Plywood is best considered water-resistant, but prolonged exposure to moisture can cause damage. To ensure total waterproofing, use polyurethane varnish for dependable waterproofing, wood stain for weather-proofing, oil for a cheap, light sealant, or epoxy for a more thorough, durable finish. Sand your plywood before applying any sealant, and make sure your sealant of choice coats the plywood completely.
Plywood can be waterproofed in five ways: epoxy sealer, drying oil, liquid latex, water-based paint or varnish, and the general process starts by lightly sanding it. Epoxy sealants, penetrating oils, and polyurethene or latex spray-on are the most effective methods to seal plywood to protect from water. Weather seal plywood by applying a polyurethane or epoxy finish to seal plywood edges to the wood.
One of the best possible ways to seal plywood edges or waterproofing plywood sheets is through the application of epoxy resin, such as TotalBoat Clear Penetrating Epoxy or Smith’s Original Clear. Spray or paint on liquid latex, penetrating oils, and sealers are the most common forms of waterproofing for home improvement projects. Oil-based sealers are more durable than water-based ones, but they may have a slightly amber color.
To protect the surface from moisture, sand the plywood smooth, apply mineral oil, and let it dry overnight. For hardwoods, two coats of H2OLOX finish are needed, while softer woods require a third coat for a perfect layer of waterproofing. Oil is one of the best finishes for natural wood oil or hardwax surfaces, as it brings out the natural beauty of wood and its grain.
To waterproof plywood, an epoxy, waterproof paint, oil, varnish, latex, or PVA can seal the wood for both indoor and outdoor use. The ideal waterproof protection is a food-safe natural wood oil or hardwax finish that adds no flavors, scents, or toxins to your food.
📹 How to Seal and Protect Wood Countertops
Wooden countertops and cutting boards require special care in order to protect the wood and avoid contaminating food. Proper …
📹 How to Build & Seal Wood Countertops
We love the warmth and beauty that these DIY wood countertops bring to our kitchen remodel. Thanks to Waterlox for sponsoring …
I’ve had the chance to use this table a couple of times now. It’s fun to whip out in front of people:) I can see what people are talking about when they say the legs are delicate, but they’re design to support a “mostly” vertical load, not be torqued from the side or pushed back into place. If you just let the table open or close on it’s own and don’t force anything, it works great youtube.com/post/UgkxyFZUPFEey-PuqsPMxqaykBhgA1LWxFHh Once it’s set up, it’s pretty solid. My only gripe would probably be related to the clamps provided. They’re not the highest quality. They do the job, so no big deal, but they could be better. All in all, pretty cool gadget.
Of all the YouTube vids I’ve viewed showing how to make your own wood countertops, this is the only one worth perusal. Biscuits, ripping opposite a jointed edge, clamps alternated top and bottom, sealing both sides, oversize attachment holes so the top can float a little, and especially spending a little of what she saved on a new tool. She really nailed this!
Thanks for sharing! With the prices of building materials, we, my hubby and I, are doing ALL the work ourselves on a total gut and rebuild remodel. I have 2 pieces of high quality plywood I bought before the prices went sky high and after coming across your article, I now know I’m finally going to get my wood countertops!! Just saved $$hundreds of dollars$$! Thanks for sharing!!
Very appreciative of the information provided. It really does look outstanding! Two questions that are not criticisms but educational (I hope 😉 ): 1. I think I missed this step – for the top that you made for the sink area, did you piece together a bunch of boards for the long rear section where the faucet is? Or, did you have one long board? If you connected a couple of pieces together, how was that accomplished – biscuits with pocket screws? I tried to focus on the section of the article where you were in the shop laying your boards under the cardboard template but I really can’t tell if there is one board back there or multiple boards. 2. You indicated that your lumber yard planed the wood and ran one edge through the jointer. You show that you ran the boards through your own planer as well. Was that just to ensure proper thickness? Since you were putting multiple boards together, is there a reason why you only had one edge run through the jointer? Thanks. And again, great looking stuff.
This article is AMAAAAAAZING! I’ve watched a few dozen and yours is by far the best! Thank you! I will have to cut my boards on the floor as well with a circular saw. I like your idea of using a piece of rigid foam, but there are so many types: 15psi, R-4, etc…. I know to get 2″ though lol. What did you use? Thanks!
Great article! Very informative, thinking of building my own desk and going to use this as a guide. I was wondering if you can stain it as well as use the waterlox sealer? Would you have to stain first, then finish it with the seal or are stains a sealer of there own. Never really done any DIY builds before. Thanks!
I have an 8 foot section and a 12 foot section of butcher block that I’m installing in a basement finishing project. I’ve used the waterlox UTOS on them and have the same H2OLOX Matte finisher to do next. But I’M very hesitant, because I am struggling to find a tool that I feel will do a good job. I know you used a foam brush and then a paint brush. The Waterlox website suggests using something different, like a stain pad type of tool, but those generally have tiny synthetic hairs that just keep falling out in the product despite using tape firstly to remove as many as possible. Did you use a paint brush for your second coat and just go on very liberal with the product? Any application tips for the H2OLOX would be greatly appreciated!
I just woke and am having my cup o coffee. My eyes are not even clear yet. But the algos brought your article up. I had been wondering how I was going to dimension for new kitchen counter tops. There has been quakes and the house has shifted. Even after I lift the house and the floors, it will not be square to fit. I hadn’t thought of using a template.
I am making my kitchen countertops now and I am planning on staining them to a nice brown color. If I want to seal them, can I use the same sealer you used in this article? If so, would the sequence be first the conditioner, then the stain, then your sealer? Would your sealer take away partially the color of the stain?
While I have not built my own worktops as the cost of the wood where I am far exceeds the cost of such tops prebuilt around here, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing as the beauty of your worktops convinced me to spend a little extra on my new kitchen install and go for beautiful Beachwood worktops rather than laminate. :o) Looking forward to sealing them 🙂
Great article but what were you using bottle size for UTOS. I just have a work bench I need to waterproof and thing that size will work but not sure what size it is from your articles and your blog doesn’t stay. Is that a quart? for both of them? Thank you for making a great article. I been looking all over for a way to seal my work bench that will get wet on a normal basis. Staining wont really work most wear out in a year. I don’t mind every 5 or 10 years but once a year having to take it all of would be a waste of time. Varnish might work but was looking for something more durable and not so shiny. I think this might work.
Now that it’s been 2 years now, have they held up, and would you do anything different, like change the wood type. I want to build something like this, but I don’t know what kind of wood I need. I know Maple is very hard. I just got a quote today for one side of the countertops that I need for my place. It is 103 inches by 29 inches. They want 2,000 dollars for just one side of my countertops. So I’d be looking close to $3,500 for the two cuntom pieces. Which is nuts, in my opinion.