While Plyco does serve a lot of commercial customers, we do cater to the DIY and hobby handyman/woman audience too. We are often asked whether regular people can come in and purchase from us, and the answer is yes! It might seem a little intimidating, but our friendly staff are always excited to help out our DIY customers find the right plywood for their job.
In order to try and make the Plyco experience as seamless as possible for our DIY legends we’ve put together this guide to five of the best plywood products for DIY projects. While basically any of our offerings can be used in a DIY manner, these products are some of the most commonly used, and also take into account pricing and how easy they are to work with.
Premium Birch Plywood is arguably what Plyco is best known for. Birch is the standard bearer when it comes to plywood. It has become the benchmark against which all other ply options are critiqued thanks to its overwhelming amount of desirable qualities — many of which make it perfect for a woodworking warrior.
The most commonly cited benefits are that it’s the perfect combination of quality and affordable pricing. Birch is reliable from a physical standpoint, as it’s used for furniture and joinery, while also featuring finished faces that are easy on the eye. Taking that into account, you might be expecting a sheet of Birch to break the bank, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!
A Birch Plywood cabinet made by Plyco customer, Hudson Kuhnell
To top it all off, Plyco has the cheapest Birch Plywood sheets in Australia.
Whether you’re building a table and chairs, a bed, or just a set of shelves, it’s hard to go wrong with a sheet of Premium Birch Plywood.
For many of the same reasons mentioned in our Birch Plywood section, we also recommend our Poplar Plywood. While it does share a lot of similarities it differs in two ways; weight and colour.
Poplar also gets used in joinery and shopfitting situations, but because it is so much lighter than many of its contemporaries it also gets used for ceiling lining and is a very POPular choice for caravan fit-outs.
Plyco's Poplar Plywood
The light colouring is also something that makes the sheets truly standout. If you’re searching for something that is bright, you won’t find anything brighter than this.
An overwhelming amount of DIY customers we encounter on a daily basis are looking to build something that can last for a long time in an outdoors environment. This inevitably leads to the “what plywood is suitable for outdoor use?” question and we always have the same answer: Marine Plywood.
Plyco's Hoop Pine Marine Plywood used for a bathroom cabinet by SC Weir Cabinetry
While Marine Plywood isn’t waterproof (there’s no such thing as truly waterproof plywood) it’s the next best thing. As long as you properly seal your Marine sheets you shouldn’t have any issues using it in external settings.
Just by being able to use it outside, a whole new world of possibilities is unlocked. It can be used for anything from literal boats to something more simple like outdoor furniture.
At Plyco we offer a diverse range of Marine Plywood options. At one end of the spectrum you have the flashy Hoop Pine AA Marine Plywood, the absolute star of the marine industry. However, we also offer Gaboon Marine Plywood and Pacific Maple Marine Plywood options, both of which are extremely affordable for the average DIY warrior.
If you are in need of a plywood panel that can thrive in damp and wet conditions, you won’t go wrong with any of these boards.
Maybe your conundrum is trying to figure out the logistics of a DIY plywood flooring job. If so, Plyco is about to make your project a whole lot easier.
Our team noticed that installing plywood flooring could be a bit of a pain, so they set out to try and make it an easier process. What they came up with is Plyco’s patented Tongue & Groove system. Each sheet in our flooring range comes already equipped with this system, so whatever you choose to buy installation will be a snap.
Plyco's Tongue & Groove Plywood Flooring
Each sheet is fitted with machine grooved edges that are fitted with a PVC tongue that are designed to slot straight into the grooves. When it comes time to put your floor together, all you need to do is slide them into one another and voila, your floor is in place!
This saves an incredible amount of time and frustration that is usually spent on trying to make sure everything lines up perfectly. DIY projects can be a stressful situation at the best of times, so with these you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Our final recommendation is something a little more stylish. While not as fancy as our Decoply or Spotless Laminate options, our White and Black Melamine range is far more affordable. In fact, depending on the the size, thickness, and which product you compare it to, you could be saving hundreds of dollars!
Every Melamine product at Plyco features a high quality core with a black or white melamine board surface bonded to both sides. This gives the sheet two hard-wearing faces that can withstand impact, while at the same time doubling as a stylish finish.
Plyco's Black Melamine used for bathroom shelving
Melamine sheets are most commonly used for cabinetry, shelving, and shopfitting. Overall, you can use this for practically any project where you need a good looking finish that might also be taking a lot of impact. Melamine thrives in these high traffic locations!
Hopefully we’ve sparked some inspiration for your next DIY plywood project. If that little light bulb has lit up in your head and you have a brand new idea, head over to Plyco’s online plywood store where you can purchase all of our products. You can also have them delivered to you Australia-wide. If you need a little more help, feel free to check out some more of our helpful posts.