How to Finish a Plywood Subfloor

[@kathrynvaughn6223]

I have been refinishing the plywood sub floors for many years. I use porch paint instead of stain. The results are great.

[@FoolyLiving]

This is exactly what I did to two of my houses and I LOVED it! I plan to do it again when we convert a shed into a house. Yes.. oh yes. I will make it a lighter stain though, because both houses had the same color as you had here and it showed the dirt easier. Live and learn! I didn't sand the floor though, I went around with a wire brush and scrubbed it and scraped it.

[@amydavis3078]

Did you remove all the nails and staples or grind them off? Really hoping to try this but as a single mama, i'm nervous that I could mess it up! ha!

[@jjcmthefamily]

Does it need to be a pine subfloor?

[@NaturesInfiniteWELLth-fo6rs]

Planning to do this soon, when I build my little hempcrete home. 💝

[@priceblack6246]

Thank you so much for this vid. I just pulled up carpet in a room and didn't want to get carpet again and was wondering what i could do besides get a hardwood floor put in. Thanks again.

[@reidrickman9856]

If you really wanted to go overboard you would get 1/4 inch sanded plywood and glue it down with hardwood adhesive and maybe tack it with a few finish nails. That would be a nice surface to finish with tight seams and no nails or imperfections! Your floor turned out great!

[@PoppasCottage]

We spent about $50 on sanding pads, $50 on stain, $100 on clear finish, $5 on caulk, and $30 on quarter round for 700 SF of floor space. From start to finish, the job took about 30 hours - most of this on sanding with the little angle grinders (if there's no paint on the floor to sand off, or if you use a floor sander, this will go much faster).

[@NickRisoni]

Poppa's Cottage what did u use for clear coat and is it water proof ?

[@jessecarey8852]

Poppa's Cottage About how long did it take to be able to live there after you polyurethane the floor I know it stinks and you can't be around it for a little while after you apply the final clear coat. Looking to do this for my place. Thanks in advance

[@danieltucker632]

Beautiful

[@sweetsmilinggal2876]

I like the idea and we are currently doing the same project at home tired of carpet and linoleum.

[@amydavis3078]

Thank you for this video!! I just bought a home with nice sub flooring under ratty carpet and would love to try your way. I'm a single mama with little to no fixer upper skills, so can you confirm what type of sander I should use in removing tops of nails and tacks? (no paint or wood issues that need grinding down...just those pesky nails. )

[@Knotwho]

I just watched another video where they removed the tack boards with a spade shovel and the staples with a scraper turned backwards. It looked pretty simple

[@randalltomes]

If you want more variation in colors next time, after the oil based stain dries, try using some cheap water based paints. For your darker floor, a gallon of rust orange el cheapo chalky water based paints wiped into the grain and wiped off with a cloth rag can bring out some nice antique wood patina effect that you can't get with a single application of a minwax stain. Do this before sealing. Let dry it over night. Apply a thinned polyurethane coat first. Let dry, light sand, apply dark mocha water based paint (as a glazing effect) and this will highlight cracks and dibits. Light sand and ready for top coat. You can apply lacquer or polyurethane over water based paints as long as they are flat, chalky dry, DA sanded down so you can see the wood through it, so the water paint is just used as an staining effect and not a full cover.

[@PoppasCottage]

Randall Tomes Sounds like a nice touch.

[@lslavychecker]

I NEVER THINK THAT PLYWOOD FLOOR COULD LOOK LIKE THAT===GREAT

[@samella35]

I like imperfect, rustic style.

[@jonathans199]

Thanks for this video and explanation, we did it at our warehouse second floor and it turned out great. By mistake we bought the bigger sanders 4 1/2" 36 Grid, and boy did it helped even more. Thank you for taking the time for this video.....

[@PoppasCottage]

+jonathans199 Glad it worked out well. I recently rented a drum sander for a 100+ year-old fir floor, and it reminded me how great those are. If I had it to do over again, I would've rented a drum sander (and edger) for the subfloor, too - although it would have retained less character that way. Incidentally, I've come to realize that any time something in remodeling doesn't turn out exactly the way I wanted (which is always), I can just say it adds to the character.

[@blankgen8003]

Your video took my back to LSD days , a bit trippy at times

[@TheWritingGirl]

I am about to try this in a spar room, where my cats hang out in..to see how well it holds up before I do my downstairs, I have 5 dogs, and the carpet isn't working for us..lol I' ve considered epoxying it( like they use for garage floors). but I like the look of stained wood.

[@fordman7479]

That's amazing, did you have to sand in between clearcoats?

[@PoppasCottage]

We didn't, but if you wanted to spend the extra time, it would give you a smoother finish.

[@fordman7479]

@@PoppasCottage oh ok, i'm not worried about a smooth finish. the reason I asked is because I've heard that if you do polyurethane without sanding in between coats it will peel.

[@shelbydennison7797]

Beautiful!!!! I will be attempting this on my new home

[@lawandapirtle2270]

What type roller do you use

[@MichelLinschoten]

I used a orbital sander, it works faster and no chance of sparks going under the trim work into your....insulation! Might want to consider using that next time...i also had white parts of paint on the floor. I sanded it and made it look like it's their naturally. I used a RAG to apply the stain. It turned out so nice, Minwax stain i used btw.

[@PoppasCottage]

+Michel Linschoten I love orbital sanders, too, but for this project it would've taken much more time and sanding pads to get through the layers of paint/staples/nails/crud - plus, I wanted the slight gouging pattern the grinder created. An orbital would be good if you're starting with a cleaner subfloor and/or want a smoother finish. And, of course, a drum sander would be the quickest for a larger area. Glad your project went well.

[@SparrowStockwell]

It looks nice.

[@timothy790110]

Great! How would one go about preventing the ply from warping? Im looking to do this in a camper van build.

[@PoppasCottage]

As long as the plywood is screwed/nailed on 16's to the joists (and it doesn't get wet), it shouldn't warp.

[@joymcarthur5429]

Nice. Great job.

[@courtneymorizio292]

you did a great job!!! looks beautiful!

[@MsEstabien]

Okay, that music is awesome...

[@33drummerr]

This is great I like it a lot 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tomrinehart5078]

Watching your videos now I see all my projects in a totally different light such amazing work. Still wondering the stain you use for your projects I love that rich dark color

[@PoppasCottage]

The dark stain I like the most is Minwax's Red Mahogany. For the 125-year-old house renovation, I tried to match the old trim - I think I used about a 3:1 mixture of Red Oak to Red Mahogany. Good luck with your project!

[@tomrinehart5078]

Poppa's Cottage crazy amazing work man your skills are a treat to watch keep the videos coming thanks for the reply

[@jacobpalmer6462]

I'd like to do this but I wonder if I'll need to put the carpet back down if I ever decided to sell my home. Is this up to code? I guess it depends on your location. I'm in Vegas

[@PoppasCottage]

I assume that there wouldn't be any code issues, since subfloor is structural, but it doesn't hurt to check. Note that I had no problems when I sold that condo - in fact, the floor was one of the selling points.

[@rachelois1]

So, you do the calking of seams after the first clear coat? Why not do it before staining and clear coating? Thank you for any answers! And what kind of calk did you use?

[@PoppasCottage]

I caulk after the first clear coat so the excess caulk is easier to wipe up. I believe we used Dap Alex Latex Caulk.

[@jessecarey8852]

About how long did it take to be able to live there after you polyurethane the floor I know it stinks and you can't be around it for a little while after you apply the final clear coat. Looking to do this for my place. Thanks in advance

[@PoppasCottage]

We used a water-based clear coat, which you can walk on in a day or two. Just be sure, if you use an oil-based stain first, to give that at least a few days to cure before you apply the clear coat.

[@jonathanlebo7769]

That looks really cool is it common to do this

[@PoppasCottage]

jonathan lebo Thanks. As far as I know, this isn't very common, but maybe more people will give it a shot after watching the vid.

[@cindyhoffman6064]

What kind of black caulk did you use ? I was going to use the black roofing caulk

[@PoppasCottage]

It would be best to use a paintable latex caulk, like Dap Alex Plus or Dynaflex. Roofing caulk will be pretty smelly and I'm not sure how it will cure. Good luck!

[@cindyhoffman6064]

Thanks for the video . You are the first one I've seen to use caulk instead of wood putty or filler which in my experience never seems to hold stain well . I stained last night :)

[@valerieterrellafp4340]

did you fill in the seams or nail holes before you stained it?

[@PoppasCottage]

+Valerie Terrell, AFP We filled in the seams with caulk, but generally left the nail holes alone - if they're small enough, they'll be filled by the clear coat. But you could certainly fill the nail holes with wood putty or caulk.

[@Dani-oj4qj]

I'm trying to find a floor for my daughter's treehouse. It has a new subfloor in there with no paint or staples. Would this work in an area with temp changes? Also do you need warm weather to apply?

[@PoppasCottage]

Yes, it should work in an area with temperature fluctuations. You may just want to use an exterior stain - just follow the instructions on the can about what temps you can apply it at.

[@robbyvenetian]

Great idea!

[@djbookie909]

planning on doing this

[@henryanglin2802]

Poppa, Please post the name of the artist and song that you used in this video. It is as cool as your project.

[@PoppasCottage]

Henry Anglin I agree - great song. It's called "Bra Ohoho" by E.K. Nyame.

[@lhodgens]

I realize it's been a while, but did you wipe off the stain with a rag or just roll it down and leave it? I'm knew who this staining business! LOL

[@PoppasCottage]

Usually with porous wood like plywood, the stain just soaks in and you don't have to wipe it off. That said, you want to try to keep a wet edge so you don't get overlap marks (in other words, try to find a natural break, like a seam, if you plan to stop for a bit). And if you have less porous wood, you can use a rag to wipe off excess. Have fun!

[@bonvivant371]

How much did it cost you to do this?

[@mstephen614741]

Since you typically have the sub flooring spaced 1/8 inch apart and unsealed to allow for natural movement of the wood expanding and contracting with the temperature and moisture changes...how, now that you've sealed the sub floor, does it expand and contract when this occurs?

[@PoppasCottage]

STEVE MILLER We did this about a year ago and we haven't had any issues with cracking at the joints. Expansion and contraction is pretty minimal in this case, so the elasticity of the caulk and finish seem to be able to handle it fine. If it has some issues down the road, it should be pretty easy to touch up. This could be more of an issue in areas with larger humidity and temperature swings.

[@bananapatch9118]

What kind of caulk is that please ?

[@PoppasCottage]

I believe we used Dap Alex Latex Caulk, but any kind of latex caulk should work.

[@katiaenmiami4901]

Thanks! You saved me!

[@lim075]

I was directed here by MMM :D

[@tbird6234]

me too!

[@fussykitten7696]

Awesome. My cats destroyed my carpet and no reason to put new carpet.

[@joeolvera1]

Will this hold doggie accidents such as pee

[@PoppasCottage]

Ha, well it should if you caulk those seams well. But spills, even on a hardwood floor with a subfloor below (especially the old wood slat subfloors) can seep through.

[@AliDymock]

MMM :)