Plywood Flooring - An inexpensive alternative to hardwood floors (1)

Plywood flooring? Check out this inexpensive alternative to traditional wood flooring that you can do for half the cost. This is part one of this project, more to come soon!!!
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[@hihoney1122]

I did this Birch plywood on a floor and did tonge and groove with a router and installed like a puzzle without cutting but a couple of edges. and sealed boards. Its been over 8 years and floor still looks beautiful. I'm thinking to redo my floors with Birchwood as well.

[@ninafisher6067]

Absolutely love your video. My hardwood floor guy won $17,000 to do red oak, he's a great guy. I actually am looking to save some money and your plywood video is terrific. I had no idea that this could be done!

[@SuperTomador]

I saw this be done in a multi million dollar house it turned out beautiful I did it at my house has been 6 years and it looks amazing still

[@montanalife406]

My husband did this in our last place and it held up way better, even looked better, than the vinyl wood flooring we had down in another part of the house. The more worn it got the better it looked!

[@stephentresca5207]

I install wood flooring. Did white pine floor recently. The plywood is a little harder but still kinda soft. He did a great job. Sanding the edges helped a lot. Maybe a little lighter stain but that's a matter of taste. For the price of the wood it looks great.

[@GregoryGuay]

Do you think this wider plywood is LESS likely to creak if the sub-floor isn’t perfect? I’m making a home recording studio /theater / man cave above my garage and want the most reliable floor. (Although, I’m thinking it’s the installation process more so than the material that will help with quietness.)

[@Doctrtony]

To anyone wishing to attempt this, I offer a piece of advice. Invest in a biscuit joiner, join the flooring and make the floor float. This allows for expansion and contraction. Also make sure you get a plywood that's not too soft so that it allows for damage! Using a biscuit joiner and not nailing to the floor makes it a lot easier to replace damaged boards in the future 😊. This video is a great tutorial very well made thank you sir!

[@tongasmith910]

With plywood-it’s dimensionally stable

[@GregoryGuay]

Have you tried this? No buckling?

[@Aussie-des420]

Subbed up cheers mate 👌

[@dolphinliam888]

Really nice job. I've tried a few other ideas from French cottages. 1) frame the outside edge with a 3" strip. 2) lay boards diagonally. 3) cut boards at random widths for each row, this was done on very old cottage to maximise use of the natural tree widths. 4) use old style wedge nails. They look really effective. Dowels look good too. 5) use a variety of wood dyes and stain boards random colours before you lay them. Used with random widths and it's a stunning effect. Finish with an antique pine yatch varnish or bees wax. 5) cut square's and bevel the edges. Glue down though, no nails. 6) deliberately leave a gap between each board for a very aged look. Leave the same gap at random board ends where they join. 7) lay herringbone, very tedious but stunning.

[@colinmcgovern1300]

Very intriguing, do you have a link or photo as an example ?? Thanks !

[@solomonbrutis5573]

Thanks tons SSL Family! Because of your ( and other) videos my wife made up her mind that this is what we are ( I am) doing in our remodel instead of buying flooring for only a little more and enjoying the free install from the company.

[@chickad5820]

This is exactly what I was looking for and something this Nana can do. I love how it turned out. Thanks for taking your time to show this, step by step. Much appreciation, and affordable. Can't wait to see the finished floor. What a blessing, THANK YOU.

[@mynewschannel3100]

Great Job :) I did something similar to this to cover crappy floor boards that were a mess. Except: I used 8' x 4' x 1/4" ply as a single sheet (not cut into strips). Used a router with a 'V' bit set to 1/16" to cut the grooves for the plank widths. Castellated (stepped) the ends so they interlocked, so no straight edge at the end of the board. Once laid I then used the 'V' bit to groove the ends of the castellations. Used a scratch repair pen to lowlight the grooves. I also used the same technique as yourself for nailing. The floor has been down for 15 years and looks as new as the day it was laid

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+mynewschannel Wow, that sounds excellent, That is inspiring to hear that it is holding up. How many coats of poly did you put on it?

[@mynewschannel3100]

My daughter stained it and clear coat varnished it, I will have to ask her :)

[@ChrisWillis-li1ed]

I would love to see pictures pls!!!

[@71kaye]

I have a mobile home. This looks like a viable option for me. I have the time. I can borrow and rent the equipment. The local hardware/lumber store can cut planks from plywood. Thanks for the upload!

[@controllyourself8144]

majidi a mobile home with hard wood floor SOUNDs like a boom box speaker

[@buildinit6523]

converted a trailer into a 2 story tiny home. this is good for the flooring on the second floor. use 4x4 pine for joists and turn finish plywood down. gives the first floor and open air look and you can then use the plywood on second floor anyway you want. carpet, floating floor or use this guys method a put plywood finished side up. i use carpet because second floor is sleeping area only.

[@darwinsango6428]

You'll save more and have better flooring looking for 3/4 in. tongue and groove oak flooring and finishing it yourself and the end results will be much better.

[@bonnevillebagger9147]

Darwin Sango $1sgft < $3.75 sqft

[@JudiChristopher]

@@darwinsango6428 If you can afford that!!! The reason for this video is to save money... I am like you, I'd love to have tongue and glove oak flooring... but it is too expensive.

[@annaibarra3447]

Ok, I have been researching, LOL, on how to do the plywood floors. So many out there, but honestly I found your very detailed DIY step by step instructions to include the doorways. So Thank, Thank, And A huge Thank you for adding these small details, but huge for beginning DIY'ers like myself. I have bought my plywood, well actually I bought another sheet as I under estimated and 1 HD had no problem cutting mine down to the 8 inches, another near me wouldn't do it. But I am glad I waited as I decided to look up DIY videos on this type of project. Again thank you.

[@stephenhuntley3629]

Hi, I was watching a KZbin video whilst setting up my new router and your video came on in a serendipitous moment. I left the router tune-up momentarily and spent 15 minutes watching something I probably didn’t need to watch - my Victorian cottage was built in 1888 and has real wood 8.25-inch floor boards that I won’t be changing. I wanted to say however, that I found your video informative and entertaining; I was engrossed. I was also pleased to see you clearly avoided the Health and Safety meddlers and worked in your socks; for me that would have resulted in a grievous wound but for you it went well, so good luck to you. Thanks for the interesting video - isn't it odd that you can post something nearly four years ago in Michigan and I can be watching it now in England? Feels like I'm stalking!! Best wishes, Stephen

[@Ajkillam528]

Lol lol Stephen! Loved it

[@JudiChristopher]

NOTE: Plywood does not shrink or expand like regular solid wood. That is why you can lay it so close together.

[@jeepsishumate2021]

thank you so much Judi i was thinking i needed to go pull my flooring back up :(

[@manuelavendano3891]

Why doesn't it shrink or expand? Sorry for my ignorance

[@Alleycat___]

Because al the layers of wood are overlapped into different directions.

[@JudiChristopher]

@@Alleycat___ EXACTLY

[@oddjobstoo]

Hey Dude, great project. A couple of suggestions that helped me before.... I would do the bulk of the sanding while standing and having all of your boards on a bench, saw horses or similar. It's easier on the knees that way. Also pre-stain all of the edges/sides or you could paint them with black paint. That way when you are staining the floor, you will never have any gaps that visually stick out like a sore thumb because they aren't stained. It's just easier to do that before you lay the floor, rather than trying to force stain into a small seams. An oscillating multi-tool also works better for undercutting jams and you can basically set the blade on top of a scrap of your wood floor and plunge cut into the jamb. This insures perfect cut height as well. Also when I did my penny floor I found that you can perfectly time you coats of polyurethane. Use a product designed for the floors that has a large enough open window between topcoats that it doesn't require you to scuff and sand between coats. I did all of my coats WITHOUT sanding. The product I used had a big enough open window that I could put down a coat of poly before I went to work in the morning, then I could come home and do another coat as soon as I got home, and then I would do one more before I went to bed. I would of course repeat the routine the following day as well until I was satisfied with the amount of coats. Also a short nap mini roller i think works better for the application too. For scratches you can use a stain pen for repairs and clear nail polish works good to patch any deep scratches or chips in the poly.

[@lorindayale2145]

oddjobstoo what is the type and name of the poly that you used.? Thank you!

[@kenairockband]

I have done and am still in this process. I can say that cutting perfect straight strips is paramount. Also the cheaper the plywood- the more you’ll ssnd, and sand and sand

[@moneymagnetelizabeth]

Also great idea for van and tiny house builds.

[@anonymousitanimulli6086]

me and a buddy had a whole pile of 2 by 4s and replaced a kitchen and living room floor and used them offset and cut them laid it like hardwood floors and finished it and it looked awesome for will never go bad either and is durable

[@Romantico1962]

Just amazing and great imagination, thanks for the video, don't listen to negative comments those are lazy people who rather to pay someone to put a new floor rather than you who making your own so I have to give lots of credits for your effort and hard working diy.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Watch the one year follow up:)

[@ericblack2252]

SSLFamilyDad link

[@ninalong6710]

Love to watch people who can do THINGS. You are really interesting and knowledgeable.

[@webdude321]

Only 2min into the vid and I must agree with the quality of the wood you chose. I was thinking about doing the EXACT same thing but was unsure about the quality. Thanks for the "Vid of Confidence!

[@TheTinkerersWife]

I forgot to mention, good friends of ours laid full sheets of plywood down and coated it.nit us beautiful and has lasted really well. He has recoated the finish in a few places only a couple times in 30 years to keep it looking fabulous.

[@ibanezsr505latin]

What did they coat it with

[@theimpaler5034]

only thing I would of done is put a clear coat on all 4 sides of the ply before laying it down as ply absorbs moisture and once its sealed moisture doesn't get in ply

[@williamlouden9502]

I'm sure they sealed it lmfao !

[@crazycatlady5034]

William Louden he’s saying seal it on the underside and sides too. They didn’t do that. They only sealed the top.

[@stevenrago7632]

Not trying to be that guy and all but all plank wood has 6 sides that you should finish/seal. 👍 That being said, it's interior with a vapor barrier under it on top of a plywood subfloor, it's fine.

[@kenrolltideAlabama]

For sure on putting a protective coat on the underside too, I would have also put that wood in the house I was installing it in at least 5 days ahead of time to get accommodated to the inside air content to reduce wood resizing.

[@growforit8736]

Echo-echo-echo

[@jonathanspangenberg1563]

It can be so easy to hate people when they leave rude comments. It is a shame so many peoples parents never hugged them or told them they loved them. Pity them. Thank you for this video. You showed interested people an affordable and nice way to spruce up a space. I appreciate your time and willingness to be speculated and judged. Great job and good for you!

[@bunberrier]

In one of the big buildings I work in, the floor is 4X8 sheets of plywood. The floor is almost 50 years old. There are a few places where it got damaged but overall it looks amazing considering its age, the legions of people who have walked over it, and that no one cares if it gets damaged or not. The great thing about your idea is you can have some extra stock pieces at hand and if one is damaged physically, stained, or warped by fluids you can pull it up and replace it with spare wood from the same lot. I wonder if there is a coating you can apply that would be durable and not too slick. Nice job.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

You can use any wood floor finish. They make them for commercial traffic.

[@TheHudallas]

We are in the process of converting a school bus into an rv and I think this would be perfect for the flooring. Thanks for posting!

[@daveosland3199]

One might also consider finding #2 or even #3 T&G oak or other hardwood flooring to create an inexpensive flooring as opposed to plywood....Finding "reclaimed" lumber can make a handsome floor for less $$$, too.

[@michellegreen7149]

I refer to all my *super expensive* and not-at-all scavenged tools and material in the same manner as you! Glad to find another like-minded individual. My husband and I call ourselves Urban Homesteaders ;)

[@lesleyreese237]

Did any one else hold their breathe watching him in socks with the nail gun? I'm such a worrier. LOL

[@jasonseidel1897]

Sorry, but shoes won't stop a nail from going in your foot. Maybe steel toes, and literally only in the steel toes if you're lucky. The pneumatic nailers go in with such force not many shoes will stop it.

[@aprilstraughters4275]

Omg. Swear. I was about to comment the second thing. I had physical pain with every nail when the socks were in the frame?!

[@ScienceNotFaith]

When he shoots himself in the foot, at least he won't have to cut off the shoe to get to the nail. I'm just saying.....

[@alanbrooks4589]

The splinters would hurt worse

[@Decaf_Oatmeal]

I was holding my breathe when he was using the reciprocating saw to take a half inch off the door trim, YIKES

[@torkdork69]

Nice jamb saw. Very cool floors. I laid HW floors for ten years. Big fan of the money saved here.

[@Cdavis7677]

I love how everyone thinks they are expert, after reading a how to website, i thought the only way to learn was by doing something, like this man is, not pretending your a master at something you never did, you tube turned cry babies into experts in everything including crying! Good job! Looks good from my house!

[@amrsmith7160]

What Happened: Correct. And he stated from the get go that he had no idea how well this would hold up. People who are not do-it-yourself people do not understand the reason behind doing it yourself. It is like art -- the na-doers would say 'why paint a picture? just take a photograph'. They can never understand the need of an artist -- and yes a do-it-yourself person is an artist. We have to create -- it is a driving need!

[@Chris-mx4jb]

I am an expert and this man did some things perfectly

[@Johnconno]

How does your house look from his? Big-mouth. You need working on boy.

[@FadedDreamzTv]

The wood you have is so much nicer than what I found.

[@OldAndGettingOlder]

I agree that your economy wood floor alternative looks pretty good. Better than I thought it would. I'd like to offer a couple of suggestions for others thinking of doing this. If you have the tools to do so, it would be good insurance to add splines between the planks. Splines would help insure that the plank surfaces would stay even with one another. They would also make any gaps that open up look better. The gap would only be ¼" deep vs ¾" deep exposing the underlayment. Alternatively one could use biscuits or dominoes. These wouldn't hide the underlayment if exposed, but they'd keep plank surfaces even. My other suggestion is to use a wood conditioner prior to staining. This will help the soft pine plywood take the stain more evenly minimizing the light and dark areas.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Stanton Taylor excellent ideas. I thought about doing some kind of joinery with this but in the end wanted to see how it turns out in the simplest way possible. I saw that wood conditioner recommended on the stain can but just dismissed it. I might try that on the next room, thanks!!!

[@kerwindavis]

I see it has been 2 years now and I would like to know how it is holding up?

[@cortsucher8203]

kerwin davis mine held up great whent with the plank look because i like it but if you have dogs dont do it!

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Check the finishing video and the one year update video.

[@wuddude1599]

Stanton, I wouldn't use plywood but if I did I would machine 5" or 6" wide tongue & groove planks with a 1/32" chamfer. Except for some of the edge pieces you wouldn't have to nail through the face of every plank. I would also use a 13-ply plywood from a good lumber yard. More expensive but the higher grade plywood is more consistent in thickness. Last year I used some Home Depot maple-veneered plywood for garage shelves and cabinets and it was not consistent in thickness, at all. Just my opinion but finish materials available at Home Depot are good for garage or storage applications only.

[@matthewkulhawy864]

As a flooring expert, I actually like this idea alot. I probobly wouldn't use pine personally, for fear of delamination, but very cool idea that I may try and replicate. Would probobly chose to use glue to put it down or screws with contrasting dowels instead of brads, but still very cool.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

Some counter sunk screws with dowel fills would look really nice!

[@coburnlowman]

Nice. I like the wide board look. I was born , raised and still live in Dalton GA. This is where carpet took off on a factory scale. Carpet built this whole area and every job around is related to carpet. With that being said I wanna let it be known I Hate Carpet. For instance my grandparents put down a really high end carpet and they were clean freaks before it was Kool to be a clean freak. They lived in the country with gravel Rds and some dust so they vacuumed daily and shampooed very often as well. They decided to get new carpet and had already paid for the new carpet. When we ripped out the old it was scary at the dirt it had trapped. It was a big house and we used wheel barrels and feed scoops to shovel up the dirt that carpet had held and hid. They lost part of their $$$ on the new they had bought but we cleaned and refinished the original oak hardwood flooring. It made the house look more "REAL" than with any carpet. But in rental houses I' remove carpet and put down something solid.

[@bomark2002]

Phil Lowman this is why we have hardwood instead of carpet, carpet wreaks havoc on an asthma sufferer because of all the dust snd stuff it holds which is what our son suffers from

[@LeonidsStrapOn]

I always wonder about Dalton and whether the people who live there actually eat carpet fiber for breakfast.

[@rneustel388]

This will look amazing with some patina on it! I love the look of old wood floors, the more beat up, the better they are, I think. I'd love to have floors from an old factory.

[@jimwilleford6140]

rneustel Agreed!

[@daniels1293]

Reclaimed flooring is definitely becoming a huge trend in flooring atm, there's alot of companies that are milling old pine barn wood into flooring and the few I've installed looked amazing I'd look into it some more if you're interested because they come with the saw marks, nail holes an all the character, definitely a rustic look.

[@roylindsey7030]

Very nice job. I am about to do the same thing only on concrete so I'll need to use a sub-floor and thinner planks. Like that yard sale table saw. You should see mine. I made one from a a skill saw and workmate table. Not the best but it gets the job done.

[@tomruth9487]

R Lindsey Hope your floor worked out. I would be careful going over concrete as there might be a moisture problem if you are below grade. Delta FL is a good product to use under the subfloor

[@jimwilleford6140]

A terrific solution. I love softwood floors. They are much more inviting to my eye over hardwood.

[@timerickson2141]

35 years ago I was poor and bought a house I called the money pit the movie was after my money pit just a cowincide. Anyway the dining room had this horrible old Formica from pre WWII it had crack ETC. It had to go I looked at flooring and decided that I was going to buy oak plywood and rip it into 2 inch strips. Joint it and use that in those days good oak plywood was $20 a sheet maybe I think it was cheaper. Anyway everyone thought I was nuts. I bought a old steam iron and stripped the Formica inches at a time every night after work for a hour or so. The house was in forks Washington. Before the vampires and warewolves . anyway as the Formica came up I noticed (the house was about 100 years old) the other thing forks wa is known for besides salmon fishing hunting Bigfoot vampires and warewolves is burly maple. They make fancy guitars and violins out of it. A big burly maple tree is worth upwards of $40,000 for one tree any how maple in forks 130+ years ago was a weed to loggers. My dining room floor under the Formica was a burly maple floor. I sanded it and covered it with clear enamel. A guy I knew collected guitars saw the floor and went batshit crazy

[@yulin114]

Teal'c -Burly maple is very expensive now a days. But it was not expensive 130 years ago. See all that burly maple was made into floors instead of guitars got him crazy.

[@johnschlueter6806]

Wwe fights

[@cecillec2331]

Wow! You struck gold.

[@contessatheraven4474]

I could listen to people's awesome life adventures like this every day and never get bored with them , super inspiring story , loved it ! 🍃🌹

[@nicparker3809]

Oh look>>>>> No one cares.

[@hecke1959]

My grandparents had a dirt floor back in the twenties, back then in country some houses had dirt floors.Your house you do what you want,that's the true pursuit of happiness, it's written in our constitution. 👍

[@SuzanneMenckArt]

What a fantastic idea for flooring.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Suzy Menck It looks great so far, we will keep you posted.

[@christopherpaul1299]

Thanks foe sharing with us to install a solid pine floor, to finish up with the hardwood floor.

[@aaronr8684]

Softwoods and hardwoods aren't named for the actual hardness. Softwoods are from coniferous (or more accurately, gymnosperm) trees whereas hardwoods are from flowering or angiosperm trees. Trees like spruce and yew (both softwood) can be as hard or harder than most hardwoods where as balsa, poplar or aspen (all hardwood) is generally softer than most softwoods. The density is a better indicator of the hardness and durability of the finished product like floors. Great video btw...

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Aaron Robinson Great info, thanks!

[@DaniHoliday]

Thanks Aaron Robinson!!! I never knew that and I worked for a company similar to Home Depot for YEARS! Selling pine, oak, fir, hemlock, etc between the lumber, panelling, plywoods, and mouldings (millwork) daily. I LOVE LEARNING!!! =D

[@acts10truth]

thanks aaron I had to copy and paste onto my notes !!!!

[@consaka1]

The finish can also make a difference as to how the finished floor resists scratches etc. I made some steps out of "port orford cedar" (Not a true cedar according to my science teacher father) That stuff is considered a softwood but with the finish came out pretty tough. Still looks pretty good considering the abuse it has been under. A light sanding and recoat it looks brand new again. Maybe just a wax would make it look new too. Never tried that.

[@huejanus5505]

Aaron Robinson It's easier to explain that hardwoods are deciduous (loose their leaves in the fall), softwoods are evergreens.

[@loriann8298]

This is awesome. I was gonna use pallets until I seen this..i want the old barn board look too. I'm in a rental and I'm doing the work now. So i need affordable but nice..so glad you posted this..your a life saver..been without kitchen floors for 8 months now..had enough..I will try to tag you when im done in a video and i don't do videos lol

[@JonathanDLynch]

I used pallets to make a plank wall with shades of brown and blue stain - looks killer.

[@frednot809]

Just a tidbit of info, It is always a good idea to let the would acclimate but referring to your comment about box store wood being wet, with plywood it really doesn’t matter because the way plywood is constructed each layer is alternated so there isn’t expansion and shrinkage problems with plywood.

[@mibengal]

I'm considering a similar idea using ripped plywood as the boards in board and baton siding. Hindsight is 20-20 but for your application I would have routed tongues and grooves to keep the boards from lifting. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

I thought about that as well but in the end decided to see how it turns out without the tongue and groove.

[@rice0009]

+SSLFamilyDad Have you had any trouble with the edges of the plywood splintering?

[@topherjoe1]

Nice job regardless of the comments. I pulled up some butt ugly carpet to reveal plywood. I cleaned it up, scored fake planks into it using the end of screw driver or a knife (yes, it is soft wood) then mixed stain and paint together, painted a plank then used a wood grain simulator rocker tool on it, imprinting the look of wood grain on it. (the plywood color(tinted) showed through where ever the rocker made an imprint. ) I used a color that came across as maple with a hint of mahogany Cool look. Poly'd it and have had it for 12 years. Did they same thing in my kids bedroom only I just drew the lines on over a light custard color with silver tan graining. That one is the best. Still looks great!

[@hjoybanks]

Nice!

[@shawnhart9215]

Pics please!!!!!!

[@spartanlibertarian520]

Based on your description, you did all that work on the subflooring. If the room was carpeted when the house was built, the builders just put down the subflooring, a carpet underlayment, and then the carpet on top which means if the carpet is ever removed you have to lay down a wood flooring on top of the plywood subfloor. If you ever plan to sell that house, you will have to go back and lay down a wood floor for it to pass inspection.

[@jasonseidel1897]

How has it held up?

[@georgeserrano8354]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew that there was an alternative way of doing the flooring in a common sense way but my wife didn't have the "faith" in a solution. I will try this method in my work room first, and if she approves....continue the look in one of the bed rooms. Wish me luck on saving some cash, aggravation, and time.

[@mechanicalman1068]

First, I love the socks on the job site. Second, I think that pine is a bit soft to use as flooring no matter what finish you use. I’d use better Birch ply or something like that. Third, if your nailing it down I’d use full sheets and I’d glue it, which wouldn’t cost much more than the paper really. I have used plywood as flooring before but quite not like this. Anyway, pretty cool but not quite there in my opinion and I wouldn’t do it. I’m a contractor and carpenter for what it’s worth and am prepared to be pleasantly surprised. I’m also prepared for everyone telling me to piss of and get over myself. Cheers.

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Contractor here. Did it in my house the first time in 08. Pine is fine, I planned on putting 1/4" walnut ply of the standard. Didn't bother and it's been fine. Modern finishes are more important than the wood. The ply texture allows a more casual finish coats. I planned on doing designs in colored stains on the floors but never felt like it was necessary. I was just getting over the hump of thinking more impressive finishes make a more impressive home. Landed squarely in true architecture is how the house functions soon after. Only so many houses that are built to the millimeter that you don't like thw feel of before you understand what matters. Other comments are HF has a cheap Jamb saw for around doors.

[@randyriley3507]

Moved into a house that had chip board floors. sitting on a crawlspace, damp, stinky. Every time I steamed cleaned carpet, floor would swell and doors would drag. so we ripped them out. put tar paper in between to keep damp, cold and smell out. worked good.

[@splashpit]

Iv seen someone laminate ten sheets together then rip them into 22 mm strips so when it's glued down all you see is thin end grain . Time consuming but very effective .

[@kaseryn]

Jees.. lotta work but i really like the idea!

[@oneeye6127]

What you need for cutting trim for clearance is an oscillating saw, or plunge cutting saw. Harbor Freight makes a very good reasonably priced model. I use one more than my sawsall anymore. Ironically, I didn't think much of them when they first came out.

[@tonysvwaudiparts]

I felt exactly the same, always thought they were more of a gimmick than anything else. Now that I've used one, they are one of the more valuable and used tools in my Arsenal!

[@georgeblumer1496]

I’ve had a pine floor for 10 years and I love it more every year, dings and all. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

[@LynMcKay-Caudill]

I think this describes the entire reason for the video. I do enjoy reading through the comments for tips...YOURS IS THE BEST ONE! I live on the coast and I wanted something that I could kinda resemble PLANKS...like PIRATES would use to make folks walk. They would probably pull the older ones from floorboards...guaranteed to break! After watching the videos on flooring...I AM WHITE WASHING PLYWOOD PLANKS!

[@janicejurgensen2122]

Wow! You make it look so easy, it's beautiful! I am your new biggest fan. Thank you for making it so clear to understand and answering questions I didn't know to ask!

[@johnpalmer5131]

I have used this same approach with one difference; I use biscuits to join the planks. The biscuits keep the planks aligned and level. I use plastic self clamping biscuits so no glue is required.

[@dtwistrewind7361]

If you made the bevel slightly wider you can drive all the Brad's into it on an angle, which also helps keep the floor true during any expansion or contraction and the Brad's are hidden although this is easier if you have routed a tonight and groove on all the boards.

[@robrogers8760]

Instead of ripping the plywood into strips, you could router a pattern onto the ply wood sheet to mimmic a propper laid floor and just lay the whole panel. Just a suggestion. I am sure with enough thought and planning it could be done.

[@moreygloss9248]

You could, kinda, but you'll get 4 ft horizontal seams. It would look like sheets of plywood.

[@robrogers8760]

Yes I see what you mean. Not one of my better ideas. @@moreygloss9248

[@dlwatib]

Also the grain pattern would cross your fake lines and show you for the fake you are.

[@moreygloss9248]

@dlw: @Bob Rogers already said it was probably a bad suggestion. I know you've probably been victim of comment bullies, but that's no reason to be one yourself. Your comment about the grain pattern is valid except you devalued it with your choice of words.

[@peterford9369]

Pretty cool. BC plywood runs about 40 bucks a sheet now, so I guess that does make a pretty good price compared to dimensional lumber and for sure t&g flooring. And you're getting the alternating grain patterns that you'd get from both. Nice idea. And that 1/8th inch veneer will allow resanding and finishing a couple of times at least. The only thing I may have done differently is blind nailed with a floor nailer and used a biscuit joiner to run biscuits in the unnailed side of the next piece. The problem with face nailing is, unless the nail hits a joist, you can develop squeaks soon. When you blind nail, it's a toenail at about a 45 degree angle, so way less chance of squeak and movement. I realize most people don't have a joiner in their tool kit. Nor a floor nailer. But the first hardwood floor I ever laid I did with a 16 gauge finish nailer and shot into the tongue edge of flooring. When we laid our pine wood 4" tongue and groove flooring we used hammers and 8d siding nails you had to set your nails with a nail set to avoid dimples and try to hit a joist often as you can but never any squeaks. But thanks for the video the idea of plywood is a nice one.

[@shonuffisthemaster]

this is a good idea, but 5/8" solid bamboo flooring can often be had for as little as $2 / sq ft, looks way better, is re-sandable / refinishable, and has a durable factory finish. plus its premade and ready to install. i think its a better inexpensive alternitive to the plywood floor here

[@james6401]

Thats $60+ for an 8x4 sheet. He's doing this on a budget. Why can't you re-sand ply???

[@Thatsspike]

Pre sanded ply is extremely smooth. I will agree bamboo has a great look to it but you can stain, sand seal and done correctly get a nice clear coat on it thats just as appealing and durable as the coating on normal hardwood floorings. Now ply wouldnt be a great idea in some homes do to warping over time but if laid correctly with the right under dressing it shouldn't warp any more then normally hardwood flooring in just about all homes. This video has great pointers very good. Its a great idea for thise home owners who dont have the big bucks to do a normal hardwood floor or want to take out that kind of loan. I wood have stained them all after a dry fit and then put them in and did touch ups then clear sealed them with a protective sealant that resists damage. This is a great idea for house flipping again if done right it can look like real hard wood

[@Ptownboy1987]

James if you can get bamboo would be cheaper if you can get it at $2 sq ft because the boards wouldn’t need a finish. If he’s paying $60 a board that only gets him 32 sq ft per board and you would pay $64 for 32 sq ft with the bamboo and most of the stuff now days comes with underlayment

[@timerickson2141]

shonuffisthemaster if you're talking about lumber liquidators the shit the sell is illegal poison from China they use formaldehyde in the Glue it off gases cancer causing gases .

[@Archangel0804]

@@timerickson2141 Not anymore Tim. That's old news. This was also limited to LAMINATE Flooring purchased at Lumber Liquidators. L.L. were sued and they no longer buy anything from China. However I will agree that their laminate stuff is still pathetic. The only thing that LL sells today that is quality is their 3/4 inch hardwood

[@NoKamalaIn2025]

Looks good. I never thought to use plywood and cut it in strips. Thanks for the idea

[@jimwilleford6140]

John Hicks As simple as it was it is a brilliant idea.

[@markdaniel8740]

there are several engineered flooring products that cost less than $1/ sf and will actually stay down. Brad nails with 1/2" penetration will lift almost immediately. once lifting begins, the edges will splinter.

[@SSLFamilyDad]

been over a year and it is all still solid as a rock. I was concerned about that also but it seems to have worked ok with the brads.

[@williammartin2593]

Not enough finish nails. Christ in a Crockpot!

[@StephenNu9]

That's a very interesting idea, a throw-back to an earlier time. On using the roofing sheets, I would have checked if it is treated with chemicals that are designed for outdoor use. If I were you, I'd check. The wrong properties might increase respiratory problems. You took your time and did it right.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

nice idea man.especially if you dont mind it getting a little beat up. it is definitely softer than the wood that would be used for flooring. sometimes the finish you choose can make it much harder though. I like a wood floor to have lots of dings and scratches though, to me that is part of it beauty. I may try this in my office, Ill go for a better looking wood though, that birch or whatever you used has a very vague grain pattern, I am interested to see how it looks all finished up though, perhaps it looks nice when stained....

[@allencunningham1567]

AsTheWheelsTurn us 9

[@iamjerney]

No matter the finish a soft wood will still dent, but it will prevent scratches and scuffs

[@rogermurph101]

The type of wood isn't the reason for the "vague" grain pattern. That's the result of how the wood is cut. The trees are spun on a lathe and a blade cuts the tree lengthwise as it spins. The wood comes off in a sheet, like unrolling paper towels or toilet paper. This long sheet is then cut to size, forming the plys, hence "plywood". The grain orientation is staggered on each ply, then they are glued and pressed together under extreme pressure. Staggering the plys is what gives plywood its strength and stability, making it less susceptible to expansion and contraction. The tradeoff is not getting what you'd consider a traditional looking grain pattern.

[@Valentinathevamp]

rogermurph101. Thank you.

[@Sean-ow8rf]

It’s flooring right now, done. Thanks for sharing your adventure. You can take all the negative comments and flush them down the toilet,with all the online experts. Worst case scenario is now you have an inch and a half of sub flooring.

[@dickiebrown3110]

nice job man and for a yard sale table saw... those are really nice rips.

[@mikesmith1550]

Totally awesome project. I will never look at floors the same way again. I'm old and arthritic all the bending wouldn't work for me so I'd set up an elevated work area and do everything there thru the first coat of poly no finish on the bottom leave a route for moisture to escape. Thanks for a great video!

[@dustintinsley3899]

Don't use felt paper indoors they are made with tar and off gas VOCs.

[@tinatomlinson6570]

There are felt papers specifically designed for underlayment of hardwood floors. It is not the same stuff as the roofing felt paper.

[@williamnulf3061]

Except that he had stated it's not specifically for wood floors it was leftovers from another project what's the Standard Roofing tar paper not a bright cookie dough but something like that in a children's room or inside a house at all

[@raymondmcconnon5670]

Hey fellow Michigan michigander here. How did the flooring hold up? Being 5yrs later now..

[@ldwithrow08]

Good job. The only thing I would have done differently is get a three blade molding cutter for the table saw and tongue and groove the edges. Makes a quieter, less squeaky floor. Also taking out the bottom molding on the wall makes the edges easier to fit up. Otherwise, I've used plywood like this and for light traffic areas like bedrooms it seems to hold up well. I use polyurethane varnish for the forst coat and thin it way down to make it soak in deep. Allowed to cure for a couple of days before the second coat it hardens the pine a lot. Subsequent coats can be regular strength and make a really durable finish.

[@kerwindavis]

correct me if i'm wrong but wouldn't it be difficult to tounge and groove plywood ? I would think it would just chip and break out in chunks Just wondering

[@carriestaker3856]

Lawrence Withrow what he said? Does plywood take to router?

[@markallenashcraft976]

How many sheets did you use cause i think this is a good ideal and how big was the room you , i need measurements cause i might do this in my house instead of buying the boxed flooring.

[@eketelon]

Very interesting! I like the look very much. My favorite part was the scripture at the end though! #subscribed

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Wooden you know it! Thanks!

[@rhondaconley8156]

I love the way you did the floors.

[@llw53one]

Nice! So far so good, can’t wait to see the finish. You definitely made this look easy!

[@dougisaacs7815]

Excellent !! My only addition might be to paint the osb black prior to reflooring ONLY if NOT installing the tar paper due to possible shrinkage and minor gaps making it visible....I do this at the joint areas when applying trimless paneling. Wonderful, practical, logical commonsense.....again, thanks !!

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Doug Isaacs very good idea. Thanks!!!

[@BoredAtWork2000]

Would have loved to see the guy at Home Depot when you asked him to rip all those boards for you...lol

[@iwantosavemoney]

BoredAtWork2000 yeah I bet he was happy lol

[@Andyb-rw6lo]

I would charge for the cuts

[@Andyb-rw6lo]

lol

[@giuseppe5080]

andrew blayney they do, it's 0.25$ a cut after the first three.

[@PDXMILO]

Why wouldn't he be happy? If I worked there I would be happy about getting to cut a bunch of wood. It's not like it's hard. It's got to be better than showing someone what isle the toilets are located on.

[@Mekonify]

I did this using maple plywood as a temporary floor for my kitchen (original kitchen floor was carpeted and super gross) until we got around to gutting and renovating it... After about 3 years it had completely gone to shit and looked terrible. By the time I finally got around to gutting it, the plywood was in such rough shape I couldn't believe someone didn't end up with a splinter in the foot. It works, it's cheap, but it's also not going to last long before it needs to be replaced. We stained it and coated it with 6 coats of poly.

[@SirCracker]

This is a fantastic idea and very low on the budget. I greatly appreciate you sharing this. Any tips or suggestions for doing this on a concrete floor?

[@bobsinclear9046]

Graham’s World TV I imagine you would treat it like normal timber and lay batern first, however normally flooring timber is tounge and groove, not sure how machineing the tongue part would go so to help it stay flat on the batern you could drill and dowel as you go or those flat oval shaped (not sure what called) biscuit things that work on the same principle though not as simple to drill..

[@milvia2210]

Very...very nice job...!! Thank you so much for sharing. My husband and I will definitely need your video to our neew home. Thank you, may God continue blessing you always.

[@timidater4803]

you can get nice lock together flooring for about the same cost preinished that is a floating floor with a warrenty

[@SSLFamilyDad]

+Tim S that is surely another option but most of that low cost flooring is thin and not very good quality

[@mattkloeckler1727]

The dog would've trashed that garbage in one fetch

[@cookinitmax]

Thanks for sharing. I think if you hire a pro because theses days every one is one you don't know what yore getting no matter how much they say they are one so why not do it you're self learning isn't a bad thing. Most every time I see some one else do the job it sucks any ways always some thing goes wrong so thanks for showing you're way of doing things looks good man.

[@TsetsiStoyanova]

You have created an awesome channel mister!

[@meetmando]

This looks good! We did something similar.. Gutted a small house that should probably have been bulldozed.. I wanted REAL wood floors, like I remember as a kid.. price wise, it was not practical.. So, husband used 2x4s .. nailed and glued to rafters..no subfloor.. it was over a year of working on the rest of the house on weekends, before we got to sanding and staining.. As the wood dried out, it developed gaps, and we had to fill with yarn and glue before polyurethane.. I like the way it turned out.. looks like an old wood floor and husband says you could park a semi on it! But, OMG.. sooo time consuming..

[@mikehands61]

Was waiting for the nail through the sock

[@arochefort13]

Mike Abramow Hanes makes steel toe socks he should be OK

[@ps0195]

Mike Abramow I was super worried abt that! 😳

[@urbanmari]

Wait, what? I haven't watched it yet bc I read comments immediately. Wow, shoeless?

[@WvlfCvlt]

😂 😂 😂

[@petervisor]

Especially funny when the video was sped up.

[@CindyLejeune]

Our home depot won't cut the wood like this. They don't even want to give you help finding stuff. I just went yesterday and bought plywood I had to take the whole sheet to my truck with out it being cut . I wanted more sheets but it was really hard to manage getting it all in my truck by myself. A man that was checking out said if I had my saw with me I would cut it in half for you. He was buying 6 rolls of carpet and the employees were not helping him either. I went to Lowes across the street is where I went 1st they were not cutting any wood either so that's why I went to home depot thinking I could get my wood at least cut in half oh well I went today and bought a blade for my saw so I can do my daughter's floor in her room she loves this hard wood look and at a great price. Thank you for the video.

[@jamesthomas7405]

You can call a cabinet shop and ask if they would saw your plywood, some will do it for a charge. Most shops have a panel saw so it's not a big deal to do it. Also most shops have a overhead sander and if you ask they will for a price will sand your wood. I hope this helpful.

[@CindyLejeune]

@@jamesthomas7405 thank you so much . i didn't know they would do that

[@robertsonmcnaughton4850]

What lovely way to depreciate the value of your home

[@mariealv4888]

What a moron you are, go take a hike.

[@movonup]

I did basically the same idea, except I used 7/16ths Lauan plywood which has a nice grain and cut them into 2' X 2' squares/tiles. I've also done them in 18" X 6" rectangles. I just wanted something inexpensive and different than the norm. Besides nailing down the tiles I used Liquid Nails plywood adhesive. After a light sanding, then i sealed with a nice hardwood polyurethane. They looked bitchen, and when other clients saw the floors it perpetuated more work. Simple, & outside the box.

[@jdubsvr6]

Face nailing with a 16 gauge Brad nailer is not the way to fasten any flooring, especially without adhesive. This guy could have at least used a flooring nail gun to hide the nails.

[@nathancollins5822]

wood filler

[@teetom2740]

A brad nailer is only 18 gauge. A finish nailer can be 15 16 or 18 gauge. You cant use a flooring nailer if there's no tongue to nail into.

[@leonflores9461]

Did you watch the follow up video? Looks good to me!! Guy did a great job and good tutorial

[@melindalemmon2149]

did the nails have heads and didnt get sunk?

[@ericblack2252]

Mike Wilhelmson yeah I was about to type this exact thing. People see a video like this and think “good idea” but don’t see it again, like we will. On the house we are flipping because it’s all trashed out

[@jennifercockrill6356]

I watch a lot of DIY videos and they don't always include this level of detail. Probably because they assume I know more than I actually know! Anyway, thanks for the details. The floor looks great. Or at least it did in 2015 :)

[@matt_s0mm85]

Using exterior plywood is also better for places with moisture

[@mcw1906]

I did this in my closet, and it looks great with a couple coats of polyurethane. Thought about doing this in living room because it is so quick , but with the assumption that I will eventually add actual hard wood when I had more time. Decided against my plan because I’d be wasting money.

[@aaronmackay6123]

I think a quick scorch with a tiger torch and some varathane would give it even more character.

[@rwally3able]

Nice job. I saw a video where the host used a torch on the plywood, it came out very nice. If I'm not mistaken your table saw is a Black & Decker. I still have mine, use it for ripping trim. I'm going to watch the finishing video. Thank you so much!

[@salvatorevolpe1900]

You know what would’ve been a good idea would have been to router and spline it. This way the edges wouldn’t pop up and it’ll be locked in a tongue groove sort of fashion all the way around

[@judithhannigan296]

Very nice! Good idea. Clearly presented - am ready to try it myself.

[@michaelhamerin3814]

I don't know why he's worried about expansion and contraction with plywood. Highly stable stuff doesn't really need leave much room if any for that.

[@Fred1984abc]

I was wondering about the roofing felt and now will do this in my workshop between the 5/8 " OSB subfloor and the 15/32 plywood I plan to use to help stiffen the floor. Good video. Thx.

[@MichaelJohnson-jt5cu]

Wearing your safety socks while installing the flooring is recommended. :-)

[@llwscott5720]

good one!

[@ms.marvelousblessed3245]

Very creative. Never mind the negative hater comments. Thumbs up, off to watch part 2.

[@therajuncajun6487]

Hiw much did you save by using plywood vs hard wood vs laminate?

[@descoiatorul]

Laminate is practically the same as plywood, but it's cheaper and higher quality than this DIY shit.

[@gmchristie123]

I was trying to figure our what to put on the cabin floors to finish them off, now I know. Thanks