Stunningly bad "cabinet" plywood at home depot

[Robin Dobbie]

I know no one's shocked, however what they have sometimes works for me to make "acceptable" cabinets (https://i.imgur.com/0UmpzxF.jpg) for my house. Now, I'm not impressed with their ply on the best of days. But sometimes what they have works, sometimes it has flaws, either in the manufacturing process or caused by the way they handle and store their sheetgoods. I'm never surprised anymore when I leave empty handed because there is simply too much damage to every available sheet. But I've never seen 100% of every sheet totally farked. They said it was triple sanded. But the sheathing plywood was smoother. Seriously. Sheathing ply was more warped, but slightly fewer ply.

Every sheet looked like this all over, except where even worse, front and back.

https://i.imgur.com/RCz2r5N.jpg

That's almost acceptable, in a way. Not what I was expecting, but it could be interesting. Too many flaws, however. I honestly think they forgot to but a veneer on top.

I might have gone ahead and gotten it if every sheet didn't have major zones of rough, almost fuzzy areas across the entire length.

https://i.imgur.com/QPDlWyL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qPHHzjf.jpg

Off to lowes tomorrow and see what their ply looks like. I've walked out of lowes before, too, so if that fails there's a plywood company in ft worth I'll try. Supposedly they sell to amateurs, so if I can look at a few sheets before I buy them I'll be happy. They have legit baltic birch, so that may be what I get.

[Brian Holcombe]

Go to a lumberyard that sells veneer core baltic birch ply. My locals are super competitive on pricing and always carry very high grade material.

[Steve Eure]

Seems to me that the big box stores do not cater to woodworkers, only construction or novice sells. I went to Lowes and bought a 4 by 8 sheet of 3/4 BB ply for a cabinet one time and needed to make 3 perpendicular rips length ways. After the initial rips, I picked up the first outside piece and took it into the shop. Went back, picked up the center one and it nearly doubled over. It honestly had a 3 foot continuous void in it. I wasn't too happy. Its a 2 hour round trip to town for me.
When I explained to the clerk that I wanted a refund, she gave me attitude over it because "I had already cut it". After some heated words she finally told me to just pick another piece off the same pile. I told her "no thanks". I haven't bought BB ply from them since.

[glenn bradley]

As mentioned, no one is surprised. The BORGs sell to the air-nailer crowd and stock accordingly. I don't mean that derogatorily, I don't want the guy who builds a china hutch to necessarily frame my house either. The skill sets do cross but, not enough for the BORGs to stock for both. Find the friendly lumber yard in your area and be (mostly) happy.

[Ted Derryberry]

I can't remember the last time I bought anything wood from a big box store.

[Curt Harms]

It depends a little on where you are but there may be real plywood suppliers within a reasonable distance that will sell to non-Pros. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:

http://www.industrialplywood.com/

As far as buying from a borg, it seems like the luck of the draw. You may get pretty good or you might get Lays brand plywood (curls like a potato chip when cut). If you have Menards, I've heard their plywood is better than H.D. or Lowes. We don't have Menards so no first-hand experience.

[Robert Engel]

I've never seen ply that bad at HD. Its obviously a bad lot. You should take it back and talk to the manager. They will work with you.

I always get ply for a cabinet build from a local distributor, but the ones I deal with if you specify "baltic birch" you can't be sure of what you will get. Both I deal with carry 3 different "grades" and the "good stuff" is Russian. (??) The other stuff is identical to what the BORG's sell for cheaper.

FWIW, with utility cabs and jigs, etc I've had good luck with the Sandeply that HD sells.

The problem with ALL of them is the top veneer is so damn thin you can barely sand it at all.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Do they not carry Pure Bond at your local HD? It's the best stuff I've found at the big box stores and it's only carried at HD. None of the BORGs in my area carry anything worth a darn outside of HD's Pure Bond. Lowe's selection is just awful.

[David M Peters]

If you have one in your area, Menards carries good plywood as well as pretty good grades of dimensional lumber. HD and Lowes are awful.

[John C Cox]

The reality is that cherry picking cheap BORG plywood sometimes yields nice stuff.... Occasionally a good sheet gets mixed in my mistake.... Mostly it doesn't...

3/4" Marine grade BB plywood costs me over $100/sheet for the real stuff with no nasty surprises....
BORG plywood costs 1/3 that.. So you get what you pay for....

So yeah - for utility cabinets, non-show structural parts, or stuff you are sealing and painting - it will be fine.... But it does add up for a lot more work sealing and filling all the uglies.

[Jim Becker]

I don't even buy full sheets of MDF from them anymore. I might pick up 2x4 panels for jigs, etc., but no way am I going to put money into sheet goods where an entire stack looks like it's been riding a tidal wave. :)

I spoke with Industrial Plywood this morning, in fact, to get current pricing needed for some commission quotes. The prices are very reasonable and it's all US-made sheet goods.

[Keith Hankins]

I don't even buy full sheets of MDF from them anymore. I might pick up 2x4 panels for jigs, etc., but no way am I going to put money into sheet goods where an entire stack looks like it's been riding a tidal wave. :)

I spoke with Industrial Plywood this morning, in fact, to get current pricing needed for some commission quotes. The prices are very reasonable and it's all US-made sheet goods.

I'm blessed to have an Industrial plywood close by (30 min away), what a pleasure to see quality stuff. I use very little ply mostly cherry in some cabinets, and its $$$, but you get what you pay for for sure.

I'd also search out a local cabinet maker and see if they will sell you ply. One place I lived thats how i got mine. I paid a premium but hey it was good stuff.

[Ted Derryberry]

My go to lumber and plywood supplier is cheaper than HD on MDF and it's better quality. Their "shop grade" birch, not baltic birch, is cheaper than anything HD has either. They only carry 5'x5' interior grade baltic birch and it's not much more per square foot than their shop grade birch. For 4'x8' exterior grade baltic birch I have to go to "the other place". It's from $95 to $105 per sheet for B/BB (top grade) depending on the market and how much I buy. The quality can vary and sometimes it doesn't technically meet grade on the number of patches. It depends on the mill and time of year. One mill I won't touch, another is my favorite, and there are about 3 in between, but it all depends on who the importer is dealing with at the time.

[Bill Dufour]

My HD caries a lot of plywood made in Central America. and some pine from China. The Central American stuff is "hardwood" plywood no particular species. Is this common all over the USA or is this because I am near a shipping port?
Bill

[Andrew Seemann]

A second to Menards. At ours in MN they carry the cheap imported stuff, but also the good made-in-USA cabinet grade plywood, similar to the stuff I get from the main local hardwood supplier (Youngblood). Its cheaper at Menards, but they don't have the species and size selection that the specialty retailer does, not surprisingly. For baltic birch, I just order half dozen sheets from Youngblood whenever I get low and have them deliver. The $22 delivery fee spares the 50 mile round trip and pain of transiting of 5x5 sheets.

Unfortunately Menards is mostly a midwest thing, I don't believe they go down into Texas. Dallas Ft Worth is a big place, there is bound to be some decent lumber/plywood suppliers somewhere.

[Ted Derryberry]

The HDs in GA carry "sandeply" which I think they call a "hardwood". It's from Ecuador and I looked it up a few years ago. The species is "Brosimum Utile" with "Sande" being one of the common names. I used to use a lot of it but the quality got worse and worse and the price was going up. I still have a few scraps kicking around the shop and it has a distinctive smell when you cut it. It's very soft and light weight, which is about the only advantage I can think of. I can't believe I used to use it on a regular basis.

[Brian Henderson]

Unfortunately, I have no hardwood dealers in my area, the closest is 100 miles away over a mountain and I have no way to get the amount of wood worth making the trip home and they don't deliver. Generally, HD and Lowes both suck but all other options have gone out of business. So every once in a while, I rent a truck and make a run and spend a ton of money on wood because it's the only option that I have.

[Mel Fulks]

Ted, I agree the sande plywood is bad stuff. But the solid wood ,I found , to be a lot easier to to dress flat and straight than African "mahogany".

[John TenEyck]

Most of the plywood I bought a year or longer ago from HD was Columbia Purebond and it was for the most part pretty good. It certainly was far better than the Chinese junk my local "full service" lumberyard tried to pass off as birch plywood, and at higher prices, too. Lately, however, my local HD's stock has gotten sparse and what there is is really poor. I'm having better luck at my local Lowes when I just need run of the mill birch or maple plywood. FWIW, I've never had an issue with the MDF from HD.

I have a local millwork place I can buy US made plywood and MDF from. The last cherry plywood I bought was over $130 for a 4x8x3/4" sheet. I didn't feel so bad though, because the Columbia K-Core (?) I bought before that at the lumberyard via special order was about $150/sheet, and it wasn't perfect either.

All this leads me to my current situation which is to make my own hardwood veneer plywood for any project where it really counts. I buy genuine 5x5' Baltic birch plywood or MDF and vacuum bag on shop sawn veneer. It's a lot of work, but the end result is infinitely better. I'm about to start sawing veneer for a kitchen's worth of cabinet doors.

John

[Rich Engelhardt]

My local Lowes hasn't sold a sheet of Birch or Oak plywood in something like 5 years.
They have a couple sheets of each on the shelf that are all twisted and warped and a real mess.
Since they won' mark it down to zero and scrap it, the computer won't reorder it.

Too bad it's so sad - - otherwise it would be hilarious! :P.

[Marc Burt]

Good ply is hard to find anymore. Here locally (Birmingham AL) there’s only one place I know of to get cabinet grade plywood, that sells to the public anyway. And they’re only open M-F 9-5.

[Ted Derryberry]

Mine closes at 4:30, but they're open on Saturday until 11:30, if you don't mind the crowd of weekend warriors.

[Jim Becker]

I'm blessed to have an Industrial plywood close by (30 min away), what a pleasure to see quality stuff.

The Industrial Plywood folks in Reading near you are who I deal with. I spoke with Dave this morning relative to pricing, quoted the commission and got the deposit from the client this evening. So I'll be talking with him again tomorrow to order material for the commission as well as for some new, deeper upper cabinets for our kitchen. It will be delivered Tuesday, I expect since Tuesdays and Thursdays are when their truck is here in Central Bucks County. :D

[Bruce Wrenn]

Home Depot only carries C-3 grade hardwood plywood. Costs around $50 a sheet. Local hardwood dealer around $100 a sheet. Usually I can pick thru enough sheets to yield what I need. I'm not bashful about knocking down the price on a damaged sheet that will yield what I need. Ususally the markdown is 70-90%. Price difference means I can waste 50% of a sheet and still be ahead of the game. Left overs, off cuts become shop cabinets, cabinet backs etc. Plus HD is 10 minutes away, and hardwood suppliers (all three) are over 45 minutes (one way) away. Time is money!

[Dave Zellers]

I can't remember the last time I bought anything wood from a big box store.

I can, because it was the LAST time I will make that mistake again.

[Dave Zellers]

Good ply is hard to find anymore. Here locally (Birmingham AL) there’s only one place I know of to get cabinet grade plywood, that sells to the public anyway. And they’re only open M-F 9-5.

Seems like in a city that size there would be multiple lumber yards that can order it for you. Many plywood dealers don't want to do retail, they want to deal with suppliers, who deal with you.

It's available- poke around some more. But it can be 'spensive! I paid a hundred bucks for one sheet of poplar cabinet ply (which was crazy!) but man, it was perfect, both sides and zero voids. I believe all of the plies were poplar and the top veneers actually had some real thickness! Crazy stable- the leftover piece is as flat as the day it was delivered. (it's been years) Probably end up in a jig some day. :eek:

[Larry Edgerton]

THIS JUST IN!

News Flash, the tools at Harbor Freight may not be the worlds best!

:D:p

[John C Cox]

THIS JUST IN!

News Flash, the tools at Harbor Freight may not be the worlds best!

:D:p

what? No! I am crushed!!!!!

I can't believe that you would infer that the sort of tools and equipment that cost 10% of the cost of a mainline brand and the packaging costs more than the equipment could be any less than 1st quality... You crushed me!!

[Mike Cutler]

My expectations are very low for plywood from a big box store. I hope it maintains it's shape long enough for me to finish what I need to do with it, and that's the end of my expectation.
I got some maple ply from Lowes two weeks ago to build a generator enclosure. As expected, it potatoe chipped soon after I cut it. Luckily by then it was already inside a frame.
I don't mean to be a jerk, or insult anybody, but from my experience, I just don't put Lowes, or Home Depot, in the same sentence as cabinet plywood. If you're lucky, you might get something close to paint grade. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country, but not here.
I'm very fortunate for a plywood source. I have a cabinet maker that sells lumber and cabinet grade plywood, by appointment, a 1/2mile from the house. he has some really nice material. He also sells cabinet hardware, so that makes it one stop shopping.

[lowell holmes]

I would never buy plywood from the BORG. I buy plywood from lumber yards where I can pick the sheets.
However, The Lowes store nearby has good plywood.

[Keith Hankins]

The Industrial Plywood folks in Reading near you are who I deal with. I spoke with Dave this morning relative to pricing, quoted the commission and got the deposit from the client this evening. So I'll be talking with him again tomorrow to order material for the commission as well as for some new, deeper upper cabinets for our kitchen. It will be delivered Tuesday, I expect since Tuesdays and Thursdays are when their truck is here in Central Bucks County. :D

Yep thats Who I go to. Great people every time I've gone.

[Jim Becker]

Yep thats Who I go to. Great people every time I've gone.


Yup...ordered $600 worth of sheet goods today from them. It will be here on Tuesday. $11 for delivery and that's just a fuel surcharge, rather than a delivery charge. Worth. Every. Penny.

[Rich Engelhardt]

THIS JUST IN!

News Flash, the tools at Harbor Freight may not be the worlds best!I wonder what the wood would look like if Harbor Freight carried any?

[Jon Endres]

Cabinet grade plywood should be bought from a reputable lumberyard or specialty plywood dealer. In some cases it may take a bit of searching to find one nearby. It's also not going to be cheap. If you want 3/4" hardwood plywood for $40 a sheet, expect garbage quality. My local HD has the "purebond" stuff and I think it's junk. I do, however, really like the Arauco radiata pine plywood that they have. It is nearly knot-free, pretty stable and cheap. Great for shop cabinets, shelves and general-purpose utility projects.

In my area, I have used Maine Coast Plywood, who used to deliver to my door. Now that they have been absorbed by Downes and Reader out of Boston area, I am not sure that local delivery is still an option for me. However, I am unlikely to need a large quantity at a time, so I will find a source more local for 3-5 sheets of whatever I need.