Plywood is a material that can be used for multiple purposes, from flooring to roofing. It has become an essential part of the construction industry and it’s easy to see why. Plywood installation is typically straightforward but there are some common mistakes that you should avoid when installing plywood. This blog post will discuss five mistakes that need to be avoided if you want your plywood installation project to go smoothly!
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1. Using plywood that is not the right thickness
You need to get the right thickness for plywood because the thickness will affect how strong the plywood is and it also determines the weight.
– The right thickness for a wall, floor, or ceiling should be ¾ inch (19mm) while exterior plywood can range from ½ to ⅝ inches thick.
– As you might imagine, thinner pieces of wood are easier to work with. You can get a lot more plywood out of a board that is ⅜ inch thick than you can from one that’s ½ inch.
– If possible, avoid trying to cut your own wood pieces unless you are certain about the thickness; it’s better to buy what’s needed at the start and measure before cutting. You can also buy plywood in precut sizes so that you know it will work before installing.
– If you’re using preformed beads, make sure they are the right thickness and length because these can be difficult to change once installed.
2. Not using enough screws to hold the plywood in place
You need to make sure you put enough screws in the top or bottom of plywood to keep it from warping. The wood is likely to warp towards thinner sections if not properly braced, and this can cause major structural problems for your project. Not only that, it can also make it difficult to put the panels back in place, which can cause a lot of frustration.
3. Cutting too many pieces of plywood at once, which can lead to mistakes and wasted materials
You should not cut more than a few pieces of plywood at once. This is because it is easy to make a mistake when cutting plywood, and it can be difficult or time-consuming to fix them. It’s also important not to waste materials; you might need more than what you initially think for your project, so don’t cut too much of the wood at once. However, you can use a crosscut sled to make your cuts much more accurate in order to reduce the odds of mistakes.
The best way to go about this is to cut the plywood by starting in one corner and going down to the opposite end. You can then cut a few more pieces, but make sure they are from different parts of the sheet so that if you do make a mistake, it won’t affect what’s already been done.
4. Forgetting to use a backer board when installing over drywall or plaster walls
Without using a backer board when installing over plaster walls will cause the plywood to crack and the nails will not hold it in place. This is why we suggest you to make sure that you use a backer board.
A good tip is to put the plywood on top of some drywall sheets and then cut the boards so they are about an inch shorter than the plaster wall all around. The idea behind this is that you will be able to screw them into place with less chance of cracking because there’s more space between the sheet.
5. Installing on an uneven surface
You should not install on an uneven surface because this will cause the plywood to be higher on one side which can lead to drywall cracking.
Again, you should make sure that there are no bumps or dips in the surface of your wall as it could create an uneven installation and lead to less chance of success with your nail placement. You can do this by using a good old measuring tape.
We recommend you take your time when installing the plywood and make sure that each board is flush with one another but not overlapping which would be an indication of a bad installation job. There should also be no gaps between any boards as this could lead to water damage down the line so it’s really important that you make sure that the boards are mounted tightly together.
In most cases, you’ll want to mount the plywood from the top downward which will prevent any accidental nail injuries that could occur if they were installed in the opposite direction and also it can help alleviate some of your worries about water damage as nails would be less likely to pierce into your drywall.
Final Words
After reading this post, you should now know what mistakes you should avoid when installing plywood. Next time, you’ll be able to do an installation that is free of any damage or water issues and will be safer for everyone involved. We hope that you have found this article informative and helpful about plywood installation.