# Good place to buy plywood



## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Is plywood from HD or Menards good quality. If not is there a good place to buy it? My local lumber yards don't stock much of anything.

KR


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Kelly,

I can only speak to buying it here in Alaska.. IMO, "good quality" depends upon what I'm going to use it for. I'll go to HD to buy CDX (exterior) or AC (interior) grade fir plywood which, for me, are good enough for many things but if I'm building something "nice" I want baltic birch (because there's no voids and lots of layers) or a hardwood veneer ply. 

To find my supply for those I asked around at the custom cabinet makers and hardwood supply shops and found the place that supplies the custom cabinetmakers. It's not the cheapest place to get stuff but all their wood is top quality. Kiln dried, stored in a heated area so it doesn't get saturated by the elements, it isn't dinged up, they have a large variety of hardwood that's 95% clear or better, going in there's enough to pick up your heart rate!!


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## walowan (Jan 21, 2011)

Big box store plywood is just so-so good for general construction.

Cabinet grade stuff is much more expensive...if you can even find it.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Hi Kelly,
What type of project are you looking for material for? Like Jim suggested Home Depot type stores carry ply for exterior & lower grade for cabinet type jobs. You can usually buy something like birch ply but the top veneer is usually pretty thin & you can sand through easily if not careful. It can pass for paint grade project but for cabinet grade ply for stained type of projects I would suggest you look for a hardwoods supplier. I personally only buy my ply there if it is for shop grade cabinets otherwise I go to a local hardwoods supplier for the better grade.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

I don't have anything specific in mind. I read a book about making kitchen cabinets by Gregory Paolini and he uses plywood a lot. I thought I would try to make a cabinet of some kind out of plywood.

KR


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Kelly Rittgers said:


> I don't have anything specific in mind. I read a book about making kitchen cabinets by Gregory Paolini and he uses plywood a lot. I thought I would try to make a cabinet of some kind out of plywood.
> 
> KR


When I building cabinets such as kitchen etc I use same species ply as the hardwood (doors, drawer fronts, faceframes, & trim) for the boxes. Building some shop cabinets wil get your feet wet & will show you what steps are more important than others such as assembly.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

I can't speak about Menards, but HD and Lowes areound me carry only Chinese import plywood. Barely suitable for concrete forms. 

If you Google plywood manufacturers, you'll find various sources of U.S.-made cabinet-grade ply. But, you may need to order a minimum number of sheets, and have them trucked in. If you have a "real" lumber yard local to you, ask if they can special order it for you.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I will have to visit a cabinet maker I think. Maybe use pine instead. More fitting to my budget.


KR


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## Cochese (Jan 12, 2010)

I've found with my lumber yard I can get much better quality white birch for less than the knotty crap (and it is crap) at Home Depot. They want $34 for a sheet that has maybe 5 plys and looks horrible on the faces versus $27 for a shop grade white birch with about 11 layers. And for trying out your first cabinet, shop grade is more than nice enough.

Lowes wants about $50 a sheet for their 'nicer' plywood, and IMO it's about on par with the $27 sheet.


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## LinuxRandal (Mar 11, 2011)

The Menards I drive to is a hour and a half away. It does have some plywood that is comparable to baltic birch. (in 4' by 8' sheets though)
Still, they won't have the selection (cherry, oak, prefinished, etc), of a true supplier, but it will still be good for a lot of projects.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Oh, and remember the formaldehyde problem with Chinese-made wall board? My understanding is that their plywood has the same issue. Word is that China won't let it (the plywood they export here) be used domestically.


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Kelly,

Even if you're not ready to spend the $$$ on it yet, you may want to read about Baltic Birch plywood for future projects. It is far superior to "regular" birch... here's a link..

Dan's Hobbies — A baltic birch plywood primer

Regarding the "Chinese vs others" discussion, I know that "traditional" BB ply comes in 5'x5' sheets. 

Lately I've seen some "discount houses" offering it in 4'x8' sheets and I've been told (3rd hand or worse) that the 4'x8' is typically made in China because they use the same equipment they use for cheap regular plywood. That's just hearsay, so check it out for yourself.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

Baltic birch looks interesting. Thanks for that article.

KR


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

I talked to a guy that builds cabinets. He said the 1/2 inch baltic birch isn't straight. Anyone noticed that? 

KR


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

Well Kelly, where I buy my baltic birch it's nice and flat, but then my supplier stores their baltic birch laid out flat and their hardwood boards standing vertical. Here in Anchorage there's a couple of small exotic hardwood suppliers and one shop that specializes in selling wood to the custom cabinetmakers. 

For the custom cabinetmaker, time is money, so they are only interested in clear flat stock. They charge a little more, but it saves a lot of time. 

Whether or not you are price-sensitive I recommend two things.

1. Call you local custom cabinetmakers and finding out where they buy their wood. Then visit that store, confirm their stuff is A-1 quality and get their prices.

2. Look around for less expensive sources, visit that store, determine the difference in quality and price. Asses how much work it'll take to make it flat, if necessary.

Then you can make the conscious decision as to what is best for you.


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Kelly Rittgers said:


> I talked to a guy that builds cabinets. He said the 1/2 inch baltic birch isn't straight. Anyone noticed that?
> 
> KR


As noted, it depends on where he's buying, how it was stored, etc. HD and Lowes also carry a Chinese-made ply that looks like Baltic Birch, but isn't the real stuff from Finland.


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## Kelly Rittgers (Aug 6, 2010)

I may move to Finland.

KR


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

hahahahahahahaha LOL LOL LOMAO 


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Kelly Rittgers said:


> I may move to Finland.
> 
> KR


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Kelly Rittgers said:


> I may move to Finland.
> 
> KR


Yep, I've thought about that, too. But, they don't have desert like New Mexico. Plus, they have that cold, white stuff for a good part of the year.


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## westend (Mar 31, 2009)

Lowes, Home Depot, and Menards are not the places to shop for decent plywood. I returned over 10 sheets of so-called BB, last year. These super stores don't sell furniture or even cabinet grade sheet goods. Their market is the DIY'er that needs some sheets for a roof or floor. 

My local hardwoods supplier has the real deal (I read what I could off the shipping tag-delivered from Estonia) and it is void free. I just completed a project using 18mm BB plywood, my cost was about $70-$75 for a 5' x 5' sheet. 

This picture, just for Harry, that told me my other speakers were too small.....:agree:


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## SteveMI (May 29, 2011)

I buy from a place named of all things "Plywood Supply" in Toledo Ohio. They deal with all of the contractors and cabinet makers, but will sell single sheets to the public. They carry the bendable ply, MDO, Melamine and most all sheet goods.

I asked about the "formaldehyde" a while back due to one customer that wanted to ship a product to California. They told me that the formaldehyde is history. No company in the US will import anything with it due to not being able to have the finished product or material shipped to certain states. There is something called CARB that covers that.

The Menards plywood looks better to me than the orange and blue store stuff, but I never stopped to count plys or check for voids.

Steve.


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

What of the Baltic Birch plywood sold by Rockler?


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## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

mftha said:


> What of the Baltic Birch plywood sold by Rockler?


The Baltic Birch ply that Rockler sells appears to be one of the lower grades, in that both faces may contain patches. Point of origin is not specified.

Woodcraft sells two types - one described similarly to Rockler's offering, and a more expensive "Finnish Baltic Birch ply". Even the latter, however, has only one patch-free face, and that is described as "paint grade". The Finnish product does use exterior glue, however, which can be important in some applications.

Note, too, that both sell only partial sheets, due to shipping restrictions.


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