Luan, also spelled lauan, refers to a tropical hardwood plywood product usually made from trees in the Shorea family. It has many home and hobby applications and is readily available at lumberyards and home improvement stores. The term typically refers to a plywood panel 1/4 or, less commonly, 1/8 inch thick.
Why is Luan bad?
Luan plywood tends to have a ton of resin and other chemicals in it (due mostly to the species of wood used). This can leach out and stain tile grout or vinyl flooring (or cause adhesive issues due to salts, etc.). It's a very soft plywood, so it may not have enough rigidity to support the floor and prevent dents.
Can Luan plywood be used for flooring?
Using Luan Plywood as Flooring If you are looking at an inexpensive way to do flooring, you can use Luan Subflooring, as Finished Flooring. The trick here is to cut the plywood sheets into tiles, about 4x4. You can also do it in 2x2' or 2x4'.
What is the difference between plywood and Luan?
Luan or lauan is actually a type of plywood. It's made from tropical timber, often from the Shorea family. ... They make it from thin veneers of luan that are glued together to produce a soft plywood that has a very smooth surface.
How do you apply Luan to the floor?
Start in one corner of the room and lay a full sheet of luan perpendicular to the direction of the subfloor panels. Leave a 1/16 inch gap between the walls and the luan panel. Use a staple gun to insert 1/4-inch crown staples every 6 inches across the plane of the luan panel and every 2 inches along the edges.
Can I use luan for flooring?
Using Luan Plywood as Flooring If you are looking at an inexpensive way to do flooring, you can use Luan Subflooring, as Finished Flooring. The trick here is to cut the plywood sheets into tiles, about 4x4. You can also do it in 2x2' or 2x4'.
Which side of Luan goes down?
When installing lauan underlayment, make sure the smooth side is facing up and any nails or staples from installing the lauan are hammered down. This ensures an even surface for installation of the finished flooring.
Can Luan be used for flooring?
Using Luan Plywood as Flooring If you are looking at an inexpensive way to do flooring, you can use Luan Subflooring, as Finished Flooring. The trick here is to cut the plywood sheets into tiles, about 4x4. You can also do it in 2x2' or 2x4'.
What's the difference between Luan and plywood?
Luan or lauan is actually a type of plywood. It's made from tropical timber, often from the Shorea family. ... They make it from thin veneers of luan that are glued together to produce a soft plywood that has a very smooth surface.
Can Luan be used under tile?
Luan plywood is an unacceptable and unapproved substrate to receive tile or cementitious backer units (CBU). ... The APA's recommendations for subfloor and underlayment under ceramic tile installations are consistent with the Tile Council of America (TCA).