Laminate/Vinyl flooring over wood floor

[gidz555]

Hi all,

 

We have a Thai house with the ground floor being cement and the first floor being wood and I'd like to redo the wood floor and make better use of the space upstairs.

 

The floor is not in great shape as it is creaky and uneven in some areas but it is still strong.

 

The wife's family seem to want to refurbish the floor keeping it as it currently is but I feel like it would be better use of our funds to buy some large sheets of wood of reasonable thickness, have them screwed to the wood beneath, and then just have laminate flooring installed.

 

Has anyone done something similar? What are your thoughts? Attached an image of the room as it currently is.

 

Cheers

 

[sometimewoodworker]

That is a reasonable idea, there are some things you need to do before doing that you will first need to level the floor, while I’m not there I can be sure that it is not flat now, then since the floor is creaking you will need a minimum of 20mm ply (you could use USB but you need to know where to buy it) I know a supplier in Khon Kaen and you will pay 1,200+ per sheet for good plywood, again you have to know where to go as the majority of places have cheap Chinese plywood.
 

You can never get a bargain on plywood, if its lower than 1,400 unless you know the suppliers, the reasons will include; little glue, high formaldehyde levels in the product, micron thin surface veneers, veneers overlapping, veneer voids, short time in the veneer press, low temperature in the press, etc

 

don't make the mistake of using outdoor ply inside as the formaldehyde levels will be stratospheric, also don’t believe that your builder has any knowledge of any of the information above, they will almost always consider that they have a bargain when they pay 600 Baht for a sheet of cheap c*r*a*p, that will do an adequate job for a year or two, while giving people formaldehyde exposure.

Edited Saturday at 02:05 PM by sometimewoodworker

[gidz555]

Quote

since the floor is creaking you will need a minimum of 20mm ply

 

Thanks for the response @sometimewoodworker, what would the dimensions of the ply wood be so I can factor it into my budget? I'm based in Phichit so it seems I'm quite far away from the supplier in Khon Kaen but I'm sure I can a reliable supplier nearby..

 

Also good info on the formaldehyde risks; I think for my own peace of mind I would purchase something to seal the layer of ply from the flooring to limit exposure.

[sometimewoodworker]

58 minutes ago, gidz555 said:

I'm based in Phichit so it seems I'm quite far away from the supplier in Khon Kaen but I'm sure I can a reliable supplier nearby..

That maybe what you think, however I would be extremely surprised if you can find anything closer than Bangkok, I have looked in an area about 150 Km north and south of Khon Kaen and they are the only company that has that material. 
 

You can probably get the shipment from KK for a reasonable price.
 

If you know exactly what to look for it is possible that if you go to all the suppliers in the Chang Mai area you might find a supplier.

 

However there are so many variables in the manufacturing process of plywood, all of them will effect the price and you can specify materials that will change the cost per 20mm sheet between about 400 per sheet to upwards of 150,000 and you will probably need to buy a quality that will make your eyes water

A standard sheet is 1220mm x 2440mm

 

 

58 minutes ago, gidz555 said:

Also good info on the formaldehyde risks; I think for my own peace of mind I would purchase something to seal the layer of ply from the flooring to limit exposure.

Again a nice idea, unfortunately it won’t work. The only thing that will prevent formaldehyde exposure is to not use products that contain it in the construction 

Edited 1 hour ago by sometimewoodworker

[patman30]

builders done same to one of the wooden houses we got
but they used the thick fibre cement floor boards,
which may possibly be an easier and maybe cheaper option for you
whatever you use, do consider sanding that floor and refinishing it, rather than covering it with vinyl flooring

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by patman30