# Can I Paint a Plywood Subfloor?



## JazMan

If you think the carpet is unattractive, what do you call plywood? Plus you'll want to avoid going bare footed too. Keep the ugly carpet until you can save up for hardwood or ceramic. It's a good idea to get rid of all carpeting because it makes you sick.  Just wait a few more months.

Jaz


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## Nestor_Kelebay

Yes, you can paint plywood underlayment, but it won't look good for long. The problem is that plywood underlayment is made from softwoods like fir or poplar, and these just aren't hard enough to stand up to scratches (caused by moving furniture) or dents (caused by furniture or dropping things).

So, yeah, you can paint it, but you'll be wanting to cover it up soon, too.

Consider pulling up your old carpet and using double sided carpet tape to install "Kanga-back" carpet yourself in your house. Kanga-back carpet is the carpet with the foam rubber backing already stuck to it. Spread it out in your room so that it laps up the walls a few inches, and cut it with a razor knife in slits every 4 or 5 feet along the perimeter of every room so that you can tell exactly where to cut it so that it stops right at the wall. Mark and cut, and then pull the carpet a foot or two back and press double sided carpet tape down around the perimeter of the floor. Press the carpet down into that double sided tape, and you're OK for a few years. The foam rubber backing will prevent the carpet from sliding around under foot, and if it starts to lift in the door way, screw down a metal threshold over the edge or seam there to keep it from lifting.


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## Nestor_Kelebay

Alternatively, pull out your carpet and put down COMMERCIAL wallpaper with a water soluble wallpaper PASTE. The difference between an adhesive and a paste is that an adhesive cures (like cement cures into concrete) whereas a paste dries (like muck dries into mud). That way, you can remove the wallpaper with water in future.

Commercial wallpaper is much thicker and stronger than residential wallpaper, and the vinyl coating is much thicker to stand up to years of cleaning.

Then, paint that commercial wallpaper with a hardwood floor polyurethane to act as a durable wear layer if the floor is attractive. Otherwise paint it with an alkyd or polyurethane floor paint. 

That way, in future, you can strip that old flooring off just by poking tiny holes in it with a Paper Tiger and wetting down the floor until the wallpaper paste starts to let go.


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## CCSowner

There is a way to do it and have it come out good. But I'm not even going to tell you how in because your on a tight budget. I would just go to lowes and pick up some cheap tile or hardwood. I know all the lowes in this area are selling a cream looking tile for .77cents a sq/ft....it's not bad to work with I just installed 300+ sq/ft of it.


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## Bud Cline

> Alternatively, pull out your carpet and put down COMMERCIAL wallpaper...


*THAT* is *BY FAR* one of *THE DUMBEST* ideas I have aver heard suggested on a forum. *BY FAR*!!!

That suggestion was meant to be a joke...*RIGHT???*


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## adjason

Plywood is not great and wont be very attractive but I lived in a house in college where we did just that -stained the plywood subfloor. If you have some area rugs to throw over it its not too bad. Just dont plan on it being really nice and look at it as temporary.


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## Nestor_Kelebay

Bud:

you said: "*THAT* is *BY FAR* one of *THE DUMBEST* ideas I have aver heard suggested on a forum. *BY FAR*!!!

That suggestion was meant to be a joke...*RIGHT???"*

*I own a small 21 unit apartment block in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In my storage rooms I have commercial wallpaper on the concrete floors. It's true that those rooms don't get much traffic, but they have no wear layer on them, and they continue to look fine after about 5 years now. If I had painted over them with a polyurethane hardwood floor finish, I expect they'd last as long as hardwood floor finish would last on anything else, including hardwood.*

*All I guess I can say is that I'm flattered by your remark. I fully expect someone said something to that effect when Galileo suggested the Earth revolved around the Sun, when Pasteur suggested that very tiny "germs" could make people sick and when Newton first suggested there was a reason why things fell when you dropped them.*

*I'm new to this forum. Why don't you just humour me for a while, and read my posts in your leisure before making such a sweeping assessment of my idea. I assure you that there are so many "very stupid" people on TV that it's easy to assume the world is full of them. My own experience has taught me that they are few and far between. I trust you will find that I am not one of them.*


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## kshankle

Do you have to use tongue and groove for a subfloor on concrete?


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## LADY IN TH EWOODS

*Wall Paper On A Ply Wood Floor*

I AM NEW TO THIS SO.... I WAS WONDERING ALSO ABOUT PAINTING A PLY WOOD FLOOR. I UNDERSTAND THE LOW INCOME PART. I AM ON A FIXED LOW INCOME AND AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO FRESHEN UP AND UP DATE MY HOME.
I THINK THE IDEA OF WALL PAPER ON THE FLOOR IS INTERESTING. HOWEVER I THINK TO DO IT RIGHT YOU WOULD NEED A GOOD PAPER . THAT I THINK WOULD BE EXPENSIVE WHEN YOU ARE COMPARING IT TO PAINT. BUT I LIKE THE IDEA. I WOULD GO WITH A PLAIN OR "SPONGED EFFECT " TYPE PAPER BECAUSE A PLY WOOD FLOOR IS OFTEN FULL OF BUMPS AND FLAWS. A STRIPE OR STRONG PATTERN MIGHT END OF SHOWING ALL THE INPERFECTIONS. I MAYBE WOULD NOT PUT IT IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA EVEN IF I DID SEAL IT WITH SEVERAL COATS SEALER BUT I DO THINK THE IDEA IS A GOOD ONE. I REALIZE NOT ALL IDEAS ARE FOR EVERYONE AND WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO OUT OWN OPIONS BUT I THINK SOME OF US COULD BE A LITTLE KINDER IN OUR OPPOSITIONS TO ANOTHER'S IDEA. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT.......... PUTTING WALL PAPER ON THE FLOOR IS A LOT LIKE DEC-CO-PAUGE ( EX. SPELLING ) AND AS LONG AS YOU SEAL IT WELL IT SHOULD WORK. THIS WOULD BE A VERY NICE IDEA FOR THE INSIDE OF THE CLOSET FLOORS, IN YOUR KITCHEN OR BATH ROOM CABINET FLOORS ETC.


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## Bud Cline

:no::no::no::no::no:


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## Nestor_Kelebay

Lady in the Woods:

These people have made floors out of ordinary brown paper:

http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com/faux_leather_floor.html

http://asthecrowflies.org/2007/10/14/my-beautiful-paper-floor/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x5019

You might try to register on those web pages and find out from them how happy they are with their floors.

Paper certainly isn't as durable a flooring material as others, but the original poster was looking for a cheap alternative to painting, and one that they could install themselves, and I thought that commercial wallpaper fit the bill. Anyone who's seen commercial wall paper knows that it is very much stronger than regular wallpaper or ordinary brown paper, so commercial wallpaper finished with an alkyd based polyurethane should stand up at least as well as a brown paper floor finished with a water based poly.

Also, I spread the wallpaper paste with an adhesive trowel, but then also used a 9 1/2 inch long piece of 1 1/2 inch ABS plastic drain pipe on a paint roller frame to roll the excess paste out from under the paper as I installed in. (That is, I was jumping back and forth between spreading the paste with the trowel and rolling the wallpaper out into the spread paste.) This not only rolled out any air bubbles, it ensured that the paper was stuck down to the concrete with only a very thin film of paste under it. I felt it was most important to have the paper well supported by the concrete, and that meant having the thinnest film of paste between it and the concrete that I could manage.

Commercial wallpaper comes 4 feet wide, and you can often buy spare rolls of it cheap from the places listed under Interior Decorating in your yellow pages phone directory, but you have to phone around to find out who's got what. If you use a regular wallpaper paste to glue it down with, you also have the advantage (in my opinion) of removing it quickly and easily as well should you need/want to. It's a quick, cheap and easy way to cover up an otherwise ugly floor that unlike painting, also lends itself to equally quick removal. I wouldn't suggest it unless I was happy with the results I had with it in my own building, but I do tell people that the traffic in my locker rooms is very light, so it's not necessarily representative of what can be expected in even a residential setting. On the other hand, I never applied a sealer or polyurethane over my wallpaper flooring.


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## LADY IN TH EWOODS

*Lady In The Woods*

*THANKS I WILL LOOK INTO THE BROWN PAPER IDEA AND THANKS FOR THE SITES TOO.*


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## reensjp

*Not sure about my sub floor*

will this work even on a subfloor that's, well, not so hot? We've put down vinyl tiles, but are totally disappointed in how they are wearing. The glue is coming up between tiles, and collects every bit of dust and dirt. I would LOVE to have a nice, fresh surface to clean.


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## rusty baker

This has to be one of the funniest threads that I have ever read.:laughing:


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## Bud Cline

Funny...or just plain sad?:yes:


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## reensjp

*Good for you*

Good for you to be in a situation where you're able to find this thread funny OR sad. The truth is, there are a great many people out there, myself included, for whom proper flooring is a cost prohibitive item. (I happen to live in Hawaii, where you can tack an extra 30% onto the cost of EVERYTHING just to get it here) SO, while I would love to put down hardwood flooring, or beautiful natural stone tile, I cannot, and the flooring I have is becoming increasingly difficult to keep clean and presentable. So yes, we are seeking lower cost alternatives, and wondering if there are non traditional "alternatives".


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## rusty baker

Funny or sad, Nestor gives the same kind of advice on other forums.


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## Bud Cline

> Funny or sad, *Nestor gives the same kind of advice on other forums*.


Exactly the reason for my comment. Had nothing (at all) to do with alternative methods or affordability. Idiocy is alive and well on the Internet and some individuals certainly fit the bill more than others.


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## michaelcherr

Go to a few dumpsters of flooring places.
Grab their scraps of new carpet. Get creative with their leftovers, and some carpet tape.

I've seen some decent sized pieces of new carpet in the trash, but I also used to mow the lawn for a couple flooring places.


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## lajOie

*Give it a try*

I've noticed many people are extremely anti-painted floors, but in reality this practice is VERY old. My Grandma used to paint the floors of their farmhouse during the Depression in Nebraska...

Today, I've successfully painted over the original, 60 year old linoleum in our hall bathroom...and it looks wonderful. 

It is a higher maintenance option, but from a style standpoint it can be pulled off very nicely. 

Tips: 
1) Always sand to smooth and even

2) Always use an EXCELLENT primer (what you pay for is returned in adhesion)

3) Pay for good paint

4) Don't hide the fact that it's painted: make interesting geometric patterns and use high-contrast color combinations using painters tape. Just remember to let the paint cure long enough before putting tape down.

5) Use a top coat whenever possible and remember! You mush remember to caulk places where water could seep to prevent water damage.


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## rusty baker

lajOie said:


> Today, I've successfully painted over the original, 60 year old linoleum in our hall bathroom...and it looks wonderful.
> 
> 
> Tips:
> 1) Always sand to smooth and even


 
NEVER, EVER sand old linoleum or vinyl. You may be releasing asbestos into the air. 

NEVER, EVER.


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## Red Squirrel

I'd sand down the plywood to get it as smooth as you can, don't go too crazy, plywood is called "ply" wood for a reason, just want to go light. Put a very good primer, and paint that is made for floors or other "wear and tear" areas. 

You could probably make it look half decent. Staining or/and varnishing may also work, I'd be curious to see how that would turn out. I've seen floors in cabins, sheds etc painted and while it's not a manshion marble floor, it looks ok.

There was this restaurant in my town at a saw mill, the tables were made of waferboard and other lumber and they varnished the surface, it actually looked really nice and could witstand the abuse of dishes and utensils no problem.


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## lajOie

rusty baker said:


> NEVER, EVER sand old linoleum or vinyl. You may be releasing asbestos into the air.
> 
> NEVER, EVER.



Color me embarrassed. Goes to show what a newbie I am...Thank you for the info! That's one mistake I will never make again.


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## Bud Cline

> I've noticed many people are extremely anti-painted floors, but in reality this practice is VERY old.* My Grandma used to paint the floors of their farmhouse during the Depression in Nebraska...
> *


NOT PLYWOOD SHE DIDN'T !!!

Painted floors are common in old victorians in Nebraska and everywhere else I suppose BUT THEY AREN'T PAINTING THE PLYWOOD SUBFLOORS as a rule.

They are painting old hardwood slats.


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## ttr13r

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> Bud:
> 
> you said: "*THAT* is *BY FAR* one of *THE DUMBEST* ideas I have aver heard suggested on a forum. *BY FAR*!!!
> 
> That suggestion was meant to be a joke...*RIGHT???"*
> 
> *I own a small 21 unit apartment block in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In my storage rooms I have commercial wallpaper on the concrete floors. It's true that those rooms don't get much traffic, but they have no wear layer on them, and they continue to look fine after about 5 years now. If I had painted over them with a polyurethane hardwood floor finish, I expect they'd last as long as hardwood floor finish would last on anything else, including hardwood.*
> 
> *All I guess I can say is that I'm flattered by your remark. I fully expect someone said something to that effect when Galileo suggested the Earth revolved around the Sun, when Pasteur suggested that very tiny "germs" could make people sick and when Newton first suggested there was a reason why things fell when you dropped them.*
> 
> *I'm new to this forum. Why don't you just humour me for a while, and read my posts in your leisure before making such a sweeping assessment of my idea. I assure you that there are so many "very stupid" people on TV that it's easy to assume the world is full of them. My own experience has taught me that they are few and far between. I trust you will find that I am not one of them.*


Hey, slow down cowboy, Bud is one of the guys on this forum who has more knowledge and experience in his little pinky than most of us. Plus, he can pick out the winners and the losers! On top of that he is a great guy! If you read his posts, you will see what I say is true. I get where you are coming from too. Your idea has some merit. But Bud is just the way he is, and means no harm. Plus, he's hilarious!!!


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## rusty baker

Nestor quit here a couple years ago. I ran into him on a couple other forums and he always had some "unique" ideas.:whistling2:


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## Bud Cline

Ole N-K is gone and good riddins. We have a gentleman's agreement I think. I will no longer butt heads with him on his favorite forum and he won't routinely come here with his "copy & paste" bullchit.

Of the two forums...I WON.


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## honeypie

Hello! Yes you can paint a subfloor. It is a very refreshing way to get a new look, and get rid of nasty carpet until an alternate flooring can be purchased. We are removing a carpet this weekend in fact, and will live with the look until we can afford hardwood. But in the meantime......we paint our floor with Kilz. Two coats. Then top with a color (eggshell) to calm down the white. Let it dry really well, then use area rugs in the high traffic areas. This method lasted ~2 years, which bought us enough time to save for our dining room and kitchen! Don't be afraid..........it's only paint.


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## Bud Cline

> he always had some "unique" ideas.


Yow that's it: "Unique"

Unique is what he is.


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## clovenspring

*Painting Plywood subfloor*

Not sure where some of these comments are coming from but obviously they have never painted a plywood floor or did it wrong. I pulled up dog and cat soiled carpet that was falling apart and stunk, no way to live with it or salvage it. I then faux painted the floor to look like wood and painted a carpet in the center. If you look at it from across the room you would never know it was paint on plywood. I made two mistakes. I should have filled in all the holes and seams and sanded before painting and also apply your faux wood grain in the same direction of the plywood grain. If I had done that little extra prep it would be hard to tell it was not a hardwood floor. I used regular latex paint and once dried and curred I put a clear polyurathane over top. I vaccum, and steam clean then use mop n glow.


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## julobr

*Thanks*

Thank you for the tips! The carpet in our living room needs to go! Unfortunately, I'm not done saving for the hardwood flooring I want to put down so I am am looking for a cheap solution in the interim. I know it is not going to look beautiful, but I have 4 teenage boys and 2 dogs, I just need passable at this point. LOL Thanks again


zandersluv said:


> Painting plywood floors is a fantastic way to give more depth and character to them and the process works very well. It is also one of the least expensive ways to get a good looking, finished floor in any room of the home. It is essential to follow a few simple steps to ensure that the finished wood has protection and has a long lasting finish.
> 
> 
> *Be Sure of Good Condition *
> 
> One of the first things to do is to ensure the floor is in good condition. Look for water damage and repair as necessary. Notice any damages in the wood itself and determine if repairs are needed. For example, nail holes from the application of other flooring should be filled. Sand down any rough edges and remove old paint as much as possible. The floor should also be thoroughly dry when applying paint to it.
> Painting these floors is possible even if they have gone through years of use and even some damage. For example, if you have invested heavily in laminate flooring but want something new, the plywood underneath may be just what you need. This is by far one of the least expensive types of flooring available.
> *Use Urethane for Protection when Painting Plywood Floors *
> 
> Keep in mind when using paint on plywood flooring that the paint itself is not thick or hard enough to protect the floors from damage from standard foot traffic. To get added protection, including durability protection, use at least three coats of a quality, clear urethane. The urethane will protect the floors from dirt and most damage. Notice the labeling on these products, however. You'll need to see the words "non-yellowing" on the label. This tells you the product will not yellow over time.
> *Steps for Painting Plywood for Flooring *
> 
> The process is broken down into a few simple steps.
> [*]*Clean and smooth plywood:* The first step is to ensure the flooring is smooth and clean. It has to be dry to allow the paint to adhere. Fill cracks with filler and allow to dry thoroughly. Use a plastic type wood filler for this, not any type of spackling. You may wish to test the product for its durability by placing some on a piece of wood (not the floor itself) and then walking on it after it is fully dried. If it can withstand the simulated usage, use it for repairing the flooring.
> [/list]
> 
> 
> *Prime and seal:* Any type of bare wood needs to be protected and primed. Primer sealers work well to hide the wood grain. If the wood has some sort of finish, even a varnish, this must be removed through sanding before moving on. Check with the paint manufacturer to determine which types of primer are available and most acceptable to use on the wood surface prior to painting. Most manufacturers provide recommendations.
> 
> 
> *Apply paint:* Often the best types of paint for wood flooring are oil paints. Oil paint will adhere well to the plywood and it gives it that finished quality. Another benefit to using oil is that oil will harden faster as it takes far less time to cure.
> 
> 
> *Consider faux finishing:* While it is not necessary, many homeowners like to add a bit of character to their and faux finishing is a good option for plywood painted floors. You can easily add borders to the floor, using a stencil to create a unique look, or add several colors to work as an accent. Test out these items first by painting it onto a piece of plywood (again, not the actual floor) to perfect your technique. There are endless options to choose.
> 
> 
> *Seal the floor:* The final step in painting plywood floors is to seal it. As mentioned, apply three coats of urethane. Use a water based product and allow each coat to fully dry prior to applying the next.
> 
> 
> *Maintain the floor:* Over time, you will need to apply another coat of urethane to the floor. For most areas, a new application one time every two years is sufficient.
> That's all there is to painting plywood floors. Trying this type of flooring solution may help to curb the budget while still offering a fantastic look.


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## Samijayne71

Nestor_Kelebay said:


> Alternatively, pull out your carpet and put down COMMERCIAL wallpaper with a water soluble wallpaper PASTE. The difference between an adhesive and a paste is that an adhesive cures (like cement cures into concrete) whereas a paste dries (like muck dries into mud). That way, you can remove the wallpaper with water in future.
> 
> Commercial wallpaper is much thicker and stronger than residential wallpaper, and the vinyl coating is much thicker to stand up to years of cleaning.
> 
> Then, paint that commercial wallpaper with a hardwood floor polyurethane to act as a durable wear layer if the floor is attractive. Otherwise paint it with an alkyd or polyurethane floor paint.
> 
> That way, in future, you can strip that old flooring off just by poking tiny holes in it with a Paper Tiger and wetting down the floor until the wallpaper paste starts to let go.


This is a fantastic idea. A lodger just moved out and the room is a right state. When I took up the carpet and underlay the imprint of the green underlay is showing on the plywood base! I didn’t even know it was plywood until then. I am deffo going to try the commercial wallpaper thing then paint it. Thanks!


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