and staggered/glued, and gave it a natural stain and poly, to blend with the original flooring in the adjoining room. NO ONE believes it's plywood!!! And it's held up beautifully (note: on a floor, as a contractor, you will NEVER regret multiple, multiple coats of polyurethane, and a marine-grade if you can find it!!! ESPECIALLY with kids/pets - you can then use a flooring like this in a kitchen or bath, because the marine-grade poly makes it water-rated for high moisture areas!!! So, easy to fun an inexpensive flooring throughout an area!).
Note: For folks looking for 1-side sanded, both Menards and Home Depot carry it - it's literally called sanded plywood, and a 4x8 foot sheets runs just over $20. That works out to about 65 cents/square foot!!! It doesn't get cheaper than that for solid flooring!! AND, if you use a construction-grade adhesive glue, you can spare the nails, which are visible... Give it a go - if you hate it, you're not out a tremendous investment. But, I'm willing to bet you'll love it!! ~Chrissie
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Frequently asked questions
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Considering this as a cheaper alternative for a rental did you bevel the edges and how well does it hold up to dents and scrathes
How did you finish up the doorway? Would have liked to see a photo of that, as I doubt you left it with the raw edges in the doorway
Also, think this would be workable in a light traffic area, such as bedroom, where furniture isn't likely moved often.
Shari will you post a picture of the tongue and groove you say you guys would have used if you knew or are going to use next time? I have a 16x18 room I have to do and this is brilliant. I did my hallway with 1x4 boards and I wish they were wider and they didn’t have the beveled edges for stuff to get in between them. But it works and looks great stained like this.