sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Sealing chipboard?

I guess this is the most appropriate place for this.
I need to seal a 'chipboard' floor. You know, the underlayment particle board stuff the builders put in houses today.
Long story short, cats 'defiled the carpet' in a bedroom. Carpet and pad are gone, now. Smell has abated, but I want to seal the floor to prevent any odd odors from wafting around in the room. And discourage the cats from 'going' back to a familiar 'smelling' place, again.
It occurs to me that plain old exterior house paint would be appropriate, but I don't want to put anything down that will attack whatever the adhesive is that they used to glue the stuff together. Maybe polyurethane? Any comments, suggestions, or experience? John C.

Cover the entire floor with 4 to 6 mil polyethylene film. Unless it's a small room, you won't be able to cover it with a single sheet. Overlap neighboring edges of the film by at least 4 inches.

This stuff is pretty inexpensive. Go to your local hardware store and tell them you need a roll of vapor barrier (if they ask further, tell them you're installing engineered hardwood flooring over concrete).

If it were me, John, I'd remove the real problem... the cats! But that's just me...

If, however, you're required to keep the cats (I'm being a hypocrite here 'cause I married a cat lover and have two in the house myself), I'd use an exterior polyurethane sealer. As long you don't apply it so heavily that you have liquid pooling on the surface, it shouldn't cause the underlayment to deform.

Hmmmm, maybe use a second coat of urethane as glue for the polyethylene? Yeah, like that would ever dry/cure/whatever. It would probably attack the polyethlene and make a mess beyond belief! I suppose I could try a test spot. You know, like all those 'stinking instructions' we don't need or read until it's too late.
As for the 'remove the problem' suggestion, I also am NOT a cat fancier. I'm a dog man, married to a cat fancier. AND, my daughters like cats. I've inherited 5 cats, right now, that can't be with their original mistresses. But, the suggestion definitely has merit. OOPS, did I say that out loud! John C.

John,

I moved into a century house a few years ago and had the same problem, but from little kids that didn't have very good parents.

I used oil based KILz, (another brand is Zinzer) its a primer/sealer that we put directly on the old subfloor. I've herd that there are a number of competing products that would be available at your local paint shop.

Not sure if this will interact with anything you have there, but the paint people will know. This is not an uncommon problem for them. Make sure you've got good ventalation when using this stuff, its got a LOT of solvents in it.

Have fun!

Fire remediation contractor put some sort of shellac on the studs of a house down the street to seal in the smoke smell when they came in after a kitchen fire.

I think the name was Zinsser and had a red dot or bullseye on the can.

Been there done that. Go to HD or Lowes and get the crummyest clear polyurethane finish they have. (You won't have to look very hard, it will be right in front.) One or two coats and even male cat urine has met it's match. No need to spend a lot of money.

-Hal

Maybe I should mention that we have no plans to put down rug or the hardwood flooring look alike that everybody, including Sam's, is selling now. That will have to wait awhile. Fortunately, it will be lightly used for the near future. John C.

Then for sure you want poly. You going for that "under construction" look?

-Hal

No, the waiting 'til all the 2 and 4 legged guests LEAVE! John C.