Painting Plywwod

[LuthersBoots]

Morning All, I have my structure ready and I'm about to start building the walls for the hen house.
I cannot seem to find the plywood siding with the panel effect that you guys have so readily available in the USA.
I was planning on using some 12mm WBP plywood from the BuildCenter next door.
one question...can i paint it?
When I did a search on some forums most people suggested staining as plywood expands and contracts like crazy.
Most of the ply will be covered from direct water (under a PVC roof) But is will obviously be subject to moisture in the air (A lot in the lake district where I am from)
I had my heart set on painting the interior satin white and the exterior Grey but don't want it to flake and crack.

has anyone had experience with painting WBP?

LB

 

[Kyle241]

Obviously you are from the UK (the lake district) so moisture could be an issue. WBP plywood is exterior grade and can resist a certain amount of moisture. The problem is the glue to bind the sheets of wood together will degrade in time depending on their exposure to moisture. The roof will hopefully keep the most off the ends but I would prime the plywood first prior to painting and then I would use a 'porch paint' or oil base on the exterior to keep as much moisture out as possible. Not sure whether you have 'porch paint' across the pond as that is a North American acronym I believe.

 

[LuthersBoots]

Correct, I plan to have a decent overhang to avoid as much direct contact with water as possible.
I guess Porch Paint would be like Decking Paint over here?
Thoughts?
I was kinda hoping to get a full cover and not show the timber grain underneath...but if it's the best way to treat this sort of timber then so be it.
Any further tips would be appreciated.

D.

 

[possumqueen]

If you haven't already bought your plywood, perhaps you might try "oriented strand board," or OSB. Don't know what you would call it over there. It's made of flakes of wood glued together, and it stands up to moisture a WHOLE LOT better than regular plywood. It looks like it shouldn't last at all, but it's really very sturdy. It's also easier to work with cutting and nailing.

 

[chickenbythesea]

you should be able to get solid stain... it will cover the color of the plywood and only show some of the texture. We use it here and we're on the atlantic ocean and have never had a problem with it.

 

[LuthersBoots]

Thanks for the reply.
I havent bought the timber yet...was going to wait to make sure I got the right one.
OSB sounds good, and my initial thought was that the paint would not cover as smooth or uniform as the WBP stuff. But i'll take a further look into it.
Has anyone here used OSB for their coup and painted it a solid color?

 

[Kyle241]

This is IMHO only but OSB generally will not stand up to moisture as well as exterior grade plywood. I have built homes and noticed a lot of builders nowadays use OSB for roofing, not my recommendation. We use only exterior grade plywood for roofs as that is typically where moisture issues occur in homes. The reason why builders use OSB is because it's cheaper, a lot cheaper. You can use the OSB for a coop though as we are not talking about a house but if you plan on a long-term coop, I would go with your first thought for exterior grade plywood. Again IMHO.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
I agree with this post. OSB does not hold up to moisture as well as plywood. Also, plywood is less prone to expansion/contraction because the layers that make up the plywood have their grain running opposite from each other. That's why plywood is so strong.

Exterior grade would be best, but is more expensive. Paint of any kind will extend the life of the structure, especially if the end cuts are protected.


Dave

 

[LuthersBoots]

Cool, no probs thanks for the replies.
I think I'm gonna g with some exterior ply and paint it well with solid colors.
What is best to seal the ends with?
I read somewhere about bitumen paint????...but I really want something I can cover.
Planning on using grey externally whilst making the internal white.
LB

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
I think the decking paint you spoke of would be a good choice. Here in the US, I'd ask the guy at the paint store to help me pick out a good paint. Also, I'd ask them if they have 'old' paint that they cannot sell at full price. Like odd colors, or paint that was returned. Some times you can get a good deal that way.


Cheers!

Dave