hi all, I have a room in my house that is in need of a carpet replacement. Unfortunately I can't really afford to replace it at this time. Would i be able to paint the subfloor for the time being. There is a musty odor in the room anyways so I assume that the subfloor may need some type of sealer anyways. Would this create any problems in the future if I wanted to apply sheet goods or other glue down flooring? Would I be able to glue right on the paint or would I have to lay down another layer of thin plywood?
Local codes may require a finish floor and I doubt if a painted sub floor is going to work for that. Of course it is unlikely that anyone will be enforcing that code unless you rent or sell the house.
I would use a Shellac type sealer then paint. If you go to a glue down floor, you can sand the paint back off. I believe the necessity of doing so would depend on the adhesive and method of application. I would tend to want to remove the paint first. The complications of adding an new additional layer of subfloor would depend on a number of factors, including possible problems with transitions between rooms.
We have two restrooms. They both had carpet when we moved in. The small one (toilet/sink) met with a tragic party accident involving far too much alcohol, food, and a plunger... it's not a pretty story. The carpet came up and we found real linolium underneath... We eventually found that the upkeep on that had not been done really well, and the old man that lived there probably didn't have too good of an aim... so we pulled that up as well... so we're down to plywood. a good scrubbing and a Couple coats of porch enamel later "just for now" has lasted several years. We also have an area rug.
The second full bath also had carpeting. Whoever though putting carpet in a wet humid enviroment was a good idea needs to be shot. Anyway, when we found a mushroom growing near the tub, we decided it had to go. Again, down to plywood. scrub, fill (durhams water putty), paint, paint, paint, poly, poly, poly, and it looks pretty good. We did a faux technique that makes it looks a bit like coraline algae (the purple and pink rock you see in reef tanks) a couple of the poly coats had opalescent craft powder mixed in. it's a bit slippery, but other than that it's held up well. (it all sounds gaudy, but it's really not that bad).
I don't know if it's up to local code, but it's worked for us.
First step is to find the source of the musty odor. If you have mold growing, you need more than a sealer to protect your house from damage as well as your health. Get rid of the old carpet as that could well be the source if you have pets or little kids. Or adult drunks that spill stuff.
Once cleaned up I'd sand the floor lightly at the very least. You can get away with paint, but if you eventually glue a floor down, the bond to the paint is as good as it well ever get unless you sand it off. . If there is an odor problem, look for a primer such as Kilz or a shellac based primer that will seal the odor. Other relatively cheap coverings are room sized rugs or sheet linoleum. Ed
Re the musty odor, do you have a crawlspace and if so is the area under the house covered with plastic? That can be a cause of musty odors and increased humidity in the house.
M > I have a room in my house that is in need of a carpet replacement. M > Unfortunately I can't really afford to replace it at this time. Would i be M > able to paint the subfloor for the time being. There is a musty odor in the M > room anyways so I assume that the subfloor may need some type of sealer M > anyways. Would this create any problems in the future if I wanted to apply M > sheet goods or other glue down flooring? Would I be able to glue right on M > the paint or would I have to lay down another layer of thin plywood?
As the others indicated, locate the source of the musty smell and correct. Any leakage from in-wall pipes? Gutter problems? Leaky window (don't forget to check upstairs!)?
Assuming that is fixed, you may wish to consider carpet outlet stores in your town. There is a decorator shop here which maintains its own remnant business. The end-rolls are sold at a discount. Some pieces are barely large enough for a closet but others would do an entire first floor.
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