Is BORG 18mm Cabinet Grade Plywood for $30 a good price?

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  • tohellwithuga
    Established Member
    • Jan 2007
    • 234
    • GA

    Is BORG 18mm Cabinet Grade Plywood for $30 a good price?

    Is BORG 18mm Cabinet Grade Plywood for $30 a good price? I was just there, and noticed the yellow sticker. Just wondering if anyone knew if this was their normal price. They only had a couple sheets left, and they were all a little dinged up on the sides.

    Thanks.
  • BobSch
    • Aug 2004
    • 4385
    • Minneapolis, MN, USA.
    • BT3100

    #2
    I know this isn't what you're asking but personally, I have never gotten a good sheet of plywood from HD or Lowes at any price. The center is usually full of voids and any veneer is paper thin.
    Bob

    Bad decisions make good stories.

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    • LarryG
      The Full Monte
      • May 2004
      • 6693
      • Off The Back
      • Powermatic PM2000, BT3100-1

      #3
      Normal price for either oak or birch is ~$45/sheet, so the $30 you saw is a big markdown. But as Bob says, the quality is hit and miss (usually miss). The stuff is okay for shop workstations or utility cabinets, or perhaps a piece for a child's bedroom that's going to get beat all to heck anyway, but it's nothing you'd want to use to build an heirloom.
      Larry

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      • JimD
        Veteran Member
        • Feb 2003
        • 4187
        • Lexington, SC.

        #4
        I just bought oak from Lowes and was a bit disappointed. It is Chinese with the funny internal laminations I saw before on inexpensive birch veneer plywood for around $30/sheet. The face veneer on the chinese stuff is good, however, the back had filled voids. If the BORG stuff is their "Sandeply", I've had better luck with it. It is not great for painting but has better internal laminations and less tendency to delaminate.

        The other relatively inexpensive thing I saw in shopping was an "enhanced" softwood plywood at Lowes. I did not look at it real good but it looked worth another look for shop projects or other stuff where a pine face was not out-of-line.

        I also am getting tired of the big box plywood. Baltic birch isn't that much more. The last plywood I bought at my hardwood dealer was 1/4 cherry for $58/sheet. It's a different thickness but that's only $10 more than the chinese "junk" I bought at Lowes. Maybe it's time I paid a little more and got decent stuff to work with.

        Jim

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        • drumpriest
          Veteran Member
          • Feb 2004
          • 3338
          • Pittsburgh, Pa, USA.
          • Powermatic PM 2000

          #5
          I have had more good luck than bad with the HD ply. The veneer is very thin, and so is the veneer on the 60$ a sheet oak from the lumber yard. I have had 1 piece delaminate in one instance.

          The 30$ stuff is obviously cheaper in construction than the 42$ stuff. I've used both and relegate the 30$ stuff to shop furniture only.
          Keith Z. Leonard
          Go Steelers!

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          • cabinetman
            Gone but not Forgotten RIP
            • Jun 2006
            • 15218
            • So. Florida
            • Delta

            #6
            The big box store plywoods fit the niche that they are intended to reach. The price is reasonable. You have to examine your selections carefully. Cursory looks may not reveal a delamination when cutting into the sheet. Loose face plies may be detected by "tapping" in questionable areas, and see if " bubbles" are present.

            "Lumberyard" plywood doesn't insure a better quality. It could be domestic or "non-China" goods. A reputable hardwood plywood dealer may carry different grades. Some suppliers carry "cabinet grade" which could be altogether different than the BORG'S. Knowing what to order and the nomenclature of the product can make the difference.

            Some suppliers carry a "shop grade" which could be a variety of hardwood faces available on a veneer core but defects and ply voids allow the material to be used for non critical applications, and those sheets could be less expensive than the BORG'S.

            For those sheets with thin faces, learning how to handle and fabricate those sheets may determine how the faces prevail. There shouldn't be that much sanding to the faces that will compromise the veneer.
            .

            Comment

            • tomscanio
              Forum Newbie
              • Jan 2003
              • 80
              • McKinney, TX, USA.

              #7
              So what would you expect the thickness of the veneer on "good" cabinet grade plywood to be?

              Comment

              • dealweb
                Forum Newbie
                • Mar 2006
                • 34

                #8
                I've seen the quality of plywood vary from HD to HD. The HD about an hour away from my house carries higher quality plywood than the BORG near me which is only 15 minutes away.

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                • tohellwithuga
                  Established Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 234
                  • GA

                  #9
                  Thanks for all the responses. I guess I will pass on the HD plywood for now, since it sounds like it's not much lower than their normal "China" ply price. I'm trying to build some modular shelving / storage for the kids' toy room eventually, but I'm not quite ready to start it yet (don't even have plans actually). I was just going to stock up if it was a good deal.

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