Surprisingly, luan plywood can be used as flooring, when fully installed, and cut into planks or cut into square pieces. However the sheets should be glued down, with floor tape adhesive or glue, and then nailed throughout, or if you prefer, for appearance, you can just use the adhesive glue without nailing the flooring into place. You can screw the heads to make a tigher fit, however some believe this may make for a more unsightly project when the fasteners appear through the finished floor.
Luan Wood Video Series
Bending Luan Wood Video
Installing Luan Wood Video
Cutting and Installing Vinyl Over Luan
Installing Luan Over Subfloor
Laying laminate over Subfloor
Making Tile Flush With Subfloor
Attaching Luan To Subfloor
Working With Luan For Do It Yourselfers
Luan, can be installed over solid, or smooth subfloors, like wood, or plywood, or concrete. Since luan is not very heavy, it can be used as flooring even though by most it is considered a temporary flooring option. It has been used on many do-it-yourself projects, which showcase this material as a great flooring option, however even though it has a nice appearance, it's durability is not that great.
How To Install Luan and Tools Required
- Allow the plywood to sit for several days in the room in which will be installed
- Make sure the subfloor is dry and structuraly sound
- Install and secure with 1″ deck scews a sheet of plywood, smooth side facing upward
- Make sure the underlayment sems are not aligned with the subfloor seams
- Lay the following plywood sheet – start along the longest wall and leave 1/4″ expansion gaps in between sheets and between the sheets the walls
- Secure the plywood sheet every 6″ – make sure to drive the deck screw heads bellow the surface of the plywood sheet
- Cut the plywood shets as required to follow the surface of the floor
- Apply floor patching over the screw heads and the plywood seams
- After the patching compound has dried, sand the compound
- Vaccum and wipe with a damp cloth all the resulting dust
Tools Required for Luan Plywood Installation
Drill Kit, Circular Saw, Wallboard Knife, Floor Patching Compound, Floor Roller, 1 inch Wood Screws, 1/8 inch notched trowel, Jig Saw, Power Sander, 1/4 inch notched trowel, Fiberglass Mesh Tape, Thin-set Motar, and Deck Screws.
Using Ceramic or Carpeting Over Luan Plywood (Subflooring)
How to Bend Plywood
If you have wood floor of different widths and lengths compromised of two layers. Each layer should act independently of each other in regards to how it constracts and expands. If you might have noticed, hardwood on a wood surface will expand when it's humid and shrink when it's dry or hot.
Replace hardwood with Exterior Glue Plywood with the minimum thinkness of 3/8's of an inch. Fasten according to APA guidelines, and then from this point on you can use either an uncoupling membrane or install the tile directly to the plywood. The cost of uncoupling the membrane will be money well spent, as you will find.
Using grout sealer will not make the subfloor or the ceramic waterproof, the only purpose of the grout filler is to reduce the effects of staining.
How to Bend Plywood
If you have wood floor of different widths and lengths compromised of two layers. Each layer should act independently of each other in regards to how it constracts and expands. If you might have noticed, hardwood on a wood surface will expand when it's humid and shrink when it's dry or hot.
Replace hardwood with Exterior Glue Plywood with the minimum thinkness of 3/8's of an inch. Fasten according to APA guidelines, and then from this point on you can use either an uncoupling membrane or install the tile directly to the plywood. The cost of uncoupling the membrane will be money well spent, as you will find.
Using grout sealer will not make the subfloor or the ceramic waterproof, the only purpose of the grout filler is to reduce the effects of staining.
Installing Laun Flooring - Best Methods:
Installing Laun Flooring - Best Methods:
Instructions
1 Cut the luan sheets to fit the area to be covered, taking care to stagger the seams so the luan edges do not end at the same line as the edges of the subfloor that covers the floor joists.
A space of one quarter inch should be left between the luan sheets to allow for expansion.
2 Screw the luan into place, using deck screws placed every six inches on the surface of the luan and taking care to drive the screws slightly below the surface of the luan.
3 Finish the seams and screw heads by filling with floor patch; allow to dry as per the patch manufacturer's instructions.
4 Sand the patched areas until smooth.
Installing Laun Flooring - Best Methods:
Many new flooring installations require a new underlayment be installed in order to properly prepare the subfloor for the new flooring material. Luan is a common material used for underlayment, and it is imperative that the luan be properly secured to assure the integrity of the new flooring once it is installed. While different flooring materials may call for specifics isolated to the particular flooring, there is a standard process for securing luan as a flooring underlayment
Comparing Luan Wood To Balsa Wood
Main Differences:
Luan Wood is a Mahogany Plywood.
Balsa Wood is a ligher coloured hardwood. It can be made into Plywood, like Luan, but it is more commonly found in small dimensional solids.
Another Important Difference is Price. Balsa Wood is more expensive than Luan Wood, and usually when you hear a tradesman speaking of luan, he is actually talking about plywood. It is usually found in a demension of 1/8 inch to 1/4 inchs by 4 to 8 feet. The most common use of luan wood is as underlayment for vinyl, tile, or rolled flooring
Instructions
1 Cut the luan sheets to fit the area to be covered, taking care to stagger the seams so the luan edges do not end at the same line as the edges of the subfloor that covers the floor joists.
A space of one quarter inch should be left between the luan sheets to allow for expansion.
2 Screw the luan into place, using deck screws placed every six inches on the surface of the luan and taking care to drive the screws slightly below the surface of the luan.
3 Finish the seams and screw heads by filling with floor patch; allow to dry as per the patch manufacturer's instructions.
4 Sand the patched areas until smooth.
Installing Laun Flooring - Best Methods:
Many new flooring installations require a new underlayment be installed in order to properly prepare the subfloor for the new flooring material. Luan is a common material used for underlayment, and it is imperative that the luan be properly secured to assure the integrity of the new flooring once it is installed. While different flooring materials may call for specifics isolated to the particular flooring, there is a standard process for securing luan as a flooring underlayment
Comparing Luan Wood To Balsa Wood
Main Differences:
Luan Wood is a Mahogany Plywood.
Balsa Wood is a ligher coloured hardwood. It can be made into Plywood, like Luan, but it is more commonly found in small dimensional solids.
Another Important Difference is Price. Balsa Wood is more expensive than Luan Wood, and usually when you hear a tradesman speaking of luan, he is actually talking about plywood. It is usually found in a demension of 1/8 inch to 1/4 inchs by 4 to 8 feet. The most common use of luan wood is as underlayment for vinyl, tile, or rolled flooring
Baltic Birch Plywood
Baltic birch plywood is high quality plywood that is known for having multiple plies that are free of voids and imperfections. Whereas Luan plywood is known for it's cost effectiveness, and it's use as a underlayment for different types of Flooring, such as Vinyl, Laminate and Tile Flooring.
Luan Wood for Marine (Naval and Boating)
Luan is an umbrella term for many types of wood. Luan is also only the veneer, the core wood is going to be something very different. The main things to look for are marine or ext and lots of plies.
A sheet of good marine ply in 1" thickness is going to run you north of $100, if the price is substantially less.
Marine ply is also going to have more plies than typical construction ply, you want to be on the look out for higher numbers, greater than 7 in my opinion.
Marine ply is going to be lighter than ext ply and especially pressure treated ply. For your boat I would go with the Home Depot pressure treated varieties.
Your best bet is to get 2 sheets of 3/4 pt ply, let them dry for a week, then glue them together
Baltic birch plywood is high quality plywood that is known for having multiple plies that are free of voids and imperfections. Whereas Luan plywood is known for it's cost effectiveness, and it's use as a underlayment for different types of Flooring, such as Vinyl, Laminate and Tile Flooring.
Luan Wood for Marine (Naval and Boating)
Luan is an umbrella term for many types of wood. Luan is also only the veneer, the core wood is going to be something very different. The main things to look for are marine or ext and lots of plies.
A sheet of good marine ply in 1" thickness is going to run you north of $100, if the price is substantially less.
Marine ply is also going to have more plies than typical construction ply, you want to be on the look out for higher numbers, greater than 7 in my opinion.
Marine ply is going to be lighter than ext ply and especially pressure treated ply. For your boat I would go with the Home Depot pressure treated varieties.
Your best bet is to get 2 sheets of 3/4 pt ply, let them dry for a week, then glue them together
Attach Luan to Concrete
Attaching Luan to Concrete Floors, is possible if you first overlay the concrete with a think material such as plywood, then use the Laun Material overtop of that. You should use fasteners to attach the thicker plywood pieces to the floor. The best option when using fasteners is to use nails or cememt nails. If you're using the nails made of cement you must first make sure that all the heads of the nails are covered in a putty or smooth finish. The reason for this is that the nail's hard top surface over time will destroy the the laun board material.
Attaching Luan to Concrete Floors, is possible if you first overlay the concrete with a think material such as plywood, then use the Laun Material overtop of that. You should use fasteners to attach the thicker plywood pieces to the floor. The best option when using fasteners is to use nails or cememt nails. If you're using the nails made of cement you must first make sure that all the heads of the nails are covered in a putty or smooth finish. The reason for this is that the nail's hard top surface over time will destroy the the laun board material.
How to Lay Luan Plywood Over the Sub-Floor
If the subfloor is in good shape then there is really no need in installing luan plywood on top. Just regular straight edge plywood will do and then it will be a little easier on you with less waste. For the strongest floor, you want the sheets running in the same direction as the subfloor, which is perpendicular to the joists.
With thelong edges of the luan sheets should be offset from the subfloor by at least 4", and more is okay. The short edges of luan board (plywood) should 1/4 of the way between the joists, for example 4" from the joist if they're 16" O.C. and 6" if they're 24" O.C. You are correct about the spacing of the sheets. Also make sure to screw the two layers together, but avoid hitting the joists. The easiest way to do this is to use screws that are the same length as the thickness of both layers, 1 1/4" in your case.
Sometimes it's not possible to find screws that exact length, but you can find 1 1/2", and that's okay since you'll have very minimal penetration of the joists with that size screw. You want screws every 4-6" around the perimeter of the sheet, and every 6-8" in the field. Use deck screws, not drywall screws. You want them seated flush, but not below the surface. Depending on how many square feet you have to do, you may want to try to get your hands on a deck screw gun.
If you go through 50-60 screws per sheet and have 30-40 sheets to do, it can be very time-consuming and back-breaking. This will give you an exceptionally strong subfloor that should hold up to just about anything.
Luan Type 1 plywood is a heavier grade plywood and it's made of plywood sourced out of Brazil and South America Usually, and also Indoenesia, Type 1 graded luan material is usually the only type accepted by most sheet vinyl manufacturers as an appropriate sheet vinyl subfloor.
How Do You Attach Type 1 Luan Plywood to Concrete or Subfloor:
Attaching Luan to Concrete Floors, is possible if you first overlay the concrete with a think material such as plywood, then use the Laun Material overtop of that. You should use fasteners to attach the thicker plywood pieces to the floor. The best option when using fasteners is to use nails or cememt nails. If you're using the nails made of cement you must first make sure that all the heads of the nails are covered in a putty or smooth finish. The reason for this is that the nail's hard top surface over time will destroy the the laun board material
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