I need your help, folks! :not worth

I often see plywood sheets are used on facades in various climates, from Spain
(Impiva headquarters by carlos ferrater (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=29626&postcount=10)) to Munich (Goetz Collection by H&deM (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showpost.php?p=26628&postcount=20)).
This is almost unthinkable in Japan, it will get deteriorated soon and look horrific no matter what we do.
When I see detail drawings of above buildings in magazines, they are simply specified as
"plywood sheet with waterproof paint". Now, my question is, are these special plywood sheet
developed for exterior uses? and specifically What kind of waterproof paint are used to protect plywood surfaces?

I dont think Castellon or Munich are significantly drier than our climate, so is this because
we are prejudiced about plywood, or simply because you guys have better materials?

There are some plywood products designed for outdoor use.

See--> Bruynzeel (http://www.bruynzeelmultipanel.com/en/index.html), Parklex (http://www.parklex.com/), Koskisen (http://www.koskisen.fi/Default.asp?KieliID=2)

I don't believe in waterproofing paint. Especially with thin wooden layers as with plywood. Wood is a 'live' material as my foreman would point out.

Not exactly plywood, but Prodema makes phenolic panels with a natural wood face. They surely must be more durable than plywood.
LINK (http://www.prodema.com/Ingles/Index.html)

Would love to use it myself (if I can get clients willing to run with the idea) & don't forget they use to make beautiful looking boats pre fibreglass grp days ( & still do)

Marine ply is expensive & I think uses rarer species of trees so may not be as green as most here would like

the main weakness is in the edge treatment of the ply to prevent delamination the exposed surface being easily treated

A while back I was developing some ideas to make up large panels 60 - 100mm thick with large span capability - fairly economically - & every so often the idea resurfaces .. based on pallet buying quantities

www.edens.co.uk gives uk prices

Prodema lost licence in EU for their outdoor facades.
Facades with natural wood are good but they are often connected with aluminium profiles so wood can expand but oxid start to lik on it. Canadian cedar would be a good choice.

Thank you guys, now I know it was simply a matter of material superiority!
I don't believe in waterproofing paint. Especially with thin wooden layers as with plywood. Wood is a 'live' material as my foreman would point out.
Maybe your foreman is right. I noticed in the pic of Goetz Collection in post #1, we can already detect much wear. :(

we often use parklex here in Belgium, indeed...
but the material and technology is very "young", so I'm looking forward to see how it will look in, say, 10 years?:wondering

Bruynzeel as someone pointed out earlier is a good choice for this sort of application.

We used it on our Radisson Hotel (viewable in the Architects thread (GMAD architects) in Glasgow - if it can survive this cllimate then it has to be good!

I pass it every day - still looks as good as the day it went up (not even any pigeon poo....)

Marine plywood is a popular choice in Australia for exterior claddings. There is an excellent pdf. for download at this Boral site;

http://www.boral.com.au/brochures/orders/default.asp?site=&company=Plywood&AUD=homeGarden_Plywood&nodes=IC:Plywood&toggleItem=brochures&menuitem=plywood&br_code=PB02&scr=4

Just fill in the few required fields.
The brochure explains different types and varnishes..... If it can handle Australian weather and salt water it can't be too 'fragile'.

Love those sixties plywood speedboats.
Here's a modern replica for the boaties amongst you :D

I was going to suggest using a marine varnish. Great color. Have a friend that uses it on exterior ply.

Great boat.

here in the philippines plywood is substituted with a fiber cement board which can be used as exterior cladding. its fire proof and weatherproof. it doesnt have the same texture as plywood though.

There is an excellent pdf. for download at this Boral site;
Just fill in the few required fields.
The brochure explains different types and varnishes..... If it can handle Australian weather and salt water it can't be too 'fragile'.


Excellent indeed, thanks! Great info!

One of the main problems particularly in the demise of finishes on plywood or any wood product is that unless particularly specified only the exposed face of the wood receives a finish. this allows moisture to gravitate from the back side to the front side, which creates a reservoir behind the applied finish and blisters it. Add to this the fact that all woods have inherent chemicals (oak contains tannins, cedar has oxalic acid etc) and all woods have sugars that ca assist a quick deterioration of finishes, which can sometimes cause damage to the wood itself. Back priming is usually one method that slows the migration of water, but a properly balanced rainscreen design allows air movement behind the siding and allows both the wall and the plywood/siding to dry out.

We use Shadowclad (http://www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/index.cfm/PageID/175/ViewPage/Shadowclad)

According to website:

Produced from Pinus radiata veneers and bonded with phenol formaldehyde resin adhesive (WBP marine bond, type A exterior), the finished sheets are H3 LOSP preservative treated to provide long-term protection from decay.

I don't believe in waterproofing paint. Especially with thin wooden layers as with plywood. Wood is a 'live' material as my foreman would point out.
I agree, painting & varnishing are never good solutions because they require maintenance, something we have a particular aversion to in this country! I'd be particularly worried about staining and degradation of the boards around the fixings. Has anyone seen this being overcome? Glueing could be an option I suppose.

We use Shadowclad (http://www.chhwoodproducts.com.au/index.cfm/PageID/175/ViewPage/Shadowclad)

According to website:

Produced from Pinus radiata veneers and bonded with phenol formaldehyde resin adhesive (WBP marine bond, type A exterior), the finished sheets are H3 LOSP preservative treated to provide long-term protection from decay.

I have used this product quite successfully in the past and used it on my own home. It has a rough surface texture which helps with ultra violet deflection and paint absorbtion. I always specify that the panels are painted both sides and all the edges too prior to installation

vOId is mentioning PRODEMA. By experience, I can say PRODEMA is for sure a good product for interior agencement but not for exterior. The brown color will quickly turn yellowish with the time and elements agressions (rain, sun...). I'll never use PRODEMA again for exterior use...

I drove past St John's Therapy Centre in London by Buschow Henley Architects yesterday - It is clad in timber veneered panels and looks great!

Not quite plywood, but maybe its worth checking out?

From BD Online: "The building is wrapped by a rainscreen of timber-veneered panels made from wood fibre and paper bonded with phenolic resin and compressed at high pressure."

Buschow Henley - http://www.buschowhenley.co.uk/projects/healthcare/002.htm

BD In Detail article with a PDF - http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=725&storycode=3087082&c=2&encCode=00000000013360bd

vOId is mentioning PRODEMA. By experience, I can say PRODEMA is for sure a good product for interior agencement but not for exterior. The brown color will quickly turn yellowish with the time and elements agressions (rain, sun...). I'll never use PRODEMA again for exterior use...

:eek: thanks for the warning, I'll make sure never to use it again in the exterior!

From BD Online: "The building is wrapped by a rainscreen of timber-veneered panels made from wood fibre and paper bonded with phenolic resin and compressed at high pressure."


Sounds like a description of Parklex (http://www.parklex.com/) which is excellent for indoor and outdoor use. Frank O'Gehry has used it as far as I know (i believe he used it indoors in the Disney Concert Hall in LA but I'm not sure).

Yes, for me the best is PARKLEX, I´ve 1st used in 2000 (http://www.arquitectura.pt/forum/f62/miradouro-bar-al-m-rio-m-rtola-2590.html), in a small exterior bar (a iso container), and still last and have a good look (it´s placed in a interior area of my country, where Temperatures reaches during summer 44ºC and -5ºC during winter. Antother thing we have a lot of sunny hours along the year...

It´s in construction a new building, that uses, again, PARKLEX... soon I´ll post some images of construction (there is a thread about it on Real Projects forum) (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=704)

we use trespa:

http://www.trespa.com/

it is a rain screen system that, in our experience, seems to hold up better against the sun (long term) than parklex.

in the attached pic, we used two wood 'decors'. one for the outer 'frame' and one for the inner.

A handy manual for plywood and LVL

http://www.timber.org.au/menu.asp?id=152

There is a nice little swedish office called Tham & Videgård Hansson, and they used plywood as facadematerial on some projects - on a museum that opened this spring, and some private villaprojects.

http://www.tvh.se/main.php - check it out..

I´ve talked with a bunch of people about the use of plywood as a facadematerial, and they usually say:

1) The orientation of the fibers, the detailing around the plywood and the angle of the surface are generally important factors.

2) There are a bunch of paints that really seals the plywood, but the problem with those are that they better they seal, the less you can see the texture of the plywood, and then you might as well use some other type of board.

(I was once at a factory where they manufactured plywood used on top of the deck of cargoboats going across the atlantic. That plywood could take anything, but you couldn´t really see that it was plywood anymore).

3) If you are currently designing something and found a new plywoodproduct that fits your project, try to get a guarantee from the manufacturer.

(New, engineered woodproducts are always coming out on the market, and the firms that specialize in plywood for outdoor use have invested money in developing a special product. Looking at a 15 year old house with plywood facades ((thats has been tested)) but with an older product might not tell u how todays products will perform etc).