Wood finishing/varnishing question

[TheThom]

Hello everyone,

I'm rebuilding an old pop-up camper. I've used ACX plywood for the floor and cut grooves into it for a mock hardwood floor look



My questions: What's the best way to finish it: I'm planning on staining it. Then I'd like to find a finish that fills in the grooves so they don't constantly fill with dirt and grime. I was thinking of CPES and varnish combo

My problem: all the floor varnishes say they are not for exterior use and all of the exterior varnishes say they are not for floor use. It's a catch-22.

Any suggestions? Should I just use a million layers of CPES to fill in the grooves? Won't that make it have a yellowish tint (I was planning on a dark stain)? Is there a recommended product out there?

As always, thanks for your expertise

[48Rob]

You might want to try straight varnish on a test piece before trying stain.
Stain on that type of plywood usually looks very blotchy.
If that doesn't give you the look you want, you can mix stain with the varnish for the first couple coats, then go back to clear varnish.
The look you have now, lighter wood/darker grooves is very good.
Dark areas, then light areas mixed with dark grooves may not look so good.

Were it mine, I'd use Varathane oil based clear gloss floor finish. It will, with a few coats give you a very durable floor.

It will be difficult to "fill" the joints with anything that will make the entire floor level.
Since you've broken the surface, the joints will soak up more varnish, but after 4-6 coats you'll probably be happy with the results.
It should be, at that point, very easy to clean.

I see no reason to use CPES at all.

Nice job creating the joints/look!

Rob

[dmckruit]

I would use a polyurethane. You can get the type from Minwax that has the stain already in it. It has a nice hard finish that wont mar or scuff easily. Two or three coats should do it.

[IndyTom]

A "spit coat" of white shellac put on first will frequently smooth out the way something like plywood takes stain.

Tom

[Zboom]

I second that the plywood would blotch especially if you go with a dark stain on the pine ply. As said earlier a spit coat of shellac may help with the blotching. If you have time YouTube Charles Neil finishing techniques, he has a plethora of information on staining.

[TheThom]

Thanks for ideas.

I really liked the golden tone the underside of the plywood took with the CPES. I suspect it would do similar things with varnish or poly-finish.

Any other specific recommendations for products that are durable enough for a floor but can handle large temperature swings as well?

[Zboom]

Maybe look into a product called Bona Traffic

[TheThom]

I tested the stain on a scrap piece. It was a little splotchy, but not too bad. I wouldn't want that for fine furniture, but it'll work for the camper floor. I also bought some of the Varathane Oil-Based Floor Finish. The second coat of stain is drying now. Once it's dry I'll post some pics on my build thread.

Thanks for the advice!

[PcHistorian]

I liked the "Varathane Oil-Based Floor Finish" and if you put on 4 coats you may find those "cracks" start to level. first you've got to seal the bottom it though, then start to built it up. the first coats will use more because they are soaking in. The higher you go the less you'll use. I'd just advise to do the whole floor each time though, if you try to just do the cracks it might waver along the surface above them. easier to put it on a little heavier and have it flow into the cracks and level.

oh, and ps. I love the cracks look too. I gotta try that one me-self. :-)

[2bits]

Love the mock hardwood idea, what/how did you use to cut the grooves? Very creative!~

Can you post a link to your build thread too?