What is plywood?
Plywood is an engineered wood made from several layers of wood veneers. Each layer is called a ply, hence the material's name.
To make plywood, adjacent plies are glued together with their grains at a 90-degree angle to each other. This helps to strengthen it and prevent it from shrinking or swelling.
Manufacturers use different kinds of wood depending on what is locally available to them. In Australia, most companies use eucalyptus, fir, pine, ash, beech or birch. Some plywood makers also use mahogany, maple, oak or teak.
You can choose from a variety of plywood types. Each one has unique characteristics that make it more suitable for specific applications.
Because plywood is made from wood veneers, each ply may have knots and other unique peculiarities that create slight variations in its depth and thickness. Thus, plywood's structure is typically not uniform throughout.
Structural plywood
Interior plywood
Exterior plywood
Cladding plywood
Bamboo plywood
Marine plywood
Find out more about the benefits of using plywood here.
Why should you use plywood subfloor?
Many builders use plywood because of its durability and flexibility. Unlike solid wood, plywood boasts of uniform strength along grains regardless of direction. You can use it for different purposes without worrying about its structural integrity.
Plywood also has excellent pliability. Even if you bend it in different ways, it won't split or break easily. This, along with its lightweight construction, makes it ideal for building various shapes and forms.
Plywood also looks great. Even if it's engineered wood, ply still retains much of the natural beauty of timber. You can also paint or stain plywood to help improve its visual appeal.
And finally, plywood's definitive edge over OSB is how it behaves when it gets wet. Plywood swells consistently all throughout when exposed to moisture. But then it dries out quickly and returns to its original dimensions.
Plywood Pros
Comes in different sizes
Not prone to swelling or warping due to moisture
More aesthetically pleasing; can be stained or painted
Suitable subfloor for all flooring materials
Plywood Cons
More expensive than OSB
Not as environmentally friendly (may contain formaldehyde)
Available panels are not as large as OSB
Structure is not uniform
