Plywood finishes

[treetree]

Hi 

Could anyone recommend a finish for plywood (builders merchants stuff rather than the expensive birch stuff)

Will be used on a mini-camper unit im building. Just needs to be safe, give some protection and make the ply a bit more appealing.

Many thanks

 

[jason g]

Have you tried looking onto epoxy resin, good stuff and will last, if its on the outside and you want a tough finish and don't want to see the wood try raptor paint 👍

[treetree]

14 minutes ago, jason g said:

Have you tried looking onto epoxy resin, good stuff and will last, if its on the outside and you want a tough finish and don't want to see the wood try raptor paint 👍

Thanks for the reply, the unit will be in the car so doesn't need to be waterproof, just protected

[lakeside1000]

The problem with many standard plywood surfaces is that the grain is quite open , even when varnished it still looks a bit rough, I prefer to use a wood sealant, 2 or 3 coats, then flat off with a fine paper and finish with 2 coats of marine varnish,if you can afford it use marine or a very good quality ply.

My wife used some 'graining tools' on our boat , this looked like real wood grain but could be used to finish plywood, it had a base coat in a very light colour, then using a dark coat over the top could be 'dragged' with special rubber tools to form a very effective wood grain finish, then finished with a sealant. this way you could add subtle colours without the 'painted ' finish.

[treetree]

2 hours ago, lakeside1000 said:

The problem with many standard plywood surfaces is that the grain is quite open , even when varnished it still looks a bit rough, I prefer to use a wood sealant, 2 or 3 coats, then flat off with a fine paper and finish with 2 coats of marine varnish,if you can afford it use marine or a very good quality ply.

My wife used some 'graining tools' on our boat , this looked like real wood grain but could be used to finish plywood, it had a base coat in a very light colour, then using a dark coat over the top could be 'dragged' with special rubber tools to form a very effective wood grain finish, then finished with a sealant. this way you could add subtle colours without the 'painted ' finish.

Thanks for the detail. Was thinking osmo oil, until I saw the price. I'll look into the marine varnish

[Saltings]

On 01/12/2020 at 12:28, treetree said:

Thanks for the detail. Was thinking osmo oil, until I saw the price. I'll look into the marine varnish

if you just wanted to seal with a mat finish a gallon of  pva about £7.00  thin it down to a milk consistency with water apply with a roller before fitting on both sides    when dry no mold or staining  add cotes matt finish  and waterproof  when dry   will also accept other more expensive finish on top       bling     or 50/50 polyurethane and thinners as a sealer on both sides     to then   out of the can varnish       seal both sides damp and condensation  can leach and ruin the desired finish in time