Finishing AdvanTech Flooring

[Bob Betker]

I'm planning on using AdvanTech OSB flooring in my workshop. It will be a year or two before I can save enough to install a hard wood floor. In the meantime, I will be using the AdvanTech as my primary flooring and would like to finish it to help protect it. Has anyone painted or finished an AdvanTech floor, what did you use, and what were your results? I know I need to use an oil-based paint or finish. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

[Michael Heffernan]

I put down AdvanTech in my old shop. I painted it with Sherwin Williams ArmorSeal Rexthane.
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/prop...rringCategory=
I used a ArmorSeal primer first, but don't remember which one. Two coats primer, two finish coats. Stuff drys fast too, so you can probably do the floor in a good day.
It held up extremely well for the four years in that shop. A lot of daily abuse as I work in the shop 5-6 days a week.
Stop by SW and ask them what's best.

[Alan Schaffter]

I have a 900+ sq. ft shop with Advantech subflooring as my floor. It is very hard, durable, and relatively smooth. It is much better than OSB and makes good temporary (permanent?) shop flooring. I had planned to put down hardwood someday but after flooring a 200 sq. ft. living room expansion recently, I may pass- my body just can't handle it anymore.

Anyway, about 8 years ago I decided to paint the Advantech with two coats of a good poly modified enamel porch and deck paint. That was a big mistake. It has held up very well and it is easy to sweep up dust, but is just way too slippery! Just a little sawdust on the floor in front of the tablesaw or jointer can make it difficult to maintain good enough footing to feed stock. I suppose I could have added sand or other non-slip additive, but I didn't want to do that.

[Justin Ludwig]

@Alan,

Just buy some stair non-skid pads that have adhesive on one side. Lay them at the appropriate foot positions. When you buy your flooring, take a hair dryer on high (or heat gun) and scraper to remove it. http://www.amazon.com/Incom-RE3952-Safety-4-Inch-15-Foot/dp/B002GTPIJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383914769&sr=8-1&keywords=no+skid+tape

[Jason Roehl]

If you're really planning on putting down hardwood, don't use OSB, even AdvanTech. It may be better, but it's still OSB, and plywood holds flooring cleats much better than OSB.

[Alan Schaffter]

If you're really planning on putting down hardwood, don't use OSB, even AdvanTech. It may be better, but it's still OSB, and plywood holds flooring cleats much better than OSB.

Plywood is better, but my builder, uses Advantech in all his houses. Frankly, Advantech is tougher, denser, and much stiffer than ply, and it is waterproof- has a great guarantee. If it gets wet, even with standing water, it won't fall apart like OSB or particle board, and won't delaminate like ply (they drilled holes in mine to help the rain puddles drain when they built my house). I have over 3000 sq. ft. of it under hardwood and never had a problem. It holds cleat nails quite well. It was tough pulling up a few starter rows of hardwood when I discovered they didn't align with the existing flooring.

[Steve Milito]

Huber claims Advantech has 10% greater fastener holding capacity than plywood.

[Dale Barber]

Advantech is great stuff - have had it in my shop for 5 years now. I used one primer coat, then a porch/deck enamel - California Paint. Has held up fine and I have had no issues with it being slippery. Long range plan is to drop some trees and put hardwood in eventually, but if I never get to it this is working fine. Dale

[Larry Edgerton]

Bob, check out "Really Cheap Floors.com". Its a clearing house for Shaw flooring end runs. I just bought engineered oak prefinished for my house for $1.29 foot. Deal was easy and done in a professional manner.

Larry

[phil harold]

Huber claims Advantech has 10% greater fastener holding capacity than plywood.

I think fastener needs to be defined
I think that real solid flooring needs to still be nailed into plywood or solid sheathing
time will tell give 20-40 years and we will not how well Advatech holds flooring nails

[Larry Edgerton]

I think fastener needs to be defined
I think that real solid flooring needs to still be nailed into plywood or solid sheathing
time will tell give 20-40 years and we will not how well Advatech holds flooring nails

Quite a few flooring manufacturers will not warranty a floor on OSB but will on the newer generation of water resistant decking. I use a Primatech nailer with their nails and I can tell you that a nail holds just as good in water resistant [I use Grant] decking as it does in pine or plywood. Its what I did in my own house.

Larry

[Steve Milito]

I think fastener needs to be defined
I think that real solid flooring needs to still be nailed into plywood or solid sheathing
time will tell give 20-40 years and we will not how well Advatech holds flooring nails

Mostly likely I'll be dead in 40 years; if not, the least of my worries will be whether using Advantech as a sub-floor in some house I used to own was a mistake.

[Kevin Jenness]

For me, oil base porch /deck enamel fom Home Despot over Advantec is working fine after 3 years. Scrubbed with 80# after first coat to knock down the fuzz, then 2 topcoats. The Advantec has plenty of texture, so it's not slippery.

[Alan Schaffter]

For me, oil base porch /deck enamel fom Home Despot over Advantec is working fine after 3 years. Scrubbed with 80# after first coat to knock down the fuzz, then 2 topcoats. The Advantec has plenty of texture, so it's not slippery.

As I said in an earlier post I have had about the same results, except I confirmed yesterday that mine is slippery- it is not slick, but when I lean in to push a wide board across my jointer (equipped with Shelix so has more resistance) my feet start to slip.

[Darren Almeida]

I just painted my Advantech floor with enamel porch / deck floor paint and it has held up fine.