HD/Lowes Plywood

[Dave Lame]

OK, I know Baltic birch is good. I use a lot of it.
I also know HD/Lowes hardwood plywood is not as good.
But way cheaper.

For some of my projects the lower cost is quite attractive.

I have heard or read of multiple horror stories. Are are these horror stories current or way out of date? Representative or one in a thousand?

Has anybody had relatively recent experiences these products?

Dave

[Greg Berry313]

Just used some 3/4 from Lowes and it was not the best. Found a void where I was drilling the pilot hole for hinges and it pushed through the other side a little. Home depot here has better birch and oak than lowes. A lot of filled spots also but I had gift cards. I will be buying the next sheets from our local hardware store for $33 a sheet.

[Tim Howell]

I looked at HD & Lowes. It was paper thin veneer (est . . .015-.020) and had a gray tint. Every piece had chips around the edges andvoids. So I coughed up $85.00 + $15.00 s/h and bought a sheet of Red Oak from acabinet shop, grade B-2.
After cutting it to size and a close inspection I realized 1/3 of the face side veneer looked like it wasdamaged in a planner, rotary cutting or sanding as it has a line across it andthe pore grain torn out in places. It is wavy in thickness from .730 to .754 –voids – and 4 small knots on the face. The veneer looks about .025. I couldhave bought solid stock for the price! Poor quality from a Domestic mfg. – sad!
I’ve learned a lot lately.. Next time I will buy a plywood that isveneer in the center (strength) outside layer is MDF (flat =smoother moreuniform surface for the face veneer which is thin away.)
On the sheet I bought – I believe it was the thin faceveneer over a louse veneer build that caused the pore tear out. I will not cough up for a sight unseen sheetagain.
Looks like the domestic plywood mfg.’s are setting themselvesup to be a GM – what a shame.
Note you can see a photo of my ply sheet under "finishing" / Grain filling red oak plywood. - here on the forum -

[Brent VanFossen]

I'm using HD cabinet grade 3/4-inch plywood for some cabinets I'm building. I haven't found any voids larger than 1/2 inch or so. That's in about half a dozen sheets recently. About $25 per.

[Tim Howell]

At my location N Central Fla it's 44.97 for 3/4" 4x8 sheet graded C-3. HD reviews are bad - so was my visual. Way south here so our stock may be the last junk to land. When you ask hardwood here they take you to hardie board siding!

[Alan Bienlein]

At my local Home Depot they are carrying made in the USA 3/4" oak and birch plywood now for $44 a sheet.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I used two pieces of Lowes "best" 3/4" plywood. It was imported from China and looked like "white wood". The wood was very soft, and had many voids throughout the pieces. The worst problem, was the very fine white powder generated during sawing (can't call it saw dust, because it wasn't like any sawdust I've ever seen). You need a dust mask and as fine as the particles were, it better be a good one.

The plywood was a true 3/4" thick, and I had issues with it de-laminating through the projects. Cost was either $44.95 or $49.95 per sheet (can't remember) and I would never buy this crap again.

[Carl Beckett]

I have had mixed results.

A few times I have been able to purchase very good material at a good price (a couple times I got the cabinet grade, on sale, and it was great stuff). Other times, the price was just 'average', and the material 'below average' (chips, voids, and a very soft outside veneer)

Also I have visited the local lumber yards. Sometimes they get a nice batch of material and discount it to move it. This has been the best, but not always available (just have to wait until they have a good deal).

I have lived in the Northwest, Midwest, and now New England. Definitely regional variation, even at the big box. New England is the worst (everything here costs, is more difficult to find, and less convenient to procure).

So I have to advise - if you want to save $, shop around. No single answer.

If you want to ensure good quality, you are going to have to step it up a bit in price (and for this I would start with the local lumber yards). (sometimes if you have a contractor friend you can buy through you can get a decent discount).

[Jefferey Scott]

I've used Home Depot's 3/4" Sandeply which is from Ecaudor I believe. It's face veneer was very smooth, a little softer than hardwood birch or maple ply but void free. I built some pantry cabinets with it and was satisfied for the $40 a sheet I paid for it. The face veneer is thicker than most of the hardwood ply I've seen lately too.

[Jamie Buxton]

I think the issue with the giant stores is that they're trying to get the best price, and they have the buying power to go anywhere in the world to get it. They also stock a zillion products, and don't thoughtfully examine each one. All of that means a bean counter is making the purchase decision, not a woodworker. This month they may be getting a good deal on a good product from one place, but next month the plywood may be coming from the other side of the world. This means that broad generalizations like "HD is bad" or "Lowes is good" don't hold. You really have to examine the products available at the time you purchase. Feel around on the surface for interior voids. Stand the sheet on edge and examine for flatness. Or if you're lucky, shop at a lumber dealer who's only in that business. They'll pay more attention quality. As it happens in my town, the good lumber dealers are almost the same price as HD.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Neither Lowes nor Home Depot around me carries plywood.
What they carry is big giant thick unsalted potato chips...

HD garbage is a domestic brand. Lowes carries a Chinese brand.
Menards carries both foreign and domestic junk.

None carry full 4'x 8' sheets.
They vary in width from 46" to 47 and a fraction.

Actual thickness of the sheets varies - even across an individual sheet.

Make sure you measure what you buy so it doesn't bite you later on.

The red oak appears to be red oak.

The "white stuff" is some sort of mystery wood.
@ Menards they call it birch - which it looks like it might be.
@ Lowes and Home Depot, I forget what they call it. I believe they just might call it "white" or something similar.

[Steve Baumgartner]

I've had mixed results at HD. The stuff itself can be very different depending on when I look. Sometimes it's the same US or Canadian as other stores, and sometimes it's Chinese or other Asian. It seems that all the makers have gone to paper-thin face veneer, regardless of the source. The unpredictability of metric vs imperial thickness drives me nuts! But, the biggest problem with the store near me is their poor handling of the stock. Virtually every sheet is warped and/or scarred.

[Prashun Patel]

I've never understood the vehemence against HD/LWS plywood. I've bought plenty from both. I've also bought 'quality' plywood from higher end dealers when the situation demands. But for most shop projects or cabinet interiors/backs, I haven't had a problem with the BORG stuff.

[Myk Rian]

My son and I walked through HD the other day. Went by the pile of 1/2" ply, only to see the second sheet from the top bowed 6-8". Unbelievable.
Buyer beware.

[Conrad Fiore]

When at HD, look for the Pure Bond brand by Columbia Forest Products. Solid veneer core with few or no voids and extremely flat. Clean face with a very good reverse side. The face veneer is per industry standard thickness. No "red glue" coming through to the face. Available in the NJ area in red oak, birch and maple.