Cut plywood into square tiles.
Plywood is an inexpensive and versatile option for flooring. Regardless of the room you use it for, plywood can be shaped and sized according to your own tile specifications. Create diamond, checkerboard and parquet designs with creative cutting, stencilling, sanding, sealing and painting. Plywood can even be cut into wide planks to emulate hardwood at a fraction of the cost associated with hardwood installation.
Wood Grain Checkerboard
Create a wood grain checkerboard with oversize squares of plywood. Seal the tiles with several coats of polyurethane for a shiny finish. Install the tiles with the wood grain in opposing directions to form the checkerboard. For a different look, stain half of the tiles and leave the other half natural with the polyurethane coats. Or stain the whole lot, and play with the wood grain designs during installation. For instance, place one pattern vertically, the next horizontally and so on to form a clockwork pattern.
Stencil Ideas
As far as stencilling goes, the sky is literally the limit. Patterns to stencil on your plywood floor tiles include geometric designs, retro patterns, vintage floral patterns, botanicals, damask and cheery polka dots. The stencilled plywood floor will act as a focal point, which means the walls can be painted in demure understated hues to complement the floors and the rest of the decor to not detract from the flooring design or create an overly busy design scheme. For instance, a bold geometric pattern with a palette of blue, green and gray would do well with a pale mushroom hue for the walls.
Stained Parquet
Combine stencilling and staining to create a one-of-a-kind parquet floor using plywood tiles. Stencil half of the tiles with an ornate pattern or motif such as nautical, star bursts, floral designs or even a family crest. Stain the area around the stencil with your choice of stain. Leave the remainder of the plywood tiles in their original color (sealed with polyurethane), or stain them a different color. Install the plywood tiles in a parquet pattern. Plywood tiles can be glued and screwed or nailed down to hold them in place.
Painted Plywood
Paint oversize plywood panels in wild patterns with bold or muted hues. Extra large floral patterns, stripes, chevrons, honeycombs and other patterns can be painted all over your plywood floor. Use the tile or panel separations as borders to create different designs, or paint right across them for one unified image. One idea is to paint the entire floor one color, and, once dry, you can paint your desired design on top of the solid color. When the plywood floor begins to age, the undercoat of paint will peep through, giving it an old world historical look.
