Hi guys. I want to put lino on the floorboard in a bathroom. I have just read to put 6 mm. plywood underlay 4 outdoor before laying lino on the top of it. When using plywood as an underlay, in a bathroom or elsewhere, would you try to lay it down in a whole piece or 2 pieces or would you cut it in relatively small pieces in order to reduce its expansion? Thank u 4 the input.
plywood as underlay
- Thread starter dotto
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suggest you use marine ply as this has good resistance to rot in wet conditions (this may be what you've identified already as outside ply).
as the ply will be fixed down to the floorboards then the size of sheet does not matter as the expansion will be the same as the floorboards. you may get some shrinkage as the ply dries out but you can't avoid that only minimise by screwing well to the floorboards (ie good coverage of screws, be careful on depth not to go through any service pipes or cables)
lino would not be my choice for a bathroom (laminate my preference sealed around the perimeter with caulk) as any water getting underneath can't evaporate as the lino is impermeable. this means the ply and ultimately the floorboards can remain wet if water spills are frequent.
suggest keeping an eye to find the worst hit areas and perhaps put some soft carpeting or cork mats down as a 1st line of defence against any water spillages. these mats can be hung up to dry when not in use if needed or have 2 sets of carpet so they the one in use can be exchanged frequently for the newly washed.
as the ply will be fixed down to the floorboards then the size of sheet does not matter as the expansion will be the same as the floorboards. you may get some shrinkage as the ply dries out but you can't avoid that only minimise by screwing well to the floorboards (ie good coverage of screws, be careful on depth not to go through any service pipes or cables)
lino would not be my choice for a bathroom (laminate my preference sealed around the perimeter with caulk) as any water getting underneath can't evaporate as the lino is impermeable. this means the ply and ultimately the floorboards can remain wet if water spills are frequent.
suggest keeping an eye to find the worst hit areas and perhaps put some soft carpeting or cork mats down as a 1st line of defence against any water spillages. these mats can be hung up to dry when not in use if needed or have 2 sets of carpet so they the one in use can be exchanged frequently for the newly washed.
just a couple of things i will correct for you here as there is a bit of confusion here.
The plywood should be acclimatised so that it contains the same amount of moister as the floor boards. This will minimise any shrinkage or growth. If you fit the plywood too wet, the floorboards will try and steal its extra moister which in turn will make the floorboards grow and the plywood shrink. And vise versa if its to dry. Also you should not screw 6mm plywood. It needs to be pinned with ring shank 20-22mm nails or stapled with divergent staples If using thicker plywood then you need to screw and then use a feather finish compound over the top to stop the screw heads showing through. Its also good practise to do this over ring shank nails. The plywood needs to be secured at 6" centres and every 2" around the edge. The less pieces of plywood you use the better ( less joints )
Also i would never recommend a laminate in any wet area. ( there is not many manufacturers that do either ) Lino or vinyl is a much better product for the bathroom which should be cut a couple of mm short and then silicon applied around the perimeter to make water tight. I guess you also mean vinyl not lino. Lino is non patterned and is a commercial flooring.
The plywood should be acclimatised so that it contains the same amount of moister as the floor boards. This will minimise any shrinkage or growth. If you fit the plywood too wet, the floorboards will try and steal its extra moister which in turn will make the floorboards grow and the plywood shrink. And vise versa if its to dry. Also you should not screw 6mm plywood. It needs to be pinned with ring shank 20-22mm nails or stapled with divergent staples If using thicker plywood then you need to screw and then use a feather finish compound over the top to stop the screw heads showing through. Its also good practise to do this over ring shank nails. The plywood needs to be secured at 6" centres and every 2" around the edge. The less pieces of plywood you use the better ( less joints )
Also i would never recommend a laminate in any wet area. ( there is not many manufacturers that do either ) Lino or vinyl is a much better product for the bathroom which should be cut a couple of mm short and then silicon applied around the perimeter to make water tight. I guess you also mean vinyl not lino. Lino is non patterned and is a commercial flooring.
dotto - before you do any of this discover any pipe runs below - lift a couple of floorboards and look with mirror & torch. Chalk mark these runs onto the top of the floorboards, then when laying your ply you can keep clear with your fixings. Finally, transfer the pipe positions/runs onto the top of the ply (use a pencil not chalk for this); this will be a reminder to you, and those who 'follow' you, if you do any floor work in the future.
Also, fix any loose floorboards before you start 'cos the squeaks will really bug you if you don't.
Also, fix any loose floorboards before you start 'cos the squeaks will really bug you if you don't.
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Thank u all very much for your inputs
BTW, when say two plywood panels meet, would u fill the gap with silicon or would u leave it like that?
feather finish compound!
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