Attach Luan Plywood to Drywall

Attach Luan Plywood to Drywall


Installing luan plywood over sheetrock or drywall is relatively easy. Luan Plywood comes in standard 4x8 foot sheets, and is available in various thicknesses, but all you need is the ¼ -inch thick variety, which is cheap, lightweight and easy to handle. Just check and you can see where the wall studs are and nail the luan directly to them. If sheetrock has already been hung, but not floated and taped, you can still find the studs by seeing the nails or screws that were used to fasten the sheetrock. The luan can be applied over the sheetrock or drywall.



How to Bend Plywood


Use full luan sheets wherever possible. The studs used for framing are supposed to be spaced on 16-inch centers by the framing carpenters, so 4-foot wide panels will fit perfectly with each edge landing in the middle of a stud for nailing. But if the total length of any of the garage walls works out to be anything other than a multiple of four, you will have to cut at least some of the sheets at the corners to get them to fit. To accurately cut full-size sheets of plywood, you will need sawhorses to support the work, a tape measure, a chalk-line for marking a long straight line, and a power circular saw
.


How to Bend Plywood

Use finishing nails to attach the luan to the walls and a nail set to drive the heads of the nails slightly beneath the surface. This way they don't snag rollers or brushes when you paint or clear-coat the luan and setting the nails gives you a more professional look.

The seams where the panels of luan meet can be covered with thin strips of wood such as the strips sold at home-improvement stores for trimming screen porches. Larger strips of molding that is made for trimming the inside corners can also be purchased if you want a finished look.

Once you have completed the Luan Installation, you can finish your project with a finishing paint or lacquer. This also serves to improve the strength and water resistance of the wood.