Storing plywood

[John Economou]

Sorry for the newb questions. Probably a simple answer but just want to double check. I bought some birch ply and mdf from HD today. I have it on my shop floor where I can make sure it's flat. Is that okay? Humidity is only about 20% in this area of Washington. I thought about putting the sheets on Plastic but does that even matter?

[Michael McCoy]

I would put it on some stickers to let the air circulate on both sides. I've had some HD ply curl up when I just looked at it crooked.

[Matt Meiser]

How long are you storing it for? In gerneral I've had good luck storing full sheets completely vertically, but leaning them so they are only supported at the bottom and the top is bad news.

And as Michael said, if the HD birch is the Chinese stuff, I would use it immediately as it warps fast. The stuff I bought was pretty much perfectly flat, but warping after just a couple weeks.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If the shop floor is a concrete slab or the concrete of a cellar floor the moisture that often transpires up through it may warp your plywood in short order.

[Justin McCurdy]

I have mine stored vertically (around 17 sheets). I have a 2x4 storage unit that is 8' high affixed to the wall. I use a couple of clamps to keep the entire stack of plywood flat against the rack. It has worked for a year so for.

[glenn bradley]

I wish I had room to store flat. You'll want to allow airflow and keep the wood off the concrete (if it is concrete) to avoid moisture. I store mine on end in an area designed for this with a raised platform to allow airflow.