RE: Stupid question time . . . particle board

[firefighterjake]

Are there different grades of particle board . . . in other words is (or were) there some better grades of particle board that resisted warping or swelling when exposed to moisture for short periods of time?

Also, would sealing up particle board with polyurethane work to keep moisture from penetrating the particle board . . . long story short . . . house was built in the late 1970s and I'm thinking about putting down some of the higher-grade self stick groutable vinyl tile that looks like ceramic tile . . . but I'm a bit concerned that moisture could get underneath and warp the floor . . . the original floor had a thin layer of luan and cheap sheet vinyl on top and there was not issue . . . but my wife would rather not put down a new layer of luan as we would like to level the floor and adding luan would make this a challenge.

 

[RSNovi]

I just laid some ceramic tile myself. I was looking into a product called Ditra which is a tile underlayment and I think helps with waterproofing. I believe it is commonly used in showers.

 

[ironpony]

yes there are different grades.
if it is truly subfloor grade it is somewhat moisture resistant
yes you could poly it, we have done that during construction to protect from weather
my experience is if you were to get enough water on the floor to penetarte and
raise the subfloor, the flooring product has or is going to also fail shortly

 

[heatwise]

yep, definately better grades for different uses. i know of one type of mdf board, i think medite is the name. its a redish brown colour and wont suck up watter and is excelent for exterior use like sign board letters. cuts easy wont expand and contract. been a whyle scince i worked with this product but some of the exterior work done is still handing outside after almost 19 years. pete

 

[heatwise]

oops... med ex or sompething. its an mdf board