Gluing Plywood

How Plywood behaves when you bond it

Behaves like the timber of its face veneer, which can be anything from softwood to hardwood. Some grades carry a surface coating or phenolic film that changes the problem entirely.

Plywood is an engineered panel made from thin wood veneers laminated with alternating grain directions. The adhesive sees the face veneer, a cut edge, or a factory film rather than a single uniform substrate, so grade, veneer species and coating must be identified before bonding.

Use a sound, dry, uncoated face. Remove loose fibres and dust by vacuum, degrease only where contamination is present, and lightly sand glazed or burnished veneer without cutting through it. Treat phenolic film, paint or laminate as the actual bonding surface and test it separately.