I recently bought an old house which I am trying to update doing as much of the work myself as possible.

I'm going to be putting down Novalis peel and stick vinyl planks in my kitchen. First I need to put down a wood subfloor.

My understanding is that the ideal is to put down actual plywood (as opposed to particle board, etc) that has no knots. However, I went to Home Depot and the only stuff they have that fits the bill costs about $34 per sheet for 3/4" (4' x 8').

I can get the same stuff in 1/2" for $23 per sheet, and 1/4" for $18 a sheet. I think I need 3/4" though because near one wall the floor is a bit uneven. The floor is fairly level throughout the room but about 2 feet from this wall it rises maybe 1/2" (just an estimate off the top of my head) fairly abruptly and then is reasonably level to the wall.

I can get 3/4" OSB there for $12 a sheet. Some people say not to use OSB for peel and stick vinyl, but others say it is will get the job done fine if I use adhesive and/or primer.

Please keep in mind that it is an old house and I am already over budget for this project. Again, I understand that the expensive plywood is ideal. I am trying to figure out if it is worth it.

If you think OSB would work let me know if you'd recommend primer, adhesive (in addition to the adhesive already on the peel-and-stick), or both, and which kind(s).

Also, the OSB is smoother on one side than the other. Would you put the smoother side up?

I have gotten conflicting answers on all of these questions from various people I have talked to.

This may be an option as well. It's available at another store not far from me:
Plytanium 15/32 In. 4 Ft. x 8 Ft. Rated Sheathing - 184200 at The Home Depot

Thanks very much in advance.

 

My question is, what is your current sub-floor? Is it concrete, or a wood foundation? Are you putting the new sub floor down to eliminate removing the old floor?

Some people will tell you they've used OSB with no problems, and I've heard the opposite. We never used OSB when we installed any type of vinyl products. If the house is older than the 80's (I think), and it's a wood sub-floor, it's probably plywood. You can float the floor and apply the vinyl. However, if you haven't purchased the planks yet, consider buying them with out the glue. They don't always stick well after time and if you put glue down along with the glue planks, will it cost more than buying glue-less and applying the glue to the sub-floor.

I know I've given you more questions than answers, but these are some things to consider. Good Luck

 

What type floor do you have down now? I dont like stick on the floor products, especially in a kitchen. You can put Allure flooring over just about anything long as its relatively smooth. Comes in planks like you were referring to but it floats and sticks to " itself " rather than the floor. I've used it, much more durable than stick on and easy to install. It cost more than stick on but by the time you bought the plywood, probably not.

 

Thanks for the responses chilly.az.girl and gqlefty.

It is a wood floor that I am going over. I believe it's the original wood floor from the house, which was built in the late 1930's. It's not plywood - it's planks of wood.

It' a bit uneven as I said and there also some sketchy spots, so I think I need the plywood either way. I just did some quick reading on the Allure stuff and it sounds pretty promising, but unfortunately I think it is out of my price range for this project given the amount of square footage I need to cover ($1.99/sq foot for allure versus $0.78/sq foot for the Novalis).

If anyone has any more informed insight on installing on the questions in my original post please let me know - I'm all ears.

 

Adding 3/4" will cause problems at the door way and jams as well as the trim around the room and probably isn't needed anyway. Normally for an underlayment for tile 1/4" luan plywood is used.