Plytanium plywood is durable, looks sleek, and is ideal for interior and exterior construction. It offers the traditional wood look yet lasts longer and is cheaper than natural wood.
Plytanium plywood can be painted using at least one coat of acrylic latex primer and no less than two coats of acrylic latex paint. However, you can’t paint Plytanium plywood using oil-based paints.
What Is Plytanium Plywood
Plytanium is a brand name registered to America’s largest manufacturer of plywood products, Georgia Pacific Wood Products LLC. Plytanium is a softwood plywood product made using alternate wood veneers which are bonded together using rosin.
Plytanium is stronger than most other plywood materials. It is stiffer, stronger, and flatter and handles impact better without breaking. Additionally, it experienced less of an edge swell in comparison to other plywood products.
The Georgia Pacific company lists Plytanium Plywood as a green-certified wood product with low formaldehyde emissions. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, and being green-certified could mean the product uses harmless bonding resins.
Plytanium plywood is used for exterior walls, siding, roof sheathing, and subflooring. Plytanium is also available in sanded panels for use in furniture and interior finishing. The pre-sanded panels provide a high-quality, attractive surface that can be stained, torched, or painted.
Plytanium subfloor comes in 19/32″, 23/32″, and 1-1/8″ thick sheets. They are all 4′ by 8′. Sheathing comes in sizes 3/8″, 15/32″, 19/32″, and 23/32″ thick, all at 4′ by 8′. Plytanium sliding panels are available in 11/32″, 15/32″, and 19/32″ thick. Sanded panels are available in 1/4″, 11/32″, 15/32″, 19/32″ and 23/32″ thick.
Why Paint Plytanium Plywood
Plytanium plywood is easy to install, offers superior insulation, and is economical to use in your construction projects. Nevertheless, Plytanium plywood can look simplistic. Sometimes, you may need to spruce it up to match your decor and design goals.
A fresh coat of paint can make your Plytanium plywood surfaces look better and is much less trouble than painting other types of surfaces. Painting your Plytanium plywood can result in:
- Easier maintenance over time.
- Longer life.
- Wider range of sheen and color options compared to what’s available from the manufacturers.
- Easy application compared to other kinds of stains. Also, once you paint your Plytanium plywood, it will be much easier to recoat over time without having to strip the paint back to the plywood.
- Paint can mask the wear and tear on your surfaces. Painting your Plytanium can hide any flaws accumulated over time. The paint can make your plywood return to its like-new condition.
Which Paints Can You Use on Plytanium?
It’s challenging to use oil-based paints on Plytanium plywood. This is because Plytanium plywood has a surface coated with waxy emulsion. The coating is meant to repel oils; thus, regular oil-based paints won’t adhere to the panels properly.
Acrylic latex paint is water-based paint. Acrylic latex paints offer superior adhesion, longer-lasting color retention, better breathability, washability, more flexibility, and broader opacity. The acrylic resins are used in making the paint spread more evenly compared to oil-based paints.
Additionally, acrylic latex paints emit less odor and clean up effortlessly using water and soap. Another advantage is that acrylic latex paints dry up within a few hours compared to oil-based paints.
However, acrylic paints take much longer to cure, typically weeks. During this time, before the paint completely cures, the painted surface will be more susceptible to stains and damage.
Nonetheless, latex acrylic paints hold up well to extreme temperatures and wide temperature fluctuations. They also hold up well when Plytanium plywood expands or contracts with seasonal temperature shifts. Latex acrylic paints also stand up to humidity changes without flaking or cracking.
How To Paint Plytanium Plywood
Plytanium plywood is popular for decorative construction and in DIY projects. Thus, painting often offers an aesthetically attractive and pleasing finish. Whether you’re weatherproofing, staining, or adding a bold color, there are ways to paint your Plytanium plywood correctly.
Plytanium sheets have tongues and grooves for favorable location and a tight connection to leave no gaps between the sheets. You can either paint or stain Plytanium plywood to create a beautiful look for your construction project. Because you want an even finish in these tongues and grooves, you may want to spray, then immediately back roll.
What You’ll Need
- Paint sprayer
- Paint rollers
- Masking tape
- Scraping tool
- Sanding block
- Paint tray
- Primer
- Latex acrylic paint
- Painter’s tape
- Drop cloth
- Sandpaper
Prepping The Work Area
Whether you’re painting indoors or outdoors, you may want to protect the surrounding areas from drops and splatters of paint. It would help if you covered your valuable furniture, floors, windows, and outdoor vegetation from paint splatters. A drop cloth can protect everything else around the Plytanium plywood surface you want to paint.
Drop cloths are available in four basic materials. These are canvas, paper, poly, and plastic. Canvas drops cloths are puncture resistant and the most suitable for outdoor painting jobs since they can cover plants without being punctured by twigs and thorns. Paper drop cloths are great for indoor paint jobs. They are cheaper than other drop cloth materials and don’t slip over slick surfaces.
Poly and plastic drop cloths can be used either indoors or outdoors. They are affordable and have non-slip gripping power.
Once you have covered your valuable property with a drop cloth, you may also want to mask windows and doors. Make sure you get all the sills and hinges.
Next, you have to check your Plytanium plywood for damages. Repair any damages and necessary. If it’s difficult or expensive to repair, you can adjust the damaged areas so later the paint can mask the wear and tear.
Clean up your Plytanium plywood and scrape off any loose paint. A clean surface will help the paint adhere better and create a better-looking effect. Additionally, scraping off loose paints will make the paintwork last longer before you have to repaint it.
How to Prime Your Plytanium Plywood for Painting
Some types of Plytanium, especially those used for sheathing, may need sanding before painting. Sand the Plytanium until the surface is smooth. Use a sanding block or handheld oscillating equipment with a sanding accessory.
If it’s a rough surface, to begin with, start with 80-grit sandpaper, then gradually move to finer grits such as 120 and finish with the 220-grit sandpaper.
After sanding, wipe the surface clean using a rag to remove all dust produced by sanding. Use a dry rug since a wet rug can raise the plywood grains, and you’ll have to sand your Plytanium again.
Once the surface is smooth and clean, pour your latex acrylic primer into a paint tray to approximately the halfway point. Roll your roller into the primer, then roll over your Plytanium plywood surface. Use the roller moving in the direction of the grain rather than against the grain.
Work in areas of approximately two square feet and back out, so you’re not directly below the roller. Some primers could contain harmful ingredients. Continue until you’ve covered the whole surface. Let your primer dry and rest for at least 24 hours before you resume painting.
For a better effect, the next day, you should apply a second coat of primer. Start by sanding the primer with the 220-grit sandpaper. You’re not looking to remove the primer; you’re simply trying to smooth the area.
Use a dry rag to wipe off the sanded surface. Pour your primer into the paint tray, then work your roller into the primer. Apply the primer in the same direction as the first application. Work in small areas of two square feet just like the first time. Apply the primer evenly, then let it rest for another 24 hours.
Painting The Plytanium Plywood Surface
Painting your Plytanium plywood works best if you have been a team of two or more people. Start by pouring latex acrylic paint in the color of your choice into a paint sprayer.
Ensure the paint mixes well inside the sprayer. With the sprayer, stand one or two feet away from the Plytanium surface and spray paint. Pay special attention to the tongues and grooves, ensuring you spray deep within.
A second person with a clean paintbrush can spread the paint around following the sprayer. However, the person with the brush should not follow too closely. Let the sprayer complete a two-square-foot area and move to the next before coming in with the brush.
With the brush, work the paint into all the grooves and tongues. Pay special attention to the joints, which may expand and contract depending on seasonal temperatures. Work in the direction of the grain rather than against it. Ensure the paint applies evenly, then let rest overnight.
The next day, sand the paint lightly with 220-grit sandpaper. Using a dry rag, wipe off the sanded bits. Apply a second coat of paint with the sprayer while the person with the paintbrush follows like before.
Plytanium Painting Tips
There are several ways you can make your Plytanium paint job last longer and look better. Some tips include:
- For new Plytanium sheets, paint before you install. This allows you to access all sides, including grooves and tongues.
- A sprayer and paintbrush combination or sprayer and roller combination works best for even painting.
- Even though sanding isn’t necessary after each coat of primer and paint, sanding results in a smoother and more beautiful finish.
- While you can paint over just a couple of hours after priming, it is better to let it rest for 24 hours so you can sand better.
- Fix damage before you paint. If you try masking damage after painting, the flaws may become even more visible against a brand-new-looking backdrop.
- Always scrape off loose paint before you prime. Painting over old loose paint may cause the new coat to flake and peel faster than normal.
- Cleaning is necessary before priming or painting. The presence of dirt or mildew between the Plytanium plywood and paint can cause a poor result and necessitate a redo sooner rather than later.
- Two coats of primer and two coats of paintwork are best for protecting your Plytanium plywood against temperature, humidity, and other effects of climate. Two coats of each also result in a better finish and a more aesthetically pleasing look.
- If you hire a professional to paint for you, ensure you do the cleaning yourself. This ensures you’ve looked into all details and protected all-important property. Additionally, cleaning yourself reduces the cost of the paint job.
Staining Vs Painting Plytanium Plywood
Painting and staining protect your wood and home from moisture, molding, wood rot, and pest entry. Both methods provide you with extensive color options to keep your home looking its best. Thus, many homeowners question whether they should paint or stain their Plytanium plywood when their home needs attention.
First, we need to understand that solid-color stains are almost identical to regular paints. They both form a layer on the Plytanium plywood rather than penetrate the Plytanium. Both come in nearly every color imaginable and provide long-lasting protection.
Stains, on the other hand, are thinner than regular paints. Stains penetrate the Plytanium plywood, thus expanding and contracting more with the plywood through all seasons and enduring seasonal changes better.
Paint dries, forming a thicker coat than staining. This results in a more substantial barrier against moisture and temperature variations.
On the other hand, semi-transparent stains penetrate the Plytanium plywood and color the wood fibers. In this way, staining enhances the natural character of the Plutonium’s grain.
Semi-transparent stains are far cheaper than paints. Additionally, when the semi-transparent stain starts looking shabby, you won’t require too much prep work to add a fresh coating.
However, semi-transparent stains don’t last as long as latex acrylic paints. The stains also don’t offer as much protection against moisture and sunlight.
When it comes to whether to paint or stain your existing Plytanium plywood surfaces, the obvious answer would be to use what was previously used. If you had already stained the Plytanium, stain again. The same goes for painting.
Fortunately, if your Plytanium plywood was previously stained, switching to paint won’t be too labor-intensive.
When choosing between painting and staining for a new construction project, the answer depends on your construction goals. When you want your Plytanium to look more natural and enhance the character of the grain, use a semi-transparent stain. If you want a more thorough protective shield or a long-lasting solid color, use a latex acrylic paint.
