Using drywall as a floor on top of 3/4 plywood?

Question

i've been trying to research the load capacity of drywall when its laying flat on the ground, well in this case it would be on 3/4" plywood that is screwed into a floor joist system.

there are 3 drywall sheets so far ontop of 3 plywood sheets. the sheetrock isnt screwed in yet, the plywood is level, flat, and can support and distribute weight evenly.

i was just wondering if it is possible to use it as a floor, understanding that it is fragile and can crack or break if things fall ontop of it. I like the gray tone of drywall as how it comes. to protect it i wanted to put something clear ontop of it, because i wanted to draw on the drywall. im not sure if i want to use plexiglass; it doesnt come cheap. are there precautions for using it as a floor? thanks if anyone can help out or comment!

Answer 1

I understand what your trying to accomplish; neat idea however a bad idea to use sheet rock (sorry but it is) Save the sheet rock for the walls or ceiling ONLY.....Not sure why there is sheet rock on the floor to start with but maybe the previous tenant had the same mind set as you...To draw on it.

There are too many cons to list with using this material on the floor. Not many pro's at all.

Instead; use plywood that's finished on one side(it's sanded smooth) Useing the smooth side paint it the color of the sheet rock then draw on it. Apply a few coats of polyurethane over it to keep it protected.

Good luck

PS.. using plexi glass on the floor is unsafe. Imagine if it's wet; can you say " SLIPPERY"? not to mention it's a HUGE!!! hazard to the firefighters if the home should catch fire.

Answer 2

Can you say Moron!

Answer 3

If you want durability this is not the way to go, a quick fix yes but drywall is called drywall for a reason. We use drywall sheets to protect flooring when we are finishing off a site job and by the time it has been walked over it lasts about a week. I'm not saying that you will have lots of hob nail boots walked over your floor but even if it lasted a year with light pressure i would be surprised. I would lay a ply floor and then paint it.

Answer 4

It won't work. The inside material will shatter with the impact of your foorstepsand turn to dust quickly, and then it's going to start falling apart.

If you want a grey floor, try paint or carpet.

Answer 5

It's probably much too soft and fragile for flooring. Why not just paint the plywood gray and save a lot of trouble?

Answer 6

Nor drywall or flexi glass is allowed to use for flooring. It's actually illegal in the US. I can see future law suites if someone should fall.

Answer 7

If you were going to use drywall (finish it and paint it back to the original color that you wanted) to draw on on your floor I would suggest that you get all of  you're drawing done before you put any furniture in the room and if you are going to use plexiglass then put it on top and then install you're furniture!! I wouldn't recommend using drywall though I was in the business for a while and I don't think it or the plexiglass would hold up very well!! What I would do is get some 1/4 in lewan (plywood) with a very light grain patters and attach that to your floor with either contact cement or other suitable glue  then paint it to look like drywall , do all of your art and then get some polyurethane and give it a few coats (the more the better if done right) to protect your art and then you can move in your furniture !! That would be your best solution!!!! Also on the joints from the lewan You can use some hard setting wood filler to fill the joints with then sand it down before you do your art this will give you one continuous floor,and you wont be able to see the seams at all!! Jason

Answer 8

If you want a white canvas for a floor to "draw on" smooth and finish the plywood (or better yet, apply another layer of 1/2 or 3/8 plywood over the subfloor to finish- use higher grade ply for the finish side- AD grade for example. Each letter refers to the grade of a side, AB, CD, (CDX is C, D, exterior grade))

Sand and prime the ply with Kilz or BIN primer to get your blank canvas then clear Polyurethane the floor after "drawing".

There are building codes in every county and state dictating what materials can be used for what purpose in building construction- drywall is wall or ceiling board and not structurally suitable for flooring, same with Plexiglas.  Plexi is a slipping hazard wet or dry. Not only are you liable for anyone being injured on such a floor, but you can be cited and fined by a building inspector if such construction is found, and if you're then tenant in said dwelling, odds are both you and your landlord will be cited which will not likely result in a freindly relationship from that point on...

Answer 9

um uuuuhhhhhhhhh wtf

this sounds ludicrous. sorry but you probably will spend more time protecting the drywall from damage ect than it would be worth.

Answer 10

hmmm, different.  there is a product called nu-finish 55 that is like 50 coats of high gloss varnish, if you wanted to protect your artwork.   it is a two part epoxy that you spread out.  its not cheap either, but it will cover everything.  

I am wondering, though, if you can paint the plywood with a very flat paint (get them to scan and colour match the bare drywall if you like the colour) draw on the paint, and then clear coat that with a few coats of clear, waterbased verathane for floors.

Answer 11

You would be better off painting the plywood a flat grey and leaving that as your flooring. You would never be able to have the gypsum board as a flooring product because it would continually crack, tear, and generally disintegrate below your feet.

Answer 12

drywall is wayy to fragile for flooring. sometimes it is even too fragile for walls. it will crack and break.

Answer 13

I can't imagine why you'd want to use it as flooring. I'm not sure if it would eventually start to crumble from being walked on, but it certainly would get dented and scratched from furniture, and the paper covering sure wouldn't stand up to traffic very well, and once that was gone it would start to fall apart pretty fast. Plexiglass as a floor covering wouldn't stay clear very long. It would be scuffed and scratched and look like c**p in no time. There are so many things made to use on a floor, why not pick one of them instead of something meant for walls? Paint your plywood subfloor, draw on it(preferably with paint) and then put a clear coating on that.

Answer 14

this is a dumb idea.  hope you have lots of time and cash to spend for replacment.

Answer 15

the concept for drawing on the floor is an interesting one, but drywall is not your answer here.  chances are it is against code, and it is just not durable enough to withstand everyday wear and tear.  if you want a surface similar to the one you outlined in your question, substitute hardibacker for the drywall.  it comes in 1/4" thickness and 1/2" thickness.  use a multiflex thinset (ultraflex II is a great thinset, available at lowes) to adhere the hardibacker to the plywood and s***w it down every 6 inches.  this would create a much more durable surface.  you can even paint the floor (patching the s***w to create one smooth surface) or just leave it the natural gray color.  3 sheets of 3/4" plywood is overkill.  1 sheet would be sufficient, with 1 sheet of the 1/4" or 1/2" hardibacker.  good luck.