Switched from pre-finished to raw plywood for my last kitchen job and the difference was night and day

I used to always go with pre-finished maple plywood because it saved time. But on a job last month in Denver, the client wanted a specific stain color so I had to go raw. Honestly, the raw stuff let me sand out all the minor imperfections before finishing, and the final result looked way cleaner. The pre-finished boards always had those tiny scratches from shipping that bugged me. Has anyone else noticed a big quality gap between pre-finished and raw for stain grade work?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke_walker2315d ago

Did you notice the raw stuff needed more coats to get a uniform color?

walker.alex15d ago

Yeah I noticed that too @brooke_walker23. I did a test on a small patch last weekend with the raw pigment from the hardware store and it took me 4 coats to get it looking even. The pre-mixed stuff I bought from the specialty place covered in 2 coats no problem. I think it has to do with how the particles settle in the raw powder it just doesn't spread as thin. You really gotta stir it constantly while you work or it gets patchy. Also the raw stuff seemed to soak into the drywall more which is probably why it needed the extra layers.