Where can I buy some teak faced/veneer ply from

Ianqv

Ianqv

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Dear All,

I thought this was going to be an easy task... but sadly not!
I am looking to buy some 1/2 inch teak faced ply (in or close to Essex). Ideally half a sheet would be great (4ft x 4ft).
Or even a couple of bits 2ft x 2ft. I'm even happy to purchase stuff which you may having lurking in stock in your garage!!

Many thanks in advance

Cheers

Ian
 
I have had this before, Timbmet at Basildon do it but have a minimum order policy of some large quantity so that was out. In the end the only option was Robbins ltd.
 
I appreciate that Robbins are the best, but I find that their delivery charges are way OTT. Last time I looked, the cost of a single sheet of ply would have been doubled by the delivery costs.

Marine ply is easy enough to obtain, even when you insist on the proper kite-marks etc. Our local up-market builders merchant stocks it, and they are an outfit whose reputation is such that they won't monkey with markings. I've used it, and haven't found any reason to suppose it isn't what it says on the can (well, stamped on the boards!). Wouldn't veneering it yourself save a LOT of expense?
 
AntarcticPilot said:
I appreciate that Robbins are the best, but I find that their delivery charges are way OTT. Last time I looked, the cost of a single sheet of ply would have been doubled by the delivery costs.
Click to expand...

Granted but ...

AntarcticPilot said:
Marine ply is easy enough to obtain, even when you insist on the proper kite-marks etc. Our local up-market builders merchant stocks it, and they are an outfit whose reputation is such that they won't monkey with markings. I've used it, and haven't found any reason to suppose it isn't what it says on the can (well, stamped on the boards!).
Click to expand...

And they (your local builder's merchants that is) will be selling it in good faith believing it to be marine ply to the designated standard. But, and it is a big but, they will be buying it from one or more importers who themselves (in good faith no doubt) will be buying it in bulk from the Far East and therein lies the problem because any old rubbish can be stamped with a BS kite mark and all too often is. For example, I've had six sheets of apparently identical marine ply from two different stacks in the timber merchants yard. The three from one stack were fine, the three from the other stack started delaminating within 48 hours after getting mildly damp in the morning dew before they could even be used

And then there's the question of quality. Even if it is genuine marine ply (and a boil test of a small offcut will prove it one way or the other and is a worthwhile exercise if it's going into an area subject to damp), the quality of the plywood just doesn't compare. I've got a small quantity of Robbins Elite left from a half sheet and several sheets of standard timber merchants marine ply and the difference in the core and the veneer finished is very obvious.

Robbins have their ply manufactured in specific factories and have oversight of their supply chain from start to finish. Their reputation is built on quality and they guard that reputation fiercely

Don't get me wrong, I'll be fitting out the cockpit lockers with new shelves and dividers with the cheap stuff - tested in advance and well painted. But for anything requiring a finish or subject to immersion I wouldn't hesitate to pay what it cost to get the good stuff from Robbins

AntarcticPilot said:
Wouldn't veneering it yourself save a LOT of expense?
Click to expand...

Probably not by the time you've bought the veneer as well as the cheaper ply. And it's not as easy as it looks especially on larger areas (I've tried, made a right mess! And I'm fairly handy with woodworking)
 
Bru said:
Granted but ...



And they (your local builder's merchants that is) will be selling it in good faith believing it to be marine ply to the designated standard. But, and it is a big but, they will be buying it from one or more importers who themselves (in good faith no doubt) will be buying it in bulk from the Far East and therein lies the problem because any old rubbish can be stamped with a BS kite mark and all too often is. For example, I've had six sheets of apparently identical marine ply from two different stacks in the timber merchants yard. The three from one stack were fine, the three from the other stack started delaminating within 48 hours after getting mildly damp in the morning dew before they could even be used

And then there's the question of quality. Even if it is genuine marine ply (and a boil test of a small offcut will prove it one way or the other and is a worthwhile exercise if it's going into an area subject to damp), the quality of the plywood just doesn't compare. I've got a small quantity of Robbins Elite left from a half sheet and several sheets of standard timber merchants marine ply and the difference in the core and the veneer finished is very obvious.

Robbins have their ply manufactured in specific factories and have oversight of their supply chain from start to finish. Their reputation is built on quality and they guard that reputation fiercely

Don't get me wrong, I'll be fitting out the cockpit lockers with new shelves and dividers with the cheap stuff - tested in advance and well painted. But for anything requiring a finish or subject to immersion I wouldn't hesitate to pay what it cost to get the good stuff from Robbins



Probably not by the time you've bought the veneer as well as the cheaper ply. And it's not as easy as it looks especially on larger areas (I've tried, made a right mess! And I'm fairly handy with woodworking)
Click to expand...
I totally agree with your points about checking what you've been supplied with. In my case, I saw the stuff in the warehouse, and could see the proper kitemarks stamped on both face and edge of the ply. Otherwise, a few points here:
1) I did specify a well-regarded builder's merchant, one whose reputation gives them an edge in the local market place allowing them to be dearer than the competition; i.e. one who cares about what they supply. That way, if what they supply is clearly not suitable, they will probably stand behind their product and replace it, rather than just shrugging their shoulders! I'd also suggest using one large enough to have a degree of clout with their suppliers.
2) If something is kite-marked BS4088 (or whatever) and you've got it from a good supplier, they ought to stand with you if you report it to Trading Standards. Indeed, I'd expect them to go to Trading Standards in their own interest. Trading Standards ought to pay attention to misuse of a kite-mark and BS, especially if you point out that Marine Ply might well be used in a safety critical application (i.e. keeping water out of a boat!). I'd suggest that the present parlous situation can ONLY be remedied if people report instances of stuff that clearly isn't marine ply but is sold as such to Trading standards every time it happens. Marine Ply is a British Standard, and there are serious penalties for misusing a British Standard.
3) I did check the price of Teak veneer, and it didn't seem all that dear. However, I do appreciate that veneering a large area is not a trivial task, and I probably couldn't do it, either! However, there are iron-on veneers that might simplify the job somewhat.
I should say that I fully believe that Robbins provide the best quality, but I do feel that their prices are too high for what they sell, because of lack of competition and because the market has too many cowboy suppliers. I know that their prices for hardwoods are high; a local specialist hardwood supplier undercut them by a vast amount when I wanted some Iroko.
 
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