
People often use luan for doors and the sides of cabinets because of its attractive and lightweight qualities. It can create a much prettier finished product than masonite or CD plywood. You might use it as the back panel for a home entertainment center or a bookshelf. Veneersīecause of its nice appearance with its red or white color and attractive grain patterns, many individuals choose luan for a veneer on furniture projects. Removing glued luan can prove to be very difficult. Keep in mind that installers staple luan flooring into place rather than glue it due to its temporary nature. But with luan, the insulation also helps reduce the squeaking sound of the luan rubbing against the subflooring. Of course, insulation helps regulate your home’s temperature. If you want to use luan as temporary flooring, you’ll want to put down a foam insulation layer. If painted or otherwise treated, luan can make a pretty floor. It’s often a substitute for a more permanent and expensive solution that will appear later. While we’ve mentioned luan as a subflooring option, people sometimes use it as actual flooring. While there are some drawbacks to luan, it may work wonderfully for the projects below. As such, the significantly thinner luan will offer little insulation to any walls, floors, or ceilings it covers. The chart from the University of Washington states that 3/4-inch plywood offers an R-value less than one. In other words, the wood can’t qualify as flame-retardant, so you may want to consider that when weighing some construction uses. Luan has a flame-spread rating of 167, which makes it a Class III flame spread material. For instance, instead of paneling or wallpaper, some paint patterns on luan when applying it as a wall covering. That said, some people use luan as a wall treatment. It’s not a good replacement for sheetrock. While it works when used as floor underlayment (and it often is, as it’s lighter and less expensive than traditional plywood), it’s not a material you’d want to use on a wall.

Relatively poor packaging for luan’s long overseas journey often results in damaged pieces.

