Robbins Premium Hardwood Exterior WBP

[Yellow Ballad]

Has anyone used this? I need to make some locker/lazarette liners however it's not the sort of job I want to do annually but I also don't really want to spend £88 on their Elite plywood if I can help it (this stuff it £33 a sheet). I really don't want to buy cheap ply full of voids and if this stuff is just general everyday ply that B&Q sell I want to stay away from it.

Obviously they're inside the locker so will be out of the weather but might get a splash now and then. Will sealing the end grain with epoxy deal with the worst and I can varnish or paint the face of it? Again I don't really want to use £50 worth of epoxy coating the whole sheet if I can help it.

I was going to fire them an email but I've not worked out exactly how much I need just yet so didn't want to bother them just yet.

Thank you in advance,

Mr Tightwad...

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Dear Mr Tightwad of Sundance, Bristol Channel,

I thoroughly recommend the expensive stuff. I have had a bit of it outside, untreated for a few years and it is still in one piece. I also used it extensively on my refit. Expensive, yes, but worth it because they put a lot of quality control into the product. I did have a damaged sheet from them, about a year after I bought it, I cut into the unused half of sheet and found a long de-lamination. I contacted Robbins and sent them a 1' x 1' sample. The day after they received the sample with defect, I received a whole sheet back. They stand by their claims. You will probably not get this with lower cost suppliers. I would recommend the Elite range for outdoor long service.

Yours,

A short arm, deep pocketed Scotsman.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

A short arm, deep pocketed Scotsman.

I think this answers my question if I'm concerned about scrimping if a scotsman is buying the good stuff

I've heard Robbins are very good at customer service and defects and even more so with quality control, hence the question, I would hope their "economy" ply would still be decent, well better then B&Q.

I'll probably go for the better stuff but I'm interested in what people think of the WBP if they've used it, also suggestions for the suitable way to finish it.

 

[Tranona]

I would use WBP in that situation without any qualms as to durability. Probably finish it with Danboline or the Hempel equivalent. all the interior loose work - locker tops, engine box, shelves in cockpit lockers, even the cabin sole of my old plywood boat is WPB and some is more than 30 years old. All painted with Danboline, some where exposed in white on the top.

 

[ean_p]

Go to Arnold Lavers or some such local and get the thickness you require in exterior grade birch ply.

 

[Quandary]

Go to Arnold Lavers or some such local and get the thickness you require in exterior grade birch ply.

I would support that recommendation, we researched ply when we were specifying the ceiling panels for a sports hall, birch was not cheap but the best value and when it was being fixed I was really impressed by the density and lack of voids in the off cuts. I have been a believer in birch ply ever since. Recently I found some of the teak faced ply I had used when fitting out our first cruiser about 45 years ago , still good after 40 odd years in a variety of garages and car ports, the core is birch.