Luan Wood is a Mahogany Plywood

Comparing Luan Wood To Balsa Wood

Main Differences:

Luan Wood is a Mahogany Plywood.


Balsa Wood is a ligher coloured hardwood. It can be made into Plywood, like Luan, but it is more commonly found in small dimensional solids.

Another Important Difference is Price. Balsa Wood is more expensive than Luan Wood, and usually when you hear a tradesman speaking of luan, he is actually talking about plywood. It is usually found in a demension of 1/8 inch to 1/4 inchs by 4 to 8 feet. The most common use of luan wood is as underlayment for vinyal, tile, or rolled flooring.

Using Luan Plywood as Flooring

Using Ceramic or Carpet Over Luan Wood

Removing Luan Plywood - Instructions

Using Luan Subfloor For Laminate

Using Staples to Install Luan Subfloor

How to Install Luan Wood on Curved Surfaces

How to Finish Luan Flooring

Attaching Luan Plywood to Subfloor

Using Luan Subfloor for Vinyl