As we know, plywood is an affordable alternative to solid wood. Plywood is easy to shape, readily available and comes in textures ranging from the smoothest birch panels to mottled press-board. An extremely versatile product, plywood is used for a wide range of structural, interior and exterior applications.

Plywood flat sheet is made from wood veneers which are bonded together with an adhesive. While it can be tailored to suit an extensive range of applications, the normal product consists of at least 3 plies, with the grain in the alternate plies running at right angles.

A most popular plywood sheet comes in the size of 8’x4’ ( 2240 mm X 1220 mm). Although other sizes such as 8’x3’, 7’x4’, 6’x4’ and 6’x3’ are also manufactured. Plywood thickness varies from 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 19mm, 21mm and 25mm.

There are three popular categories of plywood products,

1. Commercial Plywood MR Grade (Moisture Resistant)
2. Waterproof Plywood BWP/BWR Grade (Boiling Water proof/Boiling Water Resistant)
3. Marine Plywood

Let us briefly understand above categories and its applications,

• Commercial Plywood MR Grade (Moisture Resistant) : Almost all the interior and furniture works of our homes, offices, restaurants, etc. are done using Commercial Plywood MR Grade. Whenever people are referring “this furniture is made in plywood” it is invariably made from this category.
• Water-proof Plywood BWP/BWR Grade (Boiling Water proof/Boiling Water Resistant): This category is primarily used where water comes frequently in contact with furniture. For example, the sink boards and under structure of kitchen are made in this grade.
• Marine ply: It is the most superior quality of plywood. It is essentially used for industrial applications such as boat building. Marine ply is hardly used for home interior works. In India, some shop keepers tend to refer BWP plywood as a Marine ply because the name ‘Marine Ply’ goes well with customers.

Plywood can be made from both, Hardwood (Gurjan tree/ teak tree) as well as Softwood (Mango/Pine/Cedar and birch trees). Hardwood ply has more strength than softwood ply. Gurjan Plywood is very popular in India. In recent times, ‘Flexi ply’ has become a popular choice among architects and interior designers. It can be used in designing flexible curve surfaces.

Generally speaking plywood is a base material and it needs to be treated with surface materials/treatments to create that Wow Effect ! Let us see some of the popular surface treatments of plywood :

• Laminate: Cladding plywood with laminates is super popular option. It is very widely used at homes, offices and restaurants. Laminates can be of various colours and textures. The wooden textured laminates are in demand as they impart classical look to the space.

• Veneers: Various Veneers can be applied to plywood. After polish it gives rich and tasteful look.
• Wall paper: Different wall papers can be used on ply backing. While using wall paper on ply, it is very important to make a ply surface semi smooth with Lambi-Putty and one coat of primer.
• Painting: The ply surface can be easily painted. It is desirable to apply 4mm thick MDF on ply in case surface is to be painted.
• Solid surface (Corian): If you are looking for that extra luxurious effect, solid surface such as Corian on ply backing is the best option. Corian is applied as wall cladding on ply backing. It is also used for selected furniture items like beds and reception tables.

• Branding: Putting vinyl branding on ply surface is ‘in thing’. Any image of your choice can be printed on vinyl surface and same can be fixed on plywood panels. Surface preparation is same as wall paper fixing.
• Back painted glass: The back painted glass fixing on the ply backing is a popular trend. It is used as a kitchen dado in residential interiors and column cladding in corporate interiors.
• Fabric panels: If you are looking to improve acoustic property of the space, application of fabric panels on ply is recommended. These panels can be easily fixed on ply backing.

This list of surface materials and treatments is endless and lot of innovation is possible on plywood surfaces. Indeed, Plywood is a versatile material and it has contributed immensely in our everyday life.

With advancement in technologies and creative inputs from architects and interior designers, use of plywood will be ever rising. Touch Wood !