MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jan 26, 2015 7:48:51 GMT -8
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Jan 26, 2015 7:54:22 GMT -8
I might be wrong, but I think on the Menard's library paneling, you're going to find that the birch layer is going look like the paneling with grooves, except without the grooves. In other words, the grain is going to change in 6-8 inch strips as opposed to a more unified larger grain pattern on the regular plywood.
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MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jan 26, 2015 8:01:34 GMT -8
Gotcha. They have the beaded kind too but I don't prefer the beaded look but can understand what you're saying. I'm curious about the local lumberyard. I hope it really is 1/8" birch. We'll see.
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goshawks
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Post by goshawks on Jan 26, 2015 13:27:32 GMT -8
Where in the 'Midwest are you?
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MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jan 26, 2015 14:31:02 GMT -8
In Southeast Wisconsin.
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goshawks
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Post by goshawks on Jan 26, 2015 15:47:34 GMT -8
There has to be somewhere near you, have you tried googling plywood, contacting local cabinet makers custom furniture shops and any number of finish carpenters within your area?
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MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jan 26, 2015 19:54:26 GMT -8
Yes. I've contacted at least 8 all the way up to Green Bay and Hayward down to the IL border. I do have one local that says he has it. He is getting it to his location so I can check it out. I hope it works out.
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goshawks
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Post by goshawks on Jan 27, 2015 7:16:20 GMT -8
Yes kind of like marriage , don't buy or settle for the first or cheapest one you find... you'll have to live with what you choose!!
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JT
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Post by JT on Jul 5, 2015 20:19:38 GMT -8
Hi Martha -
I'm a fellow wisconsinite and have the same problem. I'm curious if the sample sheet you ordered looked OK and if so who the vendor was. I did find one location near Sheboygan that would do it but it was custom veneer panels and spending on the veneer match it was 100 dollars and up per sheet.
My next option that i'm considering is Public lumber out of Detroit. Hoping I don't have to drive that far or pay for the shipping with is CRAZY expensive!
thanks!
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MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jul 6, 2015 3:58:01 GMT -8
Hi Martha - I'm a fellow wisconsinite and have the same problem. I'm curious if the sample sheet you ordered looked OK and if so who the vendor was. I did find one location near Sheboygan that would do it but it was custom veneer panels and spending on the veneer match it was 100 dollars and up per sheet. My next option that i'm considering is Public lumber out of Detroit. Hoping I don't have to drive that far or pay for the shipping with is CRAZY expensive! thanks! Hi JT,
We did find a lumber yard that had the 1/8" birch plywood. Bliffert Lumber had the birch and we bought 14 sheets from them. They have 7 locations outside of Milwaukee. You may want to contact them to see if they have a source near you. The sheets were about $25.00 each. Here is their website www.bliffertlumber.com/
Here is a picture of our birch installed. We are very happy with the results.
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Post by vintagebruce on Jul 6, 2015 4:15:19 GMT -8
Nice job! It looks good!
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Schatzi
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Post by Schatzi on Jul 6, 2015 4:18:22 GMT -8
We found ours in Green Bay, Wi. Here is the link: www.bayridgebuilding.com/homeIf you click on the "Show Your Work" tab, you can see photos of our trailer. Damien is a great guy to work with. |
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JT
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Post by JT on Jul 6, 2015 20:02:11 GMT -8
Martha & Shutzee, Your trailers look GREAT! Thank you so much for the leads. I will be following up on these this week.
Can you comment on how you finished the birch? Shellac and varnish? any details would be great. I heard of folks putting up to 3 coats of shellac and 3 coats of varnish on. Sounds like a lot! I'm thinking I need 20 sheets...
Many thanks,
JT
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jul 7, 2015 3:55:51 GMT -8
Can you comment on how you finished the birch? Shellac and varnish? any details would be great. I heard of folks putting up to 3 coats of shellac and 3 coats of varnish on. Sounds like a lot! I'm thinking I need 20 sheets... I did one camper in 3 shellac coats amber and 3 coats clear.  And another in two wiped on coats of Penofin bamboo oil and two coats of spar like they use on boats. It flexes better than polyurethane and holds up better than shellac. But it took FOREVER to dry and it is not as easy to repair the finish if you bang it up. The look isn't exactly the same but we love it too.  I think both are beautiful. Mobiltec has a couple of great videos on shellac. |
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MarthaS
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Post by MarthaS on Jul 7, 2015 4:04:25 GMT -8
Martha & Shutzee, Your trailers look GREAT! Thank you so much for the leads. I will be following up on these this week. Can you comment on how you finished the birch? Shellac and varnish? any details would be great. I heard of folks putting up to 3 coats of shellac and 3 coats of varnish on. Sounds like a lot! I'm thinking I need 20 sheets... Many thanks, JT Good morning JT. We did not go the route of shellac. We decided to try a fairly new product on the market called Enduro-Var. Here is a link to the product information. generalfinishes.com/professional-products/water-base-topcoats-and-sanding-sealers/enduro-var#.VZu9aU3bIdU
We wanted a light natural finish and Enduro-var is natural but has a very slight amber tint. It takes 3 coats and takes 4 hours to dry between coats. it took awhile for us to find the "right" application process for such large panels. Each coat got more beautiful.
This product dries very fast so we had to move quickly (we learned that by the 3rd coat). We started with sanding with 220, vacuuming the dust then taking a dry paper towel to the panel. Then for the first coat we tried a sponge brush and it took ok but we couldn't get the product on liberally enough with the sponge so we switched to a synthetic brush for the 2nd coat. Then we even tried a sponge roller and this was the best technique we found. The roller allowed us to quickly go over the application areas. Once areas began to dry, we couldn't go over them again. Luckily by the 3rd coat, we got a good technique down and just had to move very quickly. We did sand between coats too.
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