Baltic Birch Ply outdoors?

[Brian Kent]

I have an unlimited supply of Baltic Birch 3/8" ply, 3.5" x 48". They are cut-offs from a friend's manufacturing process.

Is there any way to use this stuff outdoors, if by outdoors I mean Southern California, 8-12" of rain, temp range from 30 to 104?

And what if by outdoors I mean under a patio roof?

And what if I am using multiple steps for sealing and finishing?

[Kev Godwin]

Brian, have you considered a finishing process of saturation finishing? If you select a soaking process you could saturate the wood fiber with various polymers that could give you some good ultra-V protection and moisture protection.

About 3 years ago, I soaked some plywood in polyurethane for a couple short stools for the patio. They have been going strong through 3 upper mid-west winters without delamination. It is an on-going experiment. (I hope I'm not the first to get a sliver in the cute back-side :D).
Kev

[Russ Sears]

(I hope I'm not the first to get a sliver in the cute back-side :D).
Kev

Kev, this is one case where I think we would rather NOT have a picture :D

[Jim Becker]

The glues in the BB are unlikely to be outdoor rated and even under cover, there may be more moisture than you might prefer. With an appropriate exterior finish, you'll probably be ok under cover, but keep your eye on it.

[Brian Kent]

I'm thinking of making something very basic to experiment.

I have a couple of outdoor pieces to do first in white oak, so if I make a simple whatever piece of BB ply now, I can see how it lasts for a year.

I like the sound of saturation finish that Kev mentioned. What exactly would I soak the stuff in?

Just for the record, I am starting out expecting that this would not work, but with all that lumber in the garage (and about 20,000 extra pieces available if I want them) I thought I'd ask.

[Howard Acheson]

Russian Baltic Birch is made with interior adhesive.

Finnish Baltic Birch is made with exterior adhesive.

Like all exterior rated plywood, the edge must be completely sealed for applications directly exposed to water. While the adhesive may be waterproof, the wood will absorb water, rot and delaminate.

[Brian Kent]

OK, so it's Russian baltic birch. It was worth asking:rolleyes:.

[Josiah Bartlett]

You have some free anyway, why not leave it out there for a while unfinished and see what happens? I've had a sheet of supposedly interior grade fir plywood in the bed of my truck for about 10 years that hasn't delaminated yet, and I live in rainy Oregon. The only finish on it is dirt, motor oil, and exhaust carbon.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have an unlimited supply of Baltic Birch 3/8" ply, 3.5" x 48".

Three and a half feet by 4 Feet? And it's unlimited?
I'd be in E-bay and Craigslist. BB is hard to get these days

[Brian Kent]

Three and a half feet by 4 Feet? And it's unlimited?
I'd be in E-bay and Craigslist. BB is hard to get these days

Actually that is 3-1/2 inches by 4 feet. Otherwise I'd have a whole career selling the stuff.:D