Marine Plywood Perfect For Your DIY
When you are remodeling a boat, deck, or pontoon, it isn’t a good idea to use the average kind of plywood you’d find at your local home hardware store. Normal plywood may not be strong enough and can be susceptible to rot due to the moisture of a marine environment. But, with the marine-grade plywood offered here at RecPro, you won’t need to worry about those issues.
The marine plywood offered here at RecPro is perfect for marine applications such as boats, decks, pontoons, and other DIY projects where you might encounter high moisture. Each sheet of perma panel marine grade plywood is treated to a 0.40 retention level and is kiln dried after treatment, providing this 7-ply plywood with exceptional long-term resistance to rot and fungal decay.
The marine plywood for sale here at RecPro is constructed from fir wood veneers and high-quality water resistant marine glue. Fir is a robust wood and one of the strongest woods on the market. Furthermore, each inner ply of this marine plywood is hand-laid to ensure a nearly void-free inner core, which dramatically increases the strength and resilience of this plywood. As an added bonus, the marine plywood for sale here at RecPro features a smooth sanded finish and comes with a manufacturer's lifetime warranty, so you can have confidence in your investment. This marine plywood is available in sheets of 48” x 96” x ¾” or 48” x 102” x ¾”.
Check out our selection of ¾ marine plywood today, and have confidence in your next DIY marine project!
What Is Marine Plywood?
Marine plywood is a type of plywood that offers exceptional durability and quality and is designed primarily for use in marine environments or other environments where high moisture levels may be present.
What’s the difference between marine plywood and regular plywood?
Marine plywood is very different from regular plywood. Marine plywood is typically of higher quality construction than normal plywood and features much higher resistance to moisture and delamination. Marine plywood is made with a waterproof glue such as phenolic or melamine resin and uses thicker, higher-quality veneers. These higher quality veneers are typically made with hardwoods such as Fir and feature minimal flaws, such as internal voids and knots.
Regular plywood usually uses less expensive adhesive that may potentially be water-soluble, such as urea-formaldehyde. Normal plywood may also use thinner, lower-quality wood veneers from softer woods that feature more internal voids and gaps, which can absorb moisture and result in delamination.
Is Marine Plywood Waterproof?
Marine plywood is water-resistant, not waterproof. Marine-grade plywood offers a high level of water resistance in wet environments due to the marine glue and high-quality wood veneers with minimal voids and gaps used in its construction. This allows marine plywood to resist delamination and withstand prolonged exposure to water, especially when properly sealed with water repellent coatings such as varnish or epoxy.
Why Use Marine-Grade Plywood?
Overall, marine-grade plywood offers better durability and substantially higher resistance to water than regular plywood. While marine plywood can be used in the same applications you would use regular plywood in, it is best used in marine applications where moisture is expected, such as boat and pontoon decking.
Advantages Of Marine Plywood
Waterproof Glue
Marine-grade plywood uses waterproof glues and adhesives designed specifically to stand up to prolonged exposure to water and resist delamination, such as phenolic or melamine resin.
High-Quality Wood Veneers
Marine plywood has much stricter quality control than regular plywood. Wood veneers for marine plywood are carefully inspected to ensure they are free of voids, knots, or other defects that could trap water and cause delamination, rot, or decay. Marine plywood veneers are often made of hardwoods such as Douglas Fir and Western Larch.
High Stability
The water-resistant construction of marine plywood offers minimal expansion and contraction when exposed to moisture changes. This results in a substantial reduction in warping or twisting of the plywood.
High Strength and Durability
Marine plywood offers higher strength and durability due to its unique construction using multiple layers of robust hardwood materials and waterproof glue.
Delamination Resistance
Marine-grade plywood is significantly more resistant to delamination than normal plywood due to its higher-quality veneers and stronger waterproof glue.
Long-Lasting
When properly sealed and maintained, marine plywood can last anywhere from 15 to 25 years, even in harsh conditions. Seal marine plywood with a water repellent sealant or coating such as varnish or epoxy.
Disadvantages Of Marine Plywood
Not Fully Waterproof
While marine plywood is highly resistant to water and moisture, it is not completely waterproof. Prolonged exposure or submersion in water can, given enough time, cause even marine-grade plywood to swell, warp, or delaminate.
Higher Cost
Marine plywood is usually more expensive than regular plywood. The higher cost of marine plywood is due to the higher quality materials, wood species, and specialized manufacturing process involved in the construction of each marine plywood panel.
Increased Weight
In general, marine plywood is heavier than regular plywood, as it is made using veneers that are free from voids, gaps, and knots and made from denser wood species such as Fir.
Limited Availability
Marine-grade plywood may not be readily available at a local hardware store, which can make sourcing it difficult. However, you can easily buy marine plywood here at RecPro.
