Wood – paint and polyurethane the plyfloor or does it have to be covered

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On a new build, our subfloor is going to be 18mm plyfloor. I like the idea of painting it with a whitewash and then coating it with polyurethane to keep it as our main floor, rather than covering it with vinyl or laminate planks. Is that a possibility? What are the pros and cons if so? Thanks in advance.

Best Answer

Pro: cheap, and nothing prevents you from putting a real surface on if you find the look does not really appeal after a while.

Cons: Potential for nasty splinters; plywood splinters are miserable. Relatively loud (both to walk on, and acting as a reflector of sound - also loud to the level below if there is living space there).