Baltic birch is a plywood product native to northeastern Europe around the Baltic Sea. It is
manufactured for making European cabinets. The core of Baltic birch plywood in Canada is unlike traditional plywood you may be used to seeing: the layers of inner plies are about 1 mm-thick solid birch veneer, cross-banded, and laminated with strong adhesive. It is a recipe that leads to a void-free core with many benefits, which is why we have discovered that the material is fantastic for thousands of projects in woodworking.

Although the choices for base materials are excellent, fantastic alternatives such as plywood can be relied on as a substitute for solid wood. However, Baltic birch plywood always comes out to be the best option, especially for home décor. Let us discuss what makes it the best choice.

Take a quick look at why Baltic birch is preferable to plywood.

Superior screw holding

Because the core layers of Baltic birch are veneers of birch and form a void-free core, screws bite and hold with 100% of their threads. Conversely, traditional veneer core plywood has voids and is even made of softer materials, so screws do not get a chance to clench the best they can. You might even find sheet goods made with MDF (medium-density fiberboard) core, and though it is 100% solid, MDF is soft and does not have the screw-holding power of Baltic birch.

Cleaner joinery

Tipping the hat once again to the uniform birch veneer layers of the core, you will get clean dadoes, rabbets, dovetails, mitres, and fingers for strong and, when appropriate, great-looking joints. Since the core is free of voids, your joinery also will not suffer from glue starvation – they will get 100% glue coverage. Anything you build out of Baltic birch plywood should last a long time.

Improved strength and stability

All plywood has the risk of warping, and the most common type of warp in plywood is bowing. Baltic birch is not immune. It is still a wood product. However, Baltic birch has the odds stacked in its favour much better than other plywood, mainly in ½" and ¾ thickness. The cross-banded layers of 1.5 mm thick birch veneer balance the sheets, promoting a flatter product.

However, the thinner sheets, such as 1/8" and ¼", will not remain flat in large pieces, which is no surprise. That is usually not a problem, though, because these are usually used in applications such as drawer bottoms and cabinet backs, which are cut down to smaller sizes or captured in dadoes and rabbets.

It should be evident that the thicker sheets are more stable because they have more plies. ¾" Baltic birch, in particular, will not change much in width or length, which is why it is wonderful for jigs and fixtures that maintain precision over the years.

Attractive appearance

One of the good advantages of Baltic birch, as well, is that you can leave the edges exposed if you like the look. Since the core is free of voids and all birch, the exposed edges, at times, have an appearance that works for the project, and this saves you time and material – no need to spend time and effort on applying edge tape or solid edge banding unless you would like to.

Just sand and finish the edges as they are. The face and back can be stained if you need a different colour. Like solid birch lumber, for it to stain evenly with an oil-based pigment stain, you will need to apply a stain controller or a wash coat of dewaxed shellac. Or else, use dye for even colour. To keep the uniform, light colour instead, finish Baltic birch with an essential clear top coat of lacquer or polyurethane.

Are you also in search of high-quality Baltic birch plywood in Ontario? Feel free to get in touch with Ply Supply Inc. today!