Many months ago I saw in a woodworking magazine an ingenious idea to cut up 4 by 8 sheets plywood veneers of bircth, for example, and lay them down much like to laminated hardwood floors. I was wondering if anyone has done this?? Do I need to worry about shrinkage? OR can I just cut and butt them up against one another? The veneers are very thin so I guess 5 coats of varathane would be of benefit.
Comments....
Brandt
The ply would probably be softer than oak hardwood and I'd be worried about durability in the long term. Every time a solid hardwood floor is refinished they sand off about 1/16" or so. With veneer, could you refinish it in a few years?
Yeah. Bad idea. The veneer is far too thin and softwood plies are too soft to offer any kind of long term durability, and without machining the edges so that the pieces interlock (ie. tongue and groove) you will not get a level surface. Nor will you be able to sand the surface level without sanding through the thin veneer.
I have this friend who did a floor like that. He is so cheap that....... Actually, he is cheap but the floor looked great. He made it from free scraps he collected going around to all of the cabinet shops. He is not really a woodworker but ne did a fantastic job. I would just worry that dropping a pot on it of something heavy would damage the veneer that some people find it easy to sand through. max
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