Menards Plywood

[Anthony Fry]

I was in Menard's the other day looking at some 3/4" 4x8' BCX sanded plywood SKU: 1251049. The veneers on both side looked very good. Or maybe it was just the contrast with the horror found in HD or LW plywood.

Does anyone have any recent experirence with these sheets? How was it for internal voids? I will be cutting patterns out of it and prefer not have to fill to many edge voids.

[Andrew Seemann]

It's hard to say. With the shortage of materials lately, they seem to have been sourcing from wherever they can get stuff. We got some 1/2" 4 ply CDX this fall that was some of the best of that grade I have ever used, and then the next batch was much more "standard". In general I think they tend to have better lumber than HD (I don't go to LW as there are none nearby), my guess is they cycle through it faster; their lumber yard alone is nearly the size of a whole HD.

BCX can have some small voids in the C veneers (you can check the grade definition on the interwebs for the exact allowances). It probably is a matter of inspecting the individual sheets to see what they look like. Some sheets/batches could have been one void away from making ACX or BB grade, and some could have been one more split from falling to CDX.

If you want nearly void free guaranteed, you could go for 3/4 Baltic Birch. Another option could be Menards's domestic hardwood plywood; that may have void free inner veneers. It is definitely a lot more stable and drier than construction plywood. With the rise in cost of building materials, it isn't that much more expensive than BCX either.

[Larry Frank]

I use the Menards plywood and like it. The face veneers are pretty thick. My Menards used to sell Aruaco Ply which I really liked.

Menards also stores the sheets flat and not on arms like other big box stores.

[Todd Trebuna]

I recently bought a sheet of 3/4 inch walnut Ply. It is probably more towards 15/16ths and I was impressed with the packing. They actually shipped it wrapped between 2 sheets of 1/2 ply and plastic wrapped. It was HEAVY. I haven't run into any problems other than chip out, which is mostly my fault but vastly more durable in actual hard wood. It's my first time buying anything other than Big Box plywood, and it was a good experience.

[Rob Luter]

The last plywood I got at Menards seemed to be made up entirely of voids, and the veneer on the outside surfaces was super thin. Maybe I was just lucky.

[Rich Aldrich]

I typically purchase Menards hardwood plywood. Most of the Made in USA hardwood plywood is made by Timber Products. I am a bit bias since I work for Timber Products. The veneer layer is typically 0.027" thick.

[Anthony Fry]

If you want nearly void free guaranteed, you could go for 3/4 Baltic Birch. Another option could be Menards's domestic hardwood plywood; that may have void free inner veneers. It is definitely a lot more stable and drier than construction plywood. With the rise in cost of building materials, it isn't that much more expensive than BCX either. I'm looking at the sanded exterior grade BCX for an outdoor project and tying to stay cost conscious. The cheapest veneer core hardwood is interior grade and $10 more a sheet.

[Rob Luter]

I typically purchase Menards hardwood plywood. Most of the Made in USA hardwood plywood is made by Timber Products. I am a bit bias since I work for Timber Products. The veneer layer is typically 0.027" thick.

Manistique! Pretty country up there. How many feet of snow so far?

[Rich Aldrich]

Manistique! Pretty country up there. How many feet of snow so far?

3 inches and I am loving it. Last year was ridiculous - 30" fell on the Sunday after Thanksgiving alone - so I guess we are getting a reprieve this year. The Timber Products plant where I work is near Munising. The largest "town" I have to drive through is Shingleton. You would miss it if you blinked. Population is 440. I had to look it up. I didn't think it was that big.

[Rob Luter]

M-94 has to be a bear in the winter but I'll bet it's a pretty commute in the summertime. Lots of little towns up there like Shingleton. Most didn't survive and now amount to a wide spot in the road. We're hoping to get up there this coming summer if your Governor will open the state up. We had a trip planned for the Keweenaw but it got scuttled due to Covid.

[Andrew Seemann]

I'm looking at the sanded exterior grade BCX for an outdoor project and tying to stay cost conscious. The cheapest veneer core hardwood is interior grade and $10 more a sheet.

For outside I would use the BCX and from Menards as well. I had envisioned you doing patterns for templates like bending or routing rather than an outside application originally:)