DIY Plywood Floor | Tips, Tricks + Troubleshooting

Last week I gave you a sneak peek of the DIY plywood floors for the fish room.  I showed you my inspiration and how I created that watercolor effect with blue wood stain.  Today I'm breaking down how Handy Hubby and I turned those plywood sheets into vibrant DIY flooring!

One quick note: if you're not planning on doing a watercolor effect like I did, then set aside staining/painting/clear coating until the floor is installed because the planks do need a light sand on the edges once they're cut and this can mar a finish.  As you saw, I did apply my stain first because I wanted to create a large design before cutting up the plywood.

Supplies:

• Good One Side Plywood (we used 1/4" Maple)
• LePage PL Premium Construction Adhesive
• Caulking Gun
• Air Nailer + Nails (size depends on floor thickness)
• Compressor
• Chalk Snap Line 
• Table Saw
• Mitre Saw
• Jig Saw
• Sand Paper 
• Finitec 3000 Water Based Polyurethane Hardwood Floor Finish (Semi-gloss)

Cutting the Plywood Floor Planks:

Did I mention that we finally have a table saw?  I've long bemoaned our lack of a table saw and after years of using his, my woodworker father-in-law hooked us up with a great previously-loved one for an amazing price (an older version of this, for only $300)!  With our new-to-us table saw, we ripped the plywood boards into approximately 7.25" wide strips.  The length and size is really up to you.  Too wide and the planks might cup, too narrow and it will be tons of extra work.

I don't have many photos because it took both of us to maneuver these sheets, but I think this step is pretty straightforward.  My two tips: cut the plywood sheets with the good side up, so most of the tear out will be on the bottom, and make sure to be really careful about cutting the boards with straight edges because any curve in the cuts will turn into gaps on install. 

Next we used our trusty mitre saw and cut the boards into 31" lengths - again, this measurement is totally up to you and you can even vary the lengths to mimic hardwood.  I just wanted a pattern that was simple so I could focus on the color when laying out my pattern, without the added headache of sorting through boards of different lengths.

Sanding the Plywood Floor Planks:

After cutting came the sanding.  It went much faster than I thought, but it definitely wasn't fun to have to sand the edges of each and every board.  I beveled each cut edge, so it was less sharp, by running a fine grit sand paper along the edge.  Then I also sanded the ends lightly to resolve any minor tear out (there was very little).  This is why I recommend staining/painting after install, if you can.   But I worked very carefully and sanded as little as possible to keep my blue stain intact along the edges.

While I hand sanded, Hubby took a belt sander and sanded down some weird glue blobs and resin spills to make sure we had as smooth a surface as possible to lay down our plywood planks.

Planning the Lay Out of the Plywood Floor Planks

Once the boards were cut and sanded into planks, I sorted them into four piles ranging from solid stain to mostly natural wood which made it easier to lay out my "pattern" - I use the word loosely.

I dry fit the planks on the floor to (1) double check we had enough (phew) and (2) plan my random pattern.  Isn't it funny how much more effort a random pattern requires?  I wanted to strike a balance between the different shades of blue and also the negative space ratio.  Plus I jettisoned a couple of boards that weren't straight enough (I am allergic to sawdust so I sneezed a lot while we were using the table saw, which probably explains a few loopy boards). 

Installing the Plywood Floor Planks:

To install the boards we used construction adhesive and also our air nailer.  With this busy pattern, the nails are pretty much lost.  That's the beauty of this watercolor staining process: it hides so many flaws (and dirt, too)!  We didn't line it up with the wall because it bowed, so we snapped a chalk line and worked off that.  Because I knew I'd have furniture on the plumbing side of the room, we started with a full row on the small firewood cubby wall because that's what you see when you enter the room and I didn't want to see a half width board there.

Board by board, we applied the adhesive and pressed down, using the air nailer to affix six nails (each corner plus one on each side).  If we did this again, we'd also add an "X" of adhesive to the middle of each wood plank.  But as it is, everything is held down perfectly and it feels great - really solid.

It went really quickly and progress was only slowed by having to cut some weird pieces to fit around pipes, door frames, and the floor vent.  We used a jigsaw for those cuts and that took a little fussing.

Even though it's going to be hidden, I am especially impressed with how tightly Hubs fit the plywood around the pipes:

Unfortunately, we did make one mistake!  Hubby and I disagreed slightly about how to lay down the floor: he wanted to alternate starting the pattern with a whole board on alternative ends so the pattern would zig zag a bit but we'd have fewer cuts.  I rallied for 15 additional cuts, which would mean the seams would all line up.  We went with my pattern. 

For one day. 

When we came back on the second day to finish up the floor, I dry fit the planks and went to monkey with the poly in the garage - it was the only time I wasn't working on laying the floor with Hubby - and he installed an entire row with his desired layout.  He just totally forgot the conversation we had!  So now, 3/4 of the way across the room there's a jog in the pattern.  You can see it in the photos I've shared but so far no one - online or in person - notices but us.  If this were in the house and a permanent flooring, I'd have ripped up the boards but I didn't want to risk wasting any and coming up short.  I figured the busy pattern would work to our advantage with this little error.

Here it is installed, before the polyurethane coat:

Finishing the Plywood Floor Planks:

With the stain already applied, I only needed to clear coat but, like I mentioned, the stain really should have been allowed to cure for a week.  But I had to get moving on this project, so we went ahead and finished it.  I tested a plank and my worst fear was confirmed: the polyurethane re-activated the over-dyed stain and turned pale blue!  It made the stain run a bit onto unstained areas, but not enough to make me dislike it.

So I went ahead and applied the clear coat, juggling different brushes and pots of poly to try and keep the color from running.  The first coat took hours and hours!  That's why with this staining method, I'd recommend a spray on finish done prior to install (but after sanding).  But for a regular stain or paint, you would have a much easier time because my watercolor method is what bogged down the progress.

After the first coat was finished, I waited four hours and then lightly sanded.  That helps smooth any bumps or raised grain, plus it helps "key" the next layer - basically it gives the poly something to grip.  Hubby helped and together we wiped the sanding dust off really well and then applied the second coat which went so much more quickly because the color was locked in and no longer bled. Yay!  For this brand, if the third coat is applied no later than 3 hours, you can skip sanding and just apply the finish - so I definitely set an alarm and waited for the two hour mark before testing if it was dry (it was!) and quickly applying the final coat.

A little confession: we stayed up until 5am one night so we could do the poly in one shot - and skip that second sanding.  I'll do anything to avoid more sanding...

The semi-gloss polyurethane adds so much depth and such a gorgeous sheen to the floor - and the bleeding isn't really noticeable so it was worth the gamble, for sure!  My Mom says it actually really works with the stain and makes it look even more like aerial shots or water or topographical maps.  That's a win!  I actually don't think anyone would have noticed if I didn't point it out (you can scroll up to see the photo of the floor pre-poly again), but I just wanted to make everyone aware of this issue. 

   
What Does a Plywood Floor Feel Like?  

I had seen plywood floors online before and always questioned how nice they would feel underfoot  Because this is a room I will probably often wear shoes in, smoothness and comfort ranked low on my list of priorities but - surprise, surprise - it feels nice and smooth!  The plywood I bought was not construction grade, it came from a lumberyard with nice quality woods designed for furniture building and the like, so it was already incredibly smooth and well sanded.  Sanding the edges helped prevent any sharpness between the boards and sanding between the coats of poly - plus applying three coats it total - really helped the smoothness as well.  All of our nails were installed below the surface of the wood  (none stick out), so this floor is actually very nice to walk on.  I've spent a lot of time padding around in here in socks, puttering and organizing.  There are some imperfections: teeny gaps because the boards aren't 100% straight - and of course our weird pattern disagreement - but nothing that impacts how it feels. 

Here's the real test: I can dry Swiffer in here without the cloth getting caught on anything - it just glides right across.  That's a good indicator of a smooth, even floor, I think.

I'm definitely surprised and really impressed with how much these feel like a real floor.  I was honestly expecting that they would feel cheap but they don't!  If anyone has lived with DIY plywood floors, I'd love to hear about how they've worn over time and whether you do/don't like them. 

I'll definitely share an update about how this plywood floor wears and whether we discover any problems or complaints but, so far, I am absolutely SMITTEN!  They look so amazing and they were easy to install over the old tile floor.  I am sure I will curse these when we go to renovate and have to remove a million nails but that's a problem for Future Me.

Current Me is pretty excited to do some plumbing and some more organizing and show off the new and improved Fish Room tour - soonish!  But these DIY plywood floors are definitely my favorite part so far. 

DIY Water Color Stained Plywood - Inspired by Wood Aquarelle

If you follow me on Instagram you probably noticed that I've finally started using Instagram Stories!  I used it to share some photos of how I made my plywood floor, but now I'm finally sharing the process on the blog too.

I've broken the how-to into two parts: today I'm chatting about how I created this watery look, the inspiration behind this crazy idea, and some troubles I ran into.  Stop by the lakehouse next week to see how Hubby and I ripped these plywood boards into floor planks and laid a DIY plywood floor.  I'll also give my honest thoughts on what a plywood floor feel like - you might be surprised (I was!).

Here's a little teaser of the finished floor, if you missed it:

In a very rare moment for a DIYer, my plywood floor idea actually turned out how I envisioned it.  Mostly.

But let's backtrack a little and talk about why I decided on a plywood floor - something I had been very dubious about in the past.  My plans for the fish room floor had three requirements: cheap, easy, and cute. 

I wanted to cover up the disgusting old vinyl floor and considered a few options: paint the vinyl (easy and cheap, but wouldn't disguise the gaps and bumps), slap on some peel and stick tile (cheap and easy but I had a bad experience with a peel and stick tile that wouldn't stick), install some kind of floating floor (easy and quick, but probably too thick), or do a crazy DIY plywood floor.  I couldn't think of a down side: it's fairly inexpensive, pretty easy to install, and would cover the old floor nicely.  Plus, because we could get super thin ply, we didn't need to worry about it not fitting under doors, etc.

Sold.

But I wanted to have fun.  There's often that little voice in my head that encourages me to make a simple project decidedly less easy.  I had seen some painted/stained hardwood floors I loved and contemplated a solid teal stain or maybe a fun pattern.  I was tempted by the idea of mimicking an expensive floor tile I loved with paint and I even considered marbling individual planks (but that looked like SO much work - even for me).

photo source

I really wanted something with a similar, organic feel but a little easier to produce.  Right now I'm just loving any kind of design that's irregular and inspired by water - ice dye, marbling...

photo source

So dreamy.

I had kept this dip dyed clay tile on file in my mind for a long time, tucked away in the recesses of my brain for DIY inspiration, and I started to wonder if I could make something like it for my DIY floor (this Home Depot tile is really different, but has a similar watery boho vibe).

After seeing this "wooden aquarelle" method of dyeing wood vibrant hues with blurry swirls of color, I had pinned it to every board for "someday" and decided to try something similar for my plywood.

photo via

The artist, Meike Harde, uses liquid pigment that is trapped on the plywood with a waterproof frame and as it evaporates, it creates this ethereal, organic design.  I struggled trying to recreate this technique Harde clearly perfected.  I tried different pigments and sometimes they just sank in, leaving a richly, and solidly, dyed surface, but eventually I came up with something easy that created a really different look than her beautifully stained plywood - but created what everyone says looks like topographical maps or aerial shots of the lake.  Perfect! 

Here's What You Need:

• Keda Wood Powdered Wood Stains (Blue and Yellow)
• Plastic Container (5 packs of stain make 5 quarts)
• Stir Sticks / Wood Scraps
• Good One Side Plywood (I used 1/4" Maple)
• Water Spray Bottle
• Gloves (but I totally didn't use them and had smurf hands for a job interview!)

How to Create a Watercolor, Marbled Effect with Wood Stain:

Keda wood stains are super interesting because they come in super saturated, vibrant colors and can be shipped in a powdered form (genius!).  You mix the powder with water, so you can create a lighter or dark stain (I mixed it pretty much according to the instructions).  You can also mix colors to create a custom hue.

I bought five packs of blue and five packs of yellow but when I even added the tiniest bit of yellow to my stain, it started to look very forest green - not the look I wanted - so I ended up mixing only half a pack of yellow to five packs of blue and after the stain dried, I realized I really could have added more yellow because it dried more teal than green. 

Each plywood sheet ended up taking the stain differently and in some cases the blue did look more teal on the blond wood.  It was an interesting (sometimes nerve-wracking) experiment.

Here's my jug-o-stain:



My plan was to pour on the stain and move it around the plywood but first my application was a little ugly.  I was too splashy and got this effect, which looked more like I spilled my stain by accident!

I learned to crouch down lower to the plywood and gently pour the stain on, as opposed to hurling it on from a standing position, and then it started to look more organic and swirly.

I used a spray bottle with water to create some areas with a thinner stain and I also moved the plywood sheets around, coaxing the stain into settling into certain areas.  I used scraps of wood to prop up corners and help control the stain to keep it from just pouring off the edges (mostly).  With such thin plywood, I could curve it gently to help keep the stain pooling in areas.

Here's a look at one pooled spot:

I tried to create a mix of some pooled stain and some thinned out stain.  I tried to vary it but I also just let the stain travel where it wanted.  Areas where it pooled, I let it evaporate overnight and that method left behind inkier areas.  It was fairly easy to do, but it did take me an afternoon of coaxing stain around.  It was a beautiful fall day though, so I can't complain.  After I was convinced I would ruin it by touching it more, I let it sit until evening, then Hubby and I carefully dragged the sheets into the garage to dry overnight, safe from the looming rain.

Here are the finished plywood sheets:

Each one turned out so differently and I was even able to re-stain the first splattery one (which ended up creating the gorgeous teal/emerald pieces in my floor, which are everyone's favorite!):

Problems I Encountered:

Now, with this method, the stain isn't removed as it's designed to be (brush on, wipe off excess), so I tried to really "burnish" the wood once it dried by rubbing it briskly with a tack cloth.  However, I was too ambitious with the minimal amount of time I let it dry and so when we cut it the next day, it did turn out fingers blue from handling it with sweaty palms.

The biggest problem I encountered - which I knew would happen - was that the water-based poly finish I used kind of re-activated the overdyed wood planks and muddied the bare wood areas.  I did some tests with a scrap of wood because I suspected this would be a problem, but hoped for the best anyway!  To circumvent this problem, I called my Mandlebaum Mom the night I was clear coating and she drove all the way out to help me finish the floor.  We used a few different brushes and different plastic containers of poly to separately brush on finish to light/dark areas separately to minimize the blurring but some still happened.  It meant that I had to brush on the entire first coat as opposed to just rolling it on (which took three hours of back breaking work!), so I was grateful for my Mom's help!  Even with our careful work, some muddying occurred because as it touched overdyed areas, the the poly turned pale blue and tinted many of the natural wood areas but it actually works with the watery vibe.  Luckily, after the first coat the color was sealed in perfectly and then I easily applied the second and third coats with no issues - and way more quickly.  I'll talk more about the clear coating process in my post about the installation.   

If I did this again, I would definitely do it in the summer, when it's warmer, and let the sheets dry a good week.  I immediately started working with them and the cooler, damp days didn't help my drying time.  Alternatively, I could have sprayed a first coat of finish onto each board individually, even before install, to prevent the blurring and seal in the color. 

Other than this little issue, I love how my watery plywood panels turned out.  Stop by next week to see these planks transformed into a really eye-catching DIY plywood floor.  I'll be sharing our tips and tricks - and what we learned the hard way - for creating a plywood floor, handy for anyone thinking about doing it (whether or not you're tempted by this marbled, watercolor stained wood).  I am just putting the finishing touches on the fish room and I am so excited to show you! I don't even recognize this formerly ugly little room and it feels so much more like an actual part of our house now.

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How to Paint a Vinyl Floor | DIY Painted Floors

I'm sooooo excited about today's DIY project, even though things didn't go exactly as planned.  

When Hubby and I gave our oak kitchen a spunky turquoise makeover - painting the cabinets turquoise, ripping down the tiny awkward cabinetry for more storage in the form of open shelving, and building solid white washed maple counters from scratch - we left the vinyl flooring untouched.  I often cropped it out of photos (like these), but you can spot it in a post about my case study planter: 

It was a cute enough pattern in a neutral, creamy hue with flecks of teal.  It looked okay but, frankly, because it extends into the adjacent entryway, shoe closet, laundry room and powder room, we were just too lazy to replace it!  It would have been one of those mushroom jobs, where you end up just gutting a room and repainting the entire house.  So we left the floors.  They were, however, a little grungy and dirt loved to settle in deep gauges the former owners had made.

After the turquoise kitchen makeover was complete, I scrubbed the floors on my hands and needs with a stiff bristled brush and caustic cleaner and eventually made them look shiny and new.  Fast forward exactly three days and the dirt and grime had settled in the deep scratches again.  A simple mopping did little.  Then I realized that although Szuka sheds very little, she brings in a lot of debris from the yard, so sweeping or mopping the light floors became a daily task.

I had seen tutorials about painting vinyl flooring (from Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body and View Along the Way), but neither of their laundry rooms seemed to as high traffic as my space.  I waffled between painting and doing peel and stick - until we finished the bathroom reno.  I  just loved how the matte charcoal grey tiles looked and decided I wanted to test out the same look in the kitchen and adjoining rooms.  Unable to find the exact peel and stick tile, I decided to take the plunge and try paint, figuring that if all else fails, I could still do peel and stick.  I had nothing to lose!

I decided to an another step to the pained vinyl floor tutorials I had seen online, though...

This was the plan: paint the vinyl floors a charcoal grey, then add a clear coat with fine flecks of black glitter.  I was hoping the floor would look less "painted" with the flecks of glitter.  I was also banking on the subtle sheen and speckles disguising crumbs and the like. 

Although the painted vinyl floor turned out so beautifully, I ran into a little trouble with the glitter, thanks to the clear coat not cooperating with the paint.  I'm still chatting with my local paint store to figure out if it was because the base coat was still off-gassing, or maybe because they weren't compatible to begin with.  There might still be a glitter top coat in my future but, for now, I really, really love how my dark grey painted vinyl floors turned out so I wanted to share!

If you've been eyeing up an ugly vinyl floor in your house, here's how we painted our vinyl - along with some tips to make painting a floor in a high traffic area (like a kitchen or entryway) a little easier.

Supplies:

• Stiff Bristle Brush
• Cleaner (check for compatibility with primer/paint; TSP, for example, is not recommended by Zinsser - a TSP substitute like Krud Kutter would be better)
• Sandpaper and Sanding Block (we used 120 - you can also use a circular sander)
• Zinsser 123 Primer, Tinted
• Porch and Floor Enamel (I used PPG's "Knight's Armor" - Behr's "Graphic Charcoal" is nearly identical)
• Good Quality Angled Brush
• Paint Tray + Liner
• Rollers
• Swiffer cloths

How to Prepare to Paint a Vinyl Floor

Like most DIY projects, the prep work is the most important.  This will sound silly, but I spent an entire day getting the kitchen ready before we even touched the floor.  I batch cooked a week's worth of meals and stockpiled easy to re-heat grub.  I washed a bunch of laundry, washed all of the dishes, emptied the dishwasher, grabbed some paper plates and the microwave from our basement and thought about how we'd live without access to the kitchen, laundry room, and front door. 

How to Prep a Vinyl Floor for Paint

Hubby and I thoroughly scrubbed the floors with a stiff bristle brush and TSP, which we realized after isn't recommended by Zinsser but we rinsed it well - I recommend a TSP substitue.  Then we scuff sanded, which didn't really take that long.  A circular sander (which we don't have) would make light work of this task.  Finally, we washed the floors once again and rinsed really, really well so no residue remained.  We moved the appliances out of the way.

How to Prime a Vinyl Floor for Paint

We waited for the floors to dry overnight and then applied a coat of Zinsser 123 primer the next morning, which I had the store tint a dark grey. 

We treated it much like a wall:  we both edged because it took longer and then one of us rolled the primer on.  I free-handed the edging because I knew if I taped, I'd surely miss places and leave a sliver of beige vinyl tile.   

Here's an important tip: I kept a swiffer cloth handy and quickly dry wiped each area before painting, just to catch any rogue fuzzies (I caught a lot!).  Any place where we primer or painted over a crumb (it happened a few times), when the crumb was finally knocked loose, we were left with a bear spot to touch up, so making sure the floor was spotless was essential to good adhesion and a nice looking paint job.

How to Paint a Vinyl Floor 

Once the primer had dried for 24 hours, we pushed the appliances back.  The primer and paint were really similar and I was really worried the appliances would scratch up the finish paint job.  After pushing everything back, we started applying the paint.

The Porch and Floor enamel we used was the same brand of  Porch and Floor enamel I used for the DIY painted particle board floor I tackled (I used a different brand, but the same kind of product, for the DIY painted concrete floor in the townhouse laundry room).  Concrete is SO much easier to paint, probably because it is porous and these products are designed for it.  With the tinted primer, though, painting the vinyl floor went smoothly.  We edged together and then one of us rolled again, being careful not to paint ourselves into a corner.  I used a tiny brush to get in between the wall and the side of the appliances - you cannot see back there at all, anyway.

One problem to watch out for: the floor enamel did not like being applied to drier areas, so we had to work quickly and keep a wet edge.

We applied two coats, waiting 24 hours in between coats.  We lit a fire on one damp evening so the house wasn't too humid.  24 hours after the second coat, it was fine to walk on, although we were careful to only wear socks and not drop anything sharp.  Szuka was expressly banned!

How to Mess up the Glitter Top Coat

After letting the second coat dry for 36 hours, we started with the glitter top coat.  I had bought a clear coat recommended by the paint store employees and I purchased a pound of glitter.  They were dubious about my painting a vinyl floor plan, so I knew I was taking a risk.

I poured a a third to one half of the bag into the clear coat (which I poured into a clean pail, first) and mixed really well.  I brushed it onto my paint stick to get a feel for how glittery it would be, and it looked perfect!  Just a hint of sparkly, not a full on glitter floor.  The clear coat was milky but was supposed to dry clear.

We got our supplies ready and started to apply the clear coat to the floor when we both noticed it was sort of seizing up.  We quickly washed it off and ran to the garage to do some testing.  Was it the glitter?  The vinyl?  The paint?  I applied the glitter top coat to various surfaces: painted trim scraps, a stained piece of wood, the stir stick with floor paint on it.  Every surface was fine (and SO pretty) except for the stir stick - the paint and clear coat were reacting.

The Results of my Painted Vinyl Floor DIY

We decided to forgo the glitter top coat for now, but once I hear back from the paint store I might still go ahead with it, but the matte look does really mimic the painted fireplace and the bathroom floor tile, so the cohesion and flow in the house is looking pretty darn awesome (time for an updated house tour!).

I'm also loving that the floors no longer sport streaks of perma-dirt:

Again, I didn't hate the before - the cream vinyl floor was nice but although it photographed well, in real life it looked pretty beat up.  Here's a look at the before again:

This is going to be a great way to experiment with dark grey floors in here and see if we like them in time, before committing to a major reno and thousands of dollars of tile work.  (A couple of my photos have some lighter spots in them - I think my camera lens needs a cleaning, because those do not exist in real life - the floors look evenly colored).   

How Does a Painted Vinyl Floor Hold Up?

So far, it holds up well!  It's been over a week and we have had absolutely no issues (knock on wood), but the primer takes a full seven days to harden - and the paint thirty - so I'm trying to keep Szuka and her claws away but she still sneaks in once a day but there are no scratches.

I really like how the design of the old floor sort of peeks through.  Walking on the floor feels weird, though, because it tricks my mind into thinking it's concrete because of the texture.  It's no longer as smooth as the vinyl but it's not rough, either - just sort of more matte, like the matte tile in the bathroom.  Importantly, it swiffers really well - no issue with dust getting stuck of anything - which is such a relief!  You wouldn't guess this is a painted floor.

My Tips for Painting a Vinyl Floor:

• Chat with the pros about what products to use - not all primers can withstand foot traffic, for example.
• Spend a few days making a list about what you'll need from the room(s) you're painting because it will be off limits while the paint dries.
• Read the can labels but don't defer to paint store staff - do your own research too!  I found a LOT of helpful stuff in some DIY forums.
• Don't skip the prep work: clean, sand and prime properly for maximum adhesion.
• Keep a dry swiffer cloth handy to wipe each spot before applying primer and paint because little dust bunnies and flecks of stuff prevent paint from adhering properly.
• Edge and roll just like you would a wall, making sure to keep a wet edge
• Keep dust, pets, and people out of the area to avoid any pesky dust bunnies or hairs getting stuck in the fresh paint

The painted vinyl certainly lends more contrast, making the turquoise cabinets pop, drawing more attention to our beautiful maple counters!  I'm actually working on a mini face lift for the powder room, so when that's done I'll show you the new painted flooring in all of the rooms - and give you another update on how well it has held up.

Cross your fingers for me!

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