What to use to prep floors for vinyl squares?

[Navarre doublewide]

I need help again......
I have removed ALL of the stinky carpet from our home YEAH!!!!... And who ever put in the carpet strips next to the wall used DECK NAILS... totally overkill to keep carpet down anyway... Due to cost issues I will be installing 18 inch square vinyl on the plywood floor that was under the carpet... I have 1714 square feet of floor to prep so ..... what do yall suggest to (fill) even out the "knot holes" in the plywood and to fill the nail holes and such... on a MUCH smaller scale I used wood putty and then sanded it down. Could I use that floor leveler stuff (powder form mixed with water to form a paste) and just not pore it all over the floor??? I am going to use tile glue to hold this vinyl to the floor... I know I know I'm not supposed too BUT I have done it before and it worked like a charm... I mean it would take a backhoe to get that vinyl off of the floors Thanks in advance for the good answers I know I will get!!

[DCDiva]

I know it would be an extra cost be we have always put 4 x8 sheets of 1/4 luan running the opposite way the plywood floor runs now--in my area it runs $9 a sheet but we have done this many times and get wonderful results--please post a photo when done as I have been thinking of using the lg vinyl tiles in our next project--we have replaced all the carpet in our home and our allergies and illness factor dropped big time and we have done the same in all our rentals--when we have a turn over it is much easier for the renters to keep a vinyl floors clean or my cleaning crew to make the clean vs carpet-usually a total replacement,especailly if they have pets

[JD]

Whether you use an underlayment or install the tile direct to the plywood, I would float the entire floor with Ardex FeatherFinish. I used to have to buy it from a flooring supplier to get that product, but I got it the last time at Lowe's. It is just a flooring compound leveler. The PolyBlend (I think that's the name) available at most home stores will work too. The FeatherFinish seems to hold up a lot better where it gets applied or sanded thin. The product really needs to be applied with a trowel. I trowel it so hopefully there is no sanding required. Thin trowel lines sticking up and little bumps are not a problem. They can be scraped/cut off with a good putty knife. Generally, that is the only tool I need to touch up the floor compound when it's ready. It is ready in about 30 minutes. I don't allow it to set up totally hard, which makes it much easier to touch up. When I see low spots or uneven edges of subfloor, then I will need to use more compound to level the area out. I do not use self stick tile but if I did, I would be sure to leave at least a thin film over the entire plywood floor. I am sure they would stick better to floor compound than plywood.

There are self leveling floor prep products, but while the product does not need to be floated, I have found that it takes a very experienced eye to get the mix and volume of the pour right. It is easy to end up with unlevel sections near walls and at the cold joints.

JMO
JD

[Navarre doublewide]

THANK YOU... After some research (http://www.ardex.com/cms%5CAssets%5CPro ... h-us-e.pdf) I will try the Ardex FeatherFinish... I will post pics of the floor prior to work and then as it progresses... I personally LOVE the 18" vinyl self stick tiles (but I also trowel on a good quality tile glue to prevent the tiles from releasing from the floor). I will call Lowes today about the FeatherFinish BUT I have requested a 10% discount coupon so I will wait till it arrives to buy the 1714 sq feet of tiles...
The cost is 99 cents a square foot for the 18inch tiles and I know from experience they last like the dickens... we have one 137 pound dog, two cats and a tiny dog, never a scratch or anything... We lived on a farm so work boots, (usually covered in muck) walked on it all of the time... We even had a goat (dont ask) get loose and he ran into the livingroom so I can say those tiles are totally goat hoof proof. Thanks again for your help as I had NEVER heard of Ardex FeatherFinish.
Jan