Stunningly bad "cabinet" plywood at home depot

[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.

[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.

[Larry Edgerton]

THIS JUST IN!

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

[John C Cox]

THIS JUST IN!

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

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.