Is it just me or has the price of Lauan, like everything else, skyrocketed to the point where it's no longer affordable? I'm pricing out a relatively straight forward build but I'm struggling to find 1/8 lauan anywhere and 1/4 lauan is taking up almost half of my set budget! At nearly $30 for a 4x8 sheet, I really don't find it to be an affordable option for a school building sets on a $1000 budget. Is there something that people are shifting to that will be as workable and durable for our needs but still affordable on a tight budget? Also, where do people get 1/8 lauan anymore? My local lumber suppliers only carry it in 1/4.

I have a project with requires about 70 pieces of 1/8" thick wood, 5.5"x7.25", plus a few other pieces. Basically, I need a 4x8 sheet's worth of 1/8" wood.

Home depot sells 4x8 sheets of 1/8" thick hardboard which would work but wouldn't be as nice. I could redesign the whole project to use 1/4" material but that would be a pain and it would end up larger than I'd like.

So, is it possible to find sheets of 1/8" wood? If so, where should I be looking? Or should I just use hardboard? Is MDF an option?

Cost is a factor. Also, I don't really know what I'm doing so feel free to make other suggestions.

Thanks!

Hi Reddit, we’re installing 500 square feet of Lifeproof (Home Depot) Luxury Vinyl Plank floors downstairs in our ~20 year old house. The kitchen previously had roll on sheet vinyl stapled down onto 1/4” lauan plywood (still in very good condition), which is on top of the osb subfloor. The living room previously had carpet direct on the subfloor (Osb), and the small entryway and half bath had really ugly cheap hardwood. I’m tearing out the sheet vinyl, carpet, and hardwood. This would leave the kitchen area 1/4” higher than the living room and entry.

I want the LVP to be continuous and level throughout. The subfloor is in pretty good condition, and level except for the 1/4” step from raw subfloor to lauan plywood over the subfloor in the kitchen.

I’ve received conflicting advice. Should I tear out the lauan in the kitchen, or add some to the living room and entry? I definitely don’t want a transition strip or height difference there.

Thanks!