Existing plywood flooring remodeling ideas or tips?

Ready to rip up my carpet I am left with plywood flooring. I am unable to afford another flooring option (carpet, laminate, tile etc.) and would like to know any ideas tips and/or cost advice to make my plywood floor look great would be appreciated. More so, if anyone has photos to share of plywood flooring or valuable websites would be great! Thanks!

Public Comments

1. I would buy area rugs at a dept store. You could paint floor one of the accent colors in the rug. I recommend gray or brown
2. You are really up against it here-the plywood floor wasn't put there for aesthete reasons-note the exposed nail heads,etc... Now you probably have a lot of time on your hands if you cant afford a rug or tiles--so get some painters tape and some paint and maybe make it look like a chess board or something Maybe if you could scrape together 75 bucks you could get a remnant that you could center in the room and paint the "border"but remember..........you can pour syrup on dog poop but ya cant call it a pancake
3. I've seen a plywood floor painted & they actually did a 'splotchy/splatter' look in one room & a 'swirly' look in one, which helps hide imperfections. It turned out really neat! They do have paint specifically for floors. Don't know how good of a color selection though. Think you can even get stuff to add to paint if you want 'texture.' Personally I think an oil based paint would be best & would probably start with a primer. I've read that if you prime first latex may be fine. You could also stain it. There are so many stains. You could go with a natural or dark wood look or even a blue or green or... I love stain because it brings out the 'wood look' & I like a style more antiqued or rustic where it doesn't have to be perfect or uniform. Sand it a little & fill in cracks, crevices, 'bad spots' with wood filler (make sure to use something that dries hard). Clean it REALLY good then use whatever you decide! Some stains have Clear Coat in them but you want to apply more. Whatever you decide, be sure to apply Clear Coat (the more the better - like 3 coats). Being a floor it will get lots of use & abuse & after your hard work, you don't want it wearing or fading quick. I've even read that it's good to maintain by applying Clear Coat every 2 years or so. As far as expense goes, think either way would be comparible. Labor & time-wise - staining may require sanding & painting requires applying coat of primer first so again pretty comparible. Really just depends on what kind of look you prefer & want. I'm excited for you! This could be a very fun & rewarding experience for you!! Always better when you do it yourself & can sit back, admire, & be deservingly proud!! Good Luck!! Would love to know what you decide & how it turns out!
4. One option might be to first sand the plywood down smooth,go to the lumber yard and get some square cut masonry nails,take a router,Aline it on the floor in a st right line,in various withs such as one line across the floor cut about 1/8"deep,4"wide,the next might be 8"wide ,the next might be 3 or 5" wide.This is only making the appearance as if thay were planks.Then place the nails in patterns in these planks.Place a little black paint in the groove made by the router.stain to your taste, then put a finish coat on
5. Buy a roller that makes it look like wood grain use stain and it will look like you have hard wood floors . This shouldn't cost more than 25.00 You can use polyurethane over that. but it is expensive .Or you could use stencils and paint for high traffic or tape off some areas and make your own design.