Plywood is one of the most popular types of engineered wood. It is very versatile and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. However, there are also many different types of plywood. One of the newest and least common ones out there is known as blondewood plywood.
If you haven’t heard of it before, don’t worry, because most people haven’t. It has recently been popping up at home improvement stores, and it is certainly quite interesting. Let’s discuss everything that you need to know about it.
What Is Blondewood Plywood?
Blondewood plywood is a very new type of plywood that most people don’t know about. Just like other types of plywood, wooden strips or veneers are glued to each other to form solid sheets. Wooden strips are laid down to form a single layer, with all veneers facing the same direction.
Consecutive layers of wooden veneers are laid down in such a way that each layer has strips perpendicular to the previous layer. In other words, one layer faces east to west, the next north to south, and so on and so forth. Using very special adhesive and a good deal of pressure, these layers of veneers are then formed into solid sheets.
One of the interesting aspects of blondewood plywood is the fact that it is made with many different types of softwood, generally low-quality softwood. For the most part, any type of softwood available to the manufacturer at any given time is fair game for making blondewood plywood.
There are no restrictions or guidelines as to which softwood species should be used for the making of blondewood plywood. What does also need to be said is that blondewood plywood is considered to be one of the lower quality types of plywood out there.
It’s certainly not something that you could use for any kind of structural purposes. In terms of its appearance, it’s usually a light brown or tan color, and it features plenty of inconsistencies due to the wide variety of softwood types that may be used to make it.
Blondewood Plywood Specifications: What Sizes and Grades Does It Come In?
Another interesting aspect of blondewood plywood is the fact that it doesn’t come in the normal plywood sizes, at least not all of the time. First of all, blondewood plywood may be thinner or thicker than normal plywood. Generally, your average plywood will have five, seven, or nine layers of plies that are glued together.
However, you can often find blondewood plywood that has less than five plies, with the most common product having four plies. There are also those that are much thicker than regular plywood, with some blondewood plywood products having nine layers or more.
In terms of size, this product is also not built to normal plywood size specifications. Normal plywood sheets, the most common kinds, are 4’ x 8’ with 2’ x 4’, 4’ x 4’, 2’ x 2’, 4’ x 9’, and 4’ x 10’ all being common sizes too. Blondewood plywood may or may not come in these sizes. It all really depends on the manufacturer in question.
As for plywood grades, yet another interesting thing about blondewood plywood is that it doesn’t come in grades as normal plywood does. It’s not labeled using certain grades, and this allows manufacturers to sell a typically low-quality product at a very low price.
Advantages of Blondewood Plywood
Let’s take a quick look at some of the advantages that you get by using blondewood plywood.
1. It’s Super Cheap
The biggest benefit that you get with blondewood plywood is that it is super cheap. It is hands down one of the most affordable types of plywood out there, and one of the most affordable types of engineered wood in general. If you need a cost-effective building material, this is it.
2. It’s Sustainable
Although not always the case, blondewood plywood is often made of old lumber scraps and wood pieces that wouldn’t be used anymore anyway. It is, for this reason, one of the more sustainable types of plywood out there.
3. It’s Lightweight
Due to the fact that blondewood plywood is made with softwood, and because it is generally thinner than regular plywood, it’s also a bit lighter. This lightweight nature of it can make it easier to work with than other types.
4. It’s Water and Stain Resistant
This type of plywood is generally primed, which means that it does have some level of water and stain resistance. This makes it ideal for furniture.
5. It Looks Decent
Most people like the light color and overall appearance of this plywood.
6. It Has Some Flexibility
Although it’s not that strong, it does have some flexibility to it, which means it has some impact resistance.
Disadvantages of Blondewood Plywood
Let’s take a quick look at the disadvantages that come your way with blondewood plywood.
1. It’s Not Very Strong
This type of plywood is thin and is made with inconsistent materials. It’s just not very strong and it certainly cannot be used for structural applications.
2. It’s Not Waterproof
It may be slightly water-resistant as far as spilling a glass goes, but it’s not waterproof by any means and is not suitable for outdoor use.
3. You Can’t Really Paint It
Because blondewood plywood usually comes primed, you really cannot paint or stain it yourself.
4. It’s Prone to Warping
Because it is thin and prone to absorbing water (to some degree), blondewood plywood is susceptible to warping. That said, by doing the right things, you can prevent it from warping to an extent.
5. It’s Not Smooth or Consistent
This type of plywood has huge inconsistencies, may have gaps, and isn’t very smooth either.
Common Blondewood Plywood Uses
At this time, although blondewood plywood can technically be used for anything plywood can be used for, as long as it is not structural or exterior, it’s really only used for the making of fairly low-grade furniture.
Summary
Now that you know what blondewood plywood is, you can determine whether or not you want to work with it for yourself.