bladeracer wrote:sungazer wrote:One of the best woods for so many purposes that is relative cheap for what it is. I have found is Formply it is 17mm strong and it has a coating that makes it flat no need to paint and is waterproof to a point. There are a couple of grades but not a huge difference in price between the structural and no structural.
Formply is excellent, but significantly more expensive than 19mm particle board flooring. Where I am, the 19mm Yellow Tongue retails for $47 for a 3600mmx900mm sheet, 17mm Formply is $55 for a 2400x1200mm sheet. $14.50/m2 compared to $19/m2. The Formply is also only available in 2400mm sheet lengths. The Formply is certainly much tougher than the Yellow Tongue though, and a bit lighter.
Good suggestion Sungazer...
Im a great fan of ply, its very strong even without being structural...
The shelves of my reloading bench are all from left over form ply--easy to dust (yea rite...like i dust anything
), & cant see all the gun powder dribbles easily (until i put my glasses on anyway)...
The biggest issue in choosing between these 2 man made prodocts is coating...
The structaflor has a wax type coating, so if you want it painted this needs to be stripped off...its a simple process, however wouldnt be my favourite thing to do with a lot of sheets.
Personally, i think it would be best done with a floor sander prior instsllation.
You'd get all sheets for a contsiner done in well under an hour this way...
You could then get away with painting ot in an self priming exterior acrylic paint like a good dulux weathershield if wanting one simple product.
Or use a good interior paint & sealer/undercoat for better cleaning ability...(so the "
Stix woz ere" i write on the wall in deer blood with my finger while im down there building it for you can be easily removed with a sponge)...
With form.ply, you dont "
need" to paint it...but then your stuck with black walls inside...
If you dont want black walls, painting form ply is a hassle...you have to cut (etch) the surface with a sander, remove all dust properly, then prime with a high quality primer, then top coat in whatever you choose.
Preperation is key (haha--funny pun rite there...!
) if painting form ply--remember its is designed so stuff DOESNT stick to it...!...so like painting steel or alloy, if prep is not done right, coating will de-laminate pretty easy & leave you feeling pretty disheartened when the paint peels off in sheets ...
The man who knows everything, doesnt really know everything...he's just stopped learning...