Plywood is often lauded for its versatility and ability to adapt to a wide variety of different applications. One of the more common uses that many people might not think of when they hear the word “plywood” is caravan fit-outs.
Plywood has been a popular choice for the caravan industry for some time. With its combination of cost effectiveness, lightweight profile, and unique visual capabilities, it's perfect material for building or refitting a caravan.
But finding the perfect plywood for your caravan project can be a daunting task, particularly if this is the first foray you’ve taken into this world. For this reason, Plyco has created this guide and a specialty caravan plywood collection. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, Plyco’s guide to plywood caravan fit-outs will have you on the road in no time.
A common question we receive about caravan projects relates to what the best plywood product is for wall and ceiling linings. There are a number of ways you can go about this, but our plywood experts will always recommend one product first: Hoop Pine AC Interior Plywood.
As you could probably guess based on the name alone, Hoop Pine AC Interior Plywood is specifically designed with interior use in mind. Hoop Pine is top of the line when it comes to durability. Many people may know it for its superb qualities that make it the highest quality Marine Plywood available, but it also has a number of variations designed for indoor use.
What makes Hoop Pine our go-to option for caravan wall and ceiling lining? Well, there are quite a few reasons.
Firstly, Hoop Pine gives customers the highest quality finish possible from a standard plywood board. In fact, we find that it even almost rivals many laminated and veneered products for aesthetic quality. Everybody wants their project to look as incredible as possible, especially if you’re going to be spending lots of time in it. This is a major reason why we are so enthusiastic about Hoop Pine.
However, it’s not just a pretty face. Hoop Pine AC Interior makes it the perfect option for lining projects in general, but it really shines when used for caravans. A caravan needs to be easy to transport, so using bulky and extremely dense products can make things run a little less smoothly.
The benefit that customers love the most by far is how affordable it is! Hoop Pine is often thought of as an extremely expensive product, however customers are often surprised at how affordable it is to line their caravan with AC Interior sheets. Each sheet features a C-bond interior glue, making the sheets dramatically cheaper than its marine-grade cousins. It also features an A-grade face on one side and a C-grade face on the back. By having a downgraded back we’re able to make the sheets a much more affordable option for your caravan.
Next up is the dynamic and extremely lightweight, Italian Poplar Plywood. Standing out for its high quality, light weight and flexibility its a great choice for furniture manufacturing and caravan fit-outs.
Sourced from sustainable poplar plantations in Europe and featuring E0 formaldehyde emissions, its environmental friendliness is renowned. Available in A/B front and B back face grades with a C-Bond for interior caravan use. To complement the wall and ceiling linings, Plyco also offers convenient 1200 x 600mm poplar panels in a range of thicknesses for furniture and shelving.
BC Falcata Plywood, measuring 2440 x 1220mm, emerges as another standout choice for those seeking a blend of lightness and affordability in their caravan projects. It's particularly favoured in the construction of caravans and mobile homes, where weight and cost-effectiveness play pivotal roles.
Remarkably comparable in weight to the esteemed European Poplar Plywood, BC Falcata Plywood shines by offering a more budget-friendly option. Its excellence is further amplified when used as a substrate beneath the vibrant and diverse patterns of decorative laminates, including our eye-catching Retro Laminate or the sleek Decor Laminate ranges. It can also be paired with a veneer surface in our Veneered Falcata.
Now that you’ve got your walls and ceilings covered it’s time to start thinking about those areas that can potentially throw you a few curve balls. A tricky area can be the parts of your caravan exposed to water and moisture such as your kitchen or bathroom. Using regular sheets of plywood around water may cause major issues such as warping and splitting, which is certainly less than ideal. If you want to nip these issues in the bud before they create a headache for you, we recommend Plyco’s range of Marine Plywood.
What sets Marine Plywood apart from other plywood collections? Two reasons. Firstly, core gaps are completely eliminated, which reduces the porousness of the board in order to keep as much water out of the board, minimising expansion and warping. Secondly, the use of premium, A-Bond glue ensures water is kept at bay. For a regular, non-marine sheet of plywood, an A-bond glue is usually overkill. However, when water comes into play it’s a necessity to keep everything from falling apart.
If what you’re searching for is a plywood that will give your caravan an extra x-factor, then our guide to veneered plywood panels will have you positively salivating.
Vanply is our latest premium veneered plywood panel, designed with the adventurous spirit in mind and perfect for mobile home and caravan interiors. Crafted in Melbourne and exclusive to Plyco, Vanply combines stylish timber laminates with a lightweight BC Falcata Plywood base. Thicknesses of 3mm, 12mm, 15mm, and 18mm ensure there's a perfect panel to suit caravan project.
Ideal for enhancing wall and ceiling linings, cabinetry, and furniture, these panels promise to elevate your nomadic living spaces with elegance and durability. With Australian-made quality, E1 glue, and FSC/PEFC certification, Vanply panels are tailored for caravan interiors, promising sustainability alongside sophistication.
Our Laminato range is a distant cousin of our natural timber veneers. It retains the natural wooden look, but uses a special pressing process exclusive to Plyco. We take a timber veneer, press it onto phenolic impregnated kraft paper, and then finely sand it. The end product is an exquisite architectural sheet you won't find anywhere else.
Whether you’re crafting a tabletop or fitting out some new cabinetry, you’re probably going to want a consistent aesthetic. Finding a specific look can be difficult at the best of times, which is where Plyco comes in. As part of our stock range we have 12 unique timber veneers available for you to choose from, with a mixture of local and imported species.
If solid colours are what you’re searching for, Plyco's Decoply, Laminated Poplar and Alkorcell products will be well worth checking out! For laminates that can be pressed onto any substrate, our Spotless Laminate and Retro Laminate ranges are full of beautiful options.
Decoply is a laminated plywood sheet product made exclusively in our Melbourne manufacturing plant using a high pressure laminate (HPL) pressed onto Birch Plywood. Each panel is made to order utilising our Décor range of stunning HPL laminate colours. With a range of thicknesses from 4mm to 30mm, Decoply is a great choice for a number of different applications within your caravan.
Laminated Poplar is a stocked range that features the same decorative laminates as our Decoply range, but pressed onto an Italian Poplar Plywood core. Delivering a lighter total weight than our Decoply, this is suited for the builder who loves the look of Decoply but needs to shed some additional kilos. And if you want an even lighter profile, we also stock Laminated BC Falcata Plywood in black and white options.
If Decoply isn’t cutting it for you, you might want to upgrade to Spotless Laminate. This is the top of the line product when it comes to laminated timber panels. Each sheet of Spotless Laminate is packed with engineering that means it resists fingerprints, fights off bacteria, can withstand heavy impact, and won’t warp or fade due to extreme heat. To top it all off, the super matte finish not only looks great, but also feels amazing to touch.
With 36 unique options in Plyco's Retro Laminate range, you've never been more spoilt for choice. The diverse aesthetics in the limited-edition range inspire the imagination and, for the reason, the collection has been overwhelmingly poplar with our caravan and RV community. Available in a range of thicknesses and sizes, they boast a wide range of personalities that can complement any interior caravan fit-out. Just look at the video at the top of this page to see some of our community's creations!
Hopefully we’ve sparked some brand new ideas and pointed you in the right direction if you were daunted by the prospect of fitting out your caravan. If you’re ready to start shopping, you can head over to our online store, where you can not only browse our entire range, but also purchase from wherever you are within Australia. We ship nation-wide, so whether you’re near or far we have you covered.