Plytanium vs. Plywood: Which to Choose?

Plytanium vs. Plywood: Which to Choose?

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If you are planning on building something like a shed, exterior walls, a patio, furniture, or anything else of the sort, then you have quite a few options in the way of building material. Two great options to consider here are basic plywood and Plytanium.

Both are ideal building materials in their own rights, and they do share many similarities. Today, we want to figure out what makes Plytanium and plywood similar, what makes them different, and what both are used for.

Plytanium and Plywood: The Basics

Before we talk about the similarities and differences between these two wooden products, let’s first figure out what they both are.

What Is Plywood?

First, we have plywood, which is a specific type of engineered wood product designed for a variety of applications. Plywood is made by taking wooden veneers, which can be soft or hardwood, and creating layers out of them.

These strips are laid side by side to form a layer, and these layers, otherwise known as plies, are then stacked on top of each other. Each piece of plywood usually has between three and seven layers.

Ensuring that each layer has the veneers perpendicular to the previous layer creates a cross-grain pattern that is very strong. Depending on the type and grade of plywood, it may be used for both interior and exterior purposes. Plywood is one of the most commonly used building materials out there.

What Is Plytanium?

We then have Plytanium, which is actually a trade name, one that is registered to Georgia Pacific, which is the USA’s largest producer of plywood. Specifically, Plytanium is Georgia Pacific’s premium softwood plywood product. It’s simply a brand name of plywood, so to speak.

Although the rating is not official, Plytanium can be considered to be ACX-rated plywood, which means that it is exterior grade and that its face is very high quality and aesthetically pleasing. This type of plywood is most often used for the exterior sheathing of roofs and walls.

Similarities of Plytanium and Plywood

Now that we know what both of these materials are, let’s figure out what makes them similar to one another.

1. Both Are Plywood

The most basic similarity between these two products is that they are both types of plywood. Of course, there are many different types of plywood out there, but they all follow the same construction method. They all feature layers of veneers in a perpendicular manner that are glued and pressed together using great amounts of heat and pressure. Both plywood and Plytanium are built in the same way. As you can see, because one is just a specific brand of plywood, they’re going to share a lot of similarities.

2. They Share Many of the Same Properties

Because both of these things are plywood, you can expect them to have many of the same properties, that is if we are talking about plywood that is comparable in quality to Plytanium. If we are talking about high-quality plywood, both are usually somewhat water resistant, both are durable and impact resistant, stand up to pests and moisture quite well, and are fairly easy to saw apart and work with.

Differences Between Plytanium and Plywood

Now that we know what makes plywood and Plytanium similar, let’s figure out what makes them different.

1. One Is a Brand, the Other Is Not

The biggest notable difference here is that plywood is of course just a type of engineered wood. Yes, Plytanium is also plywood, however, one is just the name for a type of wood, whereas Plytanium is a type of plywood that comes to us from a specific brand.

2. All Plytanium Is Exterior Grade

Another notable difference between these two products is that all Plytanium is rated as exterior grade plywood. It’s generally used in the outdoor construction process when making roof and wall sheathing. It does, therefore, need to be very weather resistant. While there are plenty of types of plywood that are water resistant and rated for exterior use, not all of them are.

3. General Uses

Now, because plywood is just a category of engineered wood, you can assume that it is used for many different purposes. Interior and exterior grade plywood can be used for subflooring, roofing, wall sheathing, cabinetry, furniture making, and so much more. Although Plytanium can be used for a variety of purposes, it is generally used specifically for wall and roof sheathing.

4. Cost

Because Plytanium is a premium line of softwood plywood, it does tend to be rather expensive, more expensive than your average piece of plywood.

5. The Grade

Plywood can come in many different grades, and it can be rated as either interior or exterior plywood. However, Plytanium generally always has an ACX rating, which means that it is high-quality and rated for exterior use.

Plytanium vs. Plywood: Which Should You Use?

If you need plywood designed for the sheathing of exterior roofs and walls, then Plytanium is definitely the option to go with. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s also very high quality. If you need more selection in terms of grades and ratings, and you want to complete a variety of projects, really anything that engineered wood can be used for, then regular plywood is the better one to consider.

Summary

Now that you know exactly what makes Plytanium and plywood different, you can make an informed decision between the two.