Unpopular take: most "moisture resistant" plywood at the big box stores is borderline useless for cabinets

I was looking up specs on some maple plywood from a major supplier last week and found out their so-called moisture resistant stuff only has like a 5% better water soak rating than standard interior ply. For an extra $40 a sheet. I got the data from a Woodworking Network article testing 6 different brands. Took it with a grain of salt but it matched what I've seen in shop - delamination after a couple years near a sink. Am I the only one who thinks the premium is just marketing?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kevin23d ago

My neighbor bought that stuff for his kitchen island and it swelled up like a sponge within a year.

the_andrew23d ago

Swelled up like a sponge" sounds like one of those stories that gets bigger every time someone tells it. I mean, how bad could it really be? Most people I know who use that engineered stone stuff say it holds up fine as long as you seal it and don't let water sit on it overnight. Maybe your neighbor left a wet sponge under a pot for weeks or something. It's like blaming a phone for breaking when you drop it in the toilet. I'd bet the real issue is just bad upkeep or a cheap knockoff brand.

garcia.laura23d ago

@the_andrew that's pretty much how I've noticed everything these days seems to work or fail depending on luck.