Unfortunately, many individuals fail to evaluate their projects for need of marine-grade plywood or regular plywood, and this mistake tends to cause a number of serious problems. The fact is, in applications where the final product is to be immersed in water or exposed to water on a regular basis, marine-grade plywood is truly the only safe option. Although it shares similarities with other types of plywood, it is unique in its durability and ability to withstand the elements.
Even the next best type of plywood, exterior-grade plywood, simply can’t compare. Whereas marine-grade plywood must use veneer layers that are free of voids (holes and other defects that could compromise the wood’s durability) for each and every layer of the plywood board, exterior-grade plywood must only use void-free veneers on the outermost layers of the board. This makes marine-grade plywood much more durable and naturally water-resistant.
Also, whereas regular plywood is treated with chemicals to help increase durability, marine-grade plywood is pressure-treated. This process is much more effective than a chemical treatment, and it’s also much, much safer. The chemicals used to treat non-marine-grade plywood (which include arsenic compounds) have been known to leech into water when the project manager foolishly decides to use non-marine-grade plywood in an area where marine-grade was called for. Therefore, if you are in need of plywood for an application such as a boat, pier, or dock, it would behoove you to use marine-grade plywood from a supplier like McIlvain Company. Not only is it safer, but it’s also more effective.
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