Self Leveling Compound On Plywood Floors?

Question

Hi, I live in an old loft building and my bathroom needs a new floor. The old floor was vinyl over plywood. I'm wanting to remove the vinyl and pour slef leveling compound onto the plywood floor. Then once dried, put a coat of slate grey industrial garage epoxy paint with a heavy sealer. Would this work?

Answer 1

Probally would work - but a word of caution: seal the joints in the plywood before using the leveling compound. My parents used it under a floor and it dripped into their basement. Didn't ruin anything, but it could have.

Answer 2

Self leveling compound has little flexibility. Once dry it will crack and crumble if deflected too much. It is fine over concrete because concrete has virtually no deflection except for bridge decks,high rise floors, which require additives.

Also plywood tends to suck the water right out of the self leveling compound before it cures - making another problem in itself.

I would suggest this - Purchase a small pc of rubber membrane like the use on flat roofs. Trim it to fit against walls, make cut out for around stool flange,registers,etc. Glue down to the plywood.

Now purchase either 1/4" durock cement board, or 1/4" aqua board. s***w it down over the rubber and into the existing plywood. If you want a smooth finish floor take Thinset mortar and trowel it on over the cement board. Apply at least 1/2" thick. Smooth out with concrete trowel or take a masonry brush and put pattern of brush strokes in the concrete. You can now apply a one or 2 color stain to the dried thinset or paint it grey like you planned.

The rubber gives the floor a little flexibility, the durock gives the thinset something to stick to, and the thinset is your top concrete floor that you can paint,stain,etc.

Be Creative.