Selecting Birch Plywood

[Bucko6]

Getting ready to purchase 1/4" birch ply to start skinning the walls. I have been unable to find 1/8" birch locally. How can I tell if I am getting a decent quality wood. I have found prices from about $20 per sheet to $46 per sheet. A local lumber yard sells a $27 per sheet "cabinet grade" birch and they tell me it is good stuff. How do I know? I looked at it and it looks nice but the sheets are no longer flat. I went to Lowe's and they have a 1/4" birch ply looks nice and is flat for $20. I dont want to buy something where I will have problems with later down the road. I also want to avoid purchasing something not made in America like Chinese plywood.

[Classic Finn]

Hello There

I know in the US they sell Finnish Baltic Birch which is very nice ply. As well as Marine Ply which I have used on my tear.

Greetings from Finland

Classic Finn

[Miriam C.]

Our Lowes sells Chi-ply and it really has voids. Try to find plywood that has no voids. It should be cabinet grade and should not have peeling on the back. Ours had some that the back peeled down the middle. If you look at the ends and see voids or the stuff is stamped China.

Baltic Birch is 5'x5' so doesn't work well for 4x8 sides.. You can also skin with "Door skins" and they are slightly less than 1/8" but are not 4'x8'.

Good luck!

[doug hodder]

The cabinet grade baltic birch isn't the same as the 4x8 sheets for paneling. It's more of a structural material. For flat surfaces like on an interior wall, the HD sheets of birch would be fine, dig through the pile to get what you want. That's what I've done on 4 tears, takes stain and finishes up really nice. Yes, there probably will be voids in it, but it is veneered to be finished off nicely. The baltic birch won't have as nice or showy of a top grain on it and not final sanded like a paneling grade sheet. It's ready to put finish on as you get it. You're probably going to have to go to a regular "lumber or wood supplier" to get the 1/8" materials. Just my experience, others opinions may vary. Doug

[halfdome, Danny]

Apple plywood is the best if you need 4' x 8' sheets but it's not always flat, like other plywood, if sticker-ed wrong at the lumber yard. They need to have all stickers aligned up with the ones below to prevent warping. Better lumber yards will have a cover sheet of a lesser material or cardboard on the top of a unit of sheet goods to absorb moisture to prevent sheets from warping. Apple ply isn't cheap but it's not cheaply made either. Cabinet grade plywood isn't always best, same with shop plywood. If you can work with 5' x 5' sheets your best choice would be Baltic Birch, like mentioned before. Danny

[greg755]

I look for the best surfaces, the pattern of the grain and how smooth they are.... You will go through a lot of sheets but it is no different than going through a stack of 2x4 to find the straight ones...

[Bucko6]

I went back to Lowe's again to look at what they had. Their 1/4" birch is actually about $17 and to me the finish looked OK at best. What I saw before for $20 was "hardwood" which really had a nice looking top ply, nice and flat & looked great. Did not see visible voids, but it was only 3 ply. What surprised me is this is what they sell for underlayment for under vinyl flooring with the x's on the back for nails. I need 4' x 8' sheets for my aplication. Is this stuff a bad idea if I like the look?