inexpensive flooring options

[Mike Teskey]

In my 12 x 16 builder's cabin on the Oregon coast, I am close to having it weathered in.  I used reclaimed 3/4" plywood for the subfloor and it is too rough to serve as the floor itself.  

What do you suggest I use as the finished flooring material?  Cheaper is better?

I was thinking of the thinnest particle board or some of the hardboard that is 1/4" thick or so...

Thanks.

[glenn-k]

How about used carpet -or are you just looking for a solid material?  A contractor I worked for in High School in Lincoln City, Oregon, made a real neat carpet using random scraps of all kinds, colors  and shapes.  To do this you fit the edges together well then put Elmer's glue on strips of burlap under each joint and  glue it together with weight on it for a few hours.

[Amanda_931]

Something to even out the worst of the "subfloor" and then linoleum--glue or one of the leveling substances?  

 Not "thinset" but whatever its opposite is, and Saltillo tiles, or whatever the local stores have on sale?

Barnwood, run through a planer on one side and then half-lapped?  Remember that our log cabin ancestors, if they had a wood floor, would not have "finished" it.

(Someone in one of the magazines recommended gluing down roll roofing, then coating it with a handful of coats of latex paint, starting with whatever was on the mis-mixed shelf.  Need to find the roll roofing that's all with the mineral surface, not what I usually see around here, which is half that and half just the substrate.)

[Laura21]

Hi

Don't mean to hijack the thread but on the lines of floornig, I have an uneven concrete slab (they mixed cement on it and did not clean it properly). What can I do Cheaply to make an ok floor. I was looking at wood but the prices are high here and I would need to elevate the floor to fasten it to. Carpet is not cheap. The area is fairly large about 15 by 25 give or take.

Any ideas???

Laura

[spinnm]

How 'bout paint?  I'd use oil, rather than latex.

A million different things could be done with paint.

I assume that the climate there is benign enough so that you don't need warmth from carpet or wood.

[Amanda_931]

25 years ago a contractor that I briefly worked for had that problem in a Moose Lodge that they were building.  I seem to remember that we tried to grind the bits off.  It was pretty fresh, so it had a better probability of coming off than if it had set for a couple of months.  My recollection was that it was rough going.

Something on the order of trying to holystone the deck.

I'd guess plan B would be to make sure that the worst of the rough parts got immovable furniture over them.

Plan C would be to hire some concrete professionals to cut the bad parts out and start over.  You don't want to go there.

[glenn-k]

Hi Laura - there is a feathering material - cement - sand - other stuff in it - you could smooth it out with - don't know  if you can get it down there.  Probably not real cheap.  Masonry cup grinder will take the bumps off.  I don't know what resources you might have -are you near a large population area?  I'd like to hear more about your place.  Do the locals have any special or unusual building methods

[Laura21]

Hey glen,

here, wehave a lot of small houses like what John advertises. They are mainly one storey and built on a post and pier foundation. A 20 by 30 here is 2 bedrooms and one bath.

http://www.antechhomes.com

this shows the basic types of structures that we have. We even have smaller and we either build of wood or cement blocks.

Since we are in a hurricane area, we have to be careful in what we build. I'll find some more pictures and post later.

We even have some container houses as was previously discussed in another thread. If I get the digital camera I'll be able to take pictures.

Laura

[glenn-k]

Thanks Laura.  Looking forward to seeing more.