Stained plywood floor in RV

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Mackerr

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Apr 15, 2017
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We are in the process of remodeling our new-to-us 5th wheel. We have ripped the carpet out and I was sold on putting in either allure flooring or sheet vinyl. My husband went to the store today though and saw really beautiful thin plywood sheets that he thought might work. They're about 5mm thick. Does anyone have experience with plywood as flooring in an rv? Any thoughts on wether it would be a great idea or a horrible one?
Much appreciate all your input.
 
Mackerr said:
We are in the process of remodeling our new-to-us 5th wheel. We have ripped the carpet out and I was sold on putting in either allure flooring or sheet vinyl. My husband went to the store today though and saw really beautiful thin plywood sheets that he thought might work. They're about 5mm thick. Does anyone have experience with plywood as flooring in an rv? Any thoughts on wether it would be a great idea or a horrible one?
Much appreciate all your input.

Probably called luan, that's what is normally put below linoleum in residential houses. Plywood is usually thicker. Plywood is usually 1/2 inch up to 1 inch or so. Would luan work.? sure, will it have alot of seems, yes. Will the seems butt together nicely, probably not. If you go this route to save a few bucks, you may give that money back on installing it, and finishing it with a lacquer or what not. You will have nail holes everywhere from attaching it. Then one day when you go to sell it you have to explain why this and not regular flooring.

You could just buy a regular linoleum floor and be done with it.

 
When underlayment is used, it needs to be screwed and glued to the subfloor. I try and space the screws about every 6 inches apart. If you don't, a couple of humid days and that material will buckle. Just paint or stain your OSB, if you want to go that route
 
Ernie Ekberg said:
When underlayment is used, it needs to be screwed and glued to the subfloor. I try and space the screws about every 6 inches apart. If you don't, a couple of humid days and that material will buckle. Just paint or stain your OSB, if you want to go that route
Correct on the multiple screws and glue but only on thicker material. Luan is very thin. You wouldn't and couldn't use this installation method, it would be a mess of splinters.
 
I think Mackerr is talking about finish-grade plywood rather than underlayment. In lieu of using vinyl flooring.

5 mm is roughly 0.2 inches and equal to the finished thickness of 1/4' plywood. Such plywood is usually soft wood (e.g. pine) and not well suited for use as flooring. The finish scratches easily and the surface is soft enough to gouge. Unless that plywood is being sold specifically as flooring, I would not even consider it as the finish flooring. And even if it is, I would be skeptical about using it in an RV.  If its a hardwood such as oak or maple, the wood itself will hold up ok, but the finish (varnish?) is still going to scratch readily.

Technically, Luan is considered a hardwood but when used in plywoods and veneers it is very, very thin and quite soft. Not very rugged at all.

Rv floors are inevitably exposed to sand and gravel under our feet and wide swings in temperature and humidity. The flooring should be a material that is very stable and resists scratching. I would stick with a premium grade vinyl plank (e.g. Allure Ultra) or premium sheet vinyl. The better grades are often hard to distinguish from real plank or stone. Since an RV floor is small (in square feet), a premium grade floor covering doesn't add much to the cost.

If a wood floor is attractive to you, get "engineered wood" flooring in square tiles or planks.
 
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