Where to buy Plywood in Southeast Florida ?

[wmartins]

Does anybody know of an alternative to either HomeDepot or Lowes to buy a small order of good and inexpensive wood in general, and plywood in particular ?
I can't believe I have to spent 50 bucks for a 4 x8 sheet of 3/4 cabinet grade oak plywood. Is it me, or is it South Florida ?
I'll really appreciate any source you can provide.
Thanks,
W.

[wreckwriter]

You're lucky you can find cabinet grade oak plywood, at any price.

[drumpriest]

Believe it or not, the oak ply at HD or lowes is about the best high grade veneered plywood deal out there. If you go to a cabinet shop and get prices for oak veneered, it'll probably be more like 80$ a sheet. And Cherry is around 150$ a sheet. (and that's here in Pa, where 90% of the cherry comes from)

[JR]

I can't believe I have to spent 50 bucks for a 4 x8 sheet of 3/4 cabinet grade oak plywood. Is it me, or is it South Florida ?

I wonder if that qualifies as "hurrican supplies" under the no-sales-tax rule crrently in effect?

Just a thought.

JR

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I wonder if that qualifies as "hurrican supplies" under the no-sales-tax rule crrently in effect?

Just a thought.

JR

Probably not in S FL. I'm sure it will be over the next few months though . . . .

[jabe]

Cabinet grade plywds

HD & Lowe's does not carry cabinet grade plywds, they're only 5 or 7 ply shop grade plywds. Cabinet grade plywoods are 9 to 13 ply or lumber core that is why there is a big price difference. If you opt for mdf core, it can be cheaper. Cabinet grade plywd has little or no voids in their filler ply or lumber core hence it is more stable. You can get it from any lumber/plywood dealer check the internet, yellow pages or ask a local cabinet shop for their source. For certain types of veneer you might have to order a minimum quantity. Usually you can purchase damaged ones a little cheaper, just ask them if they have any in stock, they're usually happy to get rid of them.

[wmartins]

Thanks to all for your responses. They have been helpfull in many ways.

[agent511]

Jabe mentioned mdf core. I just bought some mdf core cherry for a project under the mistaken impression it would be a full 1/4" (it was only 7/32). SO in the future, I am not sure which to buy. What are the pro's and con's of mdf plywood over regular wood ply? Is it more stable?

Sorry for the hijack.

[jabe]

Most plywoods vary in thickness, even mdf core and cabinet grade plywds. I never use any mdf or pb core sheet good here in the tropics as we have too much humidity & moisture. If you live in a dry climate then mdf or pb ply could be used if it is not placed in a mosit environment like a sauna/bathroom etc. MDF & PB does not have much structural strength too. I'm sure South Florida has the similar tropical climate we have in Hawaii so I would stay away from using MDF & PB core materials.
I have encountered a variation in thickness on a batch of cabinet grade plywds manufactured at the same time. I do not assume every sheet is the same thickness when building cabinets, it can cause the drawers to be too tight or too loose fit ditto for doors. This is really critical when building Euro-Style faceless cabinets.

[cabinetman]

Where in So. Florida are you?



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[drumpriest]

Jabe, perhaps not in Hawaii, but my local HD has 11 ply cabinet grade oak veneer plywood. Always has it for 40$ a sheet.

Perhaps they have different suppliers depending upon region?

[Russianwolf]

Jabe, perhaps not in Hawaii, but my local HD has 11 ply cabinet grade oak veneer plywood. Always has it for 40$ a sheet.

Perhaps they have different suppliers depending upon region?

More likely that Hawaii stores haven't seen a demand for it so why ship it out there if it doesn't move off the shelves.

Or conversely, They may have said to stay competitive with the prices they offer in satetside stores to offer a lower level product to account for the extra shipping expense.

[greencat]

Has anyone tried special ordering plywood at Borg or Lowes? I am looking for some plain sawn plywood and a co-worker suggested that the big stores would special order the item.

[Holbren]

I buy from a wholesale place in FL and here is what I am seeing for prices.

Imported 3/4" ply - @$25, same as HD I think

Domestic 3/4" red oak - rotary cut A1 $48
Domestic 3/4" red oak - plain sawn A1 $57

I bought some nice C grade Aspen core FL maple 3/4" ply for the garage at $42, what a nice wood to work with. The Aspec core machines real well.

[radhak]

couple of 'retail' lumber sources

I was on the same hunt, and found two shops worth mentioning : Causeway Lumber in Ft Lauderdale ( http://www.causewaylumber.com ) , and Whittelsey Wood (http://www.whittelseywood.com) in North Miami.

I only bought some 2x4 and 2x6 Cedar from the former, and they seemed a good source. Just this week I popped into Whittelsey and got their product catalog; boggles my mind - they seem to offer almost every sort of wood and plywood on earth, and then some. I am no expert in any sense of the word, but their prices seem pretty good too. The catalog does not have prices, so i just asked for some of the stuff :

Red Oak : 3/4" 4x8 : $51 to $62 (depending on type of 'cut')
Birch : $57
European Beech : $120
Mahogany : $70

Along with the greater variety of plywood (compared to HD/Lowes), these also have many more plys ( 7 to 9 for most, 13 for the Birch), which i understand is a good thing.

FWIW, their lumber :
Cherry (Kiln dried, select) 4/4 : $6.16 / board foot
Maple : $3.74 / bf
Red Oak : 3.35 / bf
African Mahogany : 4.55 / bf

They were very nice and helpful; even have delivery-at-home for $35 (for orders less than $300, else free).

Btw, if anybody can enlighten me : i have been scouting for material to make some nice office room furniture. How would the mahogany plywood be? Would it look as good as actual mahogany? Having only worked with red-oak and birch plywood from HD, i wanted to 'move up' the ladder but am not keen on taking a third mortgage...

- radhak