Find the Right Plywood & Sheathing for All Your Home Projects

Plywood is one of the most widely used building materials due to its versatility. 4x8 plywood sheets are comprised of thin layers of wood veneers that are glued together under pressure and extreme heat. This engineering process makes plywood strong, flexible, and well-suited to a wide variety of applications. These including exterior wall sheathing, subflooring and roofing. Baltic birch plywood, poplar plywood, oak plywood and other hardwood plywood are popular choices for making furniture and cabinetry. Many of these are available as sanded plywood. Fir and pine plywood are often used in boat and canoe building, where they’re sometimes referred to as marine plywood. CDX plywood features layers with grains that run in opposite directions for added strength and stability. OSB (oriented strand board) combines glue, resin, and wood chips pressed into the shape of a plywood sheet, which is why OSB boards are sometimes referred to as OSB plywood. OSB is also strong and flexible and can be used in many of the same applications as plywood, with the added bonus that it’s less expensive.

MDF (medium density fibreboard) is often used for office furniture due to its fire-resistant properties. Hardboard (HDF) is ideal for uses as pegboard or as a backing material for cabinetry. Melamine Board [CH1] features a hard resin overlay on top of MDF or plywood. Also popular for cabinetry and furniture, it’s available in a wide assortment of colours and textures. Particle board is made of a mixture of sawdust and adhesives. It’s less expensive than plywood, MDF board or melamine, and is commonly used as a substrate for countertops. Slatwall is ideal for displaying products in retail environments, but it can also be used for hanging items in garages and workshops.

[CH1]Note: the products displayed are not melamine. Melamine looks like this: https://www.homehardware.ca/en/search?query=melamine