Where can I find 1/8" plywood?

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redbug2

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Joined
Aug 10, 2007
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Hello,

I had a skylight leak in my Thor Citation TT a while back. I thought that the plywood was right under the rubber roof so I fiber glassed the ceiling plywood... Looks like crap and the paint is peeling from it...

Now I see that there is 2" of foam between ceiling and roof so that crappy plywood is coming off.

Where can I find 1/8" plywood? Home Depot seems to only have Luan, and that is 1/4.

Thanks,

Redbug2
 
That's what is on there now. I see it in previous postings on this site. I see its available from hobby shops. I want a 4 x 8 sheet.
 
Wicks Aircraft Supply, Highland, IL. Or Aircraft Spruce, Georgia or California.
When I built my airplane I bought it from Sig R/C airplane kit manufacturer in Montezuma, IA.
Don?t think that?s an option today.
 
If you are covering it with paint, then just use wood based wall panels. They are 1/8 thick. Just put the decorative side up and paint the backside of it.
 
I recently bought a 4x8 sheet of  a product called "Revolution Ply" at Lowes.
Cost was around $15 a sheet if I remember right.
The label lists thickness at .197 inch.
It comes primed on one side and took paint nicely.
Similar to a luan type plywood.
 
1/8" is essentially a single "ply", so what you are looking fr is often called a "panel" or "sheet" or "veneer" rather than "plywood", so look/ask using other names.  Pre-finished wood paneling is often 1/8" (3/16 and 1/4 thicknesses also available).

Craft and woodworking project stores may be more likely sources than lumber yards and home centers. Here's a few I found via Google Searches.

https://www.woodworkerssource.com/shop/product/18balpack3.html

https://www.constantines.com/18thinwoods.aspx

https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/panel-products/specialty-panels/hardwood-panels/4-x-8-sanded-utility-plywood/1252003/p-1444441906218.htm

http://www.woodnshop.com/Hardwood/LAUAN_PLYWOOD.htm
 
Be careful.  Some of that thin stuff can sag easily if mounted to the ceiling.  Menards actually has a decent assortment of paneling that might work.
 
Another option but probably expensive are cabinet end panels from lowes or home depot.  They seem to be stronger than regular plywood and prefinished to match cabinets.  But they aren't 4x8 sheets.  .125 inch thick.

Here is one from Lowes

They also have a sheet of thin masonite that looks less than 1/8 inch.

Here
 
any good lumber company can get you 1/8" door skin, it is 2 or 3 ply not sure, I'd have to go out to the garage and look. I purchased some at Owl hardwoods in a Chicago suburb. I bought Luan since wallpaper is going over it ,  13.00 per sheet
 
Go to a local cabinet shop and ask if they'd order a sheet from their supplier. Or, if you're in a marine area, lots of boatbuilders use it as it takes tight bends. I worked in Woodshops for a lot of years and we always had some on hand for tight laminations.
 
What part of the country are you in?  Most commercial plywood suppliers should have something that will work.  In Michigan i use Detroit Plywood in Ferndale MI
 
I used a 1/8 Masonite sheet from home depot. It did not stick very well and curled when I glued it. Held up long enough to go on my camping trip.

I was not happy with the job so I stopped by my RV dealer to see if he carried the original ceiling plywood. He did. He wanted about $100 a sheet.

I was thinking about tearing it all apart and why I should even bother because my wife did not like the TT even when it was not damaged.

Stopped by and talked to the salesman that sold me the 2002 Citation in 2007. We discussed what I really wanted and he said he had just the TT I would want. We went out back and looked over a 2011 Spree TT with two pop outs. Wow, it was nice.

Drove my Citation down and pointed out all of the flaws, he gave me more than I was expecting for it. I'm now going to pick up my new TT on the 25th, problem solved.  No need to worry about the plywood.

Thank you all for your help and I hope to never spring a leak again.
 
I've used a lot of 1/8" luaan plywood for this type of work which held up well. Part of the trick is make sure it is well supported and doesn't have large areas with no support behind it. I got most of it from Lowes and/or Home Depot. Lately, however, they quit carrying it so I got so 1/8" from a local specialty woods store (O P Hardwoods).
 
The wood product used in RVs is actually not the same thing as plywood. Most of the thickness is a single ply of low-density wood, and because the wood grain is oriented in only one direction the panel of wood is not very strong. The face plies are very thin (like micro-veneer) and contribute little to cross-grain bending strength.

You can sometimes find this sort of wood product at plywood specialty retailers. Ask for "door facing" (the same stuff used to cover the inner and outer faces of interior doors).

If you need genuine strength and actual plywood, there are wood products available through the hobby outlets like RC aircraft and dollhouse builders. A company called SIG (there are probably others too) makes high-quality plywood in thicknesses down to 1/64th and in sizes up to several square feet, but I don't think they make sheet goods in sizes large enough to build an interior RV wall.

You could also check your local boat-repair shops for marine-grade plywoods. Very good quality stuff.
 
Look for a hardwood supplier as they usually carry it in a veneer for cabinets  . Luan will be the cheapest.
 
I used wood wall paneling from Menards and glued the finished groves side to the wall studs....it was almost exactly the same thickness as the original luan
 
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