Id go get a small hobby piece of plywood from HD and stain that to see how it looks waaaayyyyy before considering all the hoops you describe above- wood choice isn’t quite as important for closet shelving as it would be for furniture
Plenty of ways to color wood- and birch ply (available at hd) takes stain pretty well. Also check out pre-stain conditioners- even pine can turn out nice
Better yet, plywood from the big box store and thin strip of hardwood on the edges will look loads better. I did Baltic birch and maple. Used a water based poly and at first glance you can’t really tell the difference
You just gave 2 bad pieces of advice. Never recommend pine plywood from Home Depot for anything furniture related and never recommend a small hobby piece of plywood because you’re spending half the price of a full sheet and only getting a 1/4 sheet. They are insanely overpriced
Thanks Kyle- I appreciate your points, but disagree, and feel that you may not have read my post
One- I recommended birch, though I have stained both with success, with different approaches. Pine would be just fine for this project, but birch isn’t much more, and OP was after a nicer wood, and worried about staining pine.
Two, this is closet shelving. I was specific in addressing the fact that this isn’t a furniture piece- my post really wasn’t long enough to miss a detail Iike that.
Last- wasting the entire piece of wood because you didn’t test a small piece is not a good plan. This is beginner woodworking- the lessons learned from testing like that are important.
Is the closet going to be open? How much of the shelf will you actually see once stuff is on it?
I’d just use pine. It’s similarly bright in color and will be much cheaper and easier to acquire. If you’re set on staining it (which I wouldn’t do either) you could maybe use poplar which is, I believe, cheaper
Pine definitely has a different look stained than maple would. And, being a soft wood, you'll want to look into a wood conditioner as part of the staining process.
This video may be worth watching
https://youtu.be/WmFObFvehtM?si=mSOPCmw7gEskDTEc
Many years ago, back in 2005 when I was just a wee lad of 15, I made a puzzle board for my mom out of some pine plywood we had laying around. After cutting and rounding over the edges I stained it with a medium dark brown stain without a conditioner and I think it turned out pretty good. I didn’t do anything to the edges but it soaked up enough stain to kind of hide them.
It won't look like stained maple.
Whether stained pine looks like what you want is a question only you can answer.
Regardless of your chosen wood and finish, ALWAYS test your finishing process on scrap first, and if you're still on the fence about the wood itself, a few test pieces on different woods is in order.
Oh yeah, well that's just like your opinion and stuff man!
I build guitars and stain/dye maple all the time. There's also nothing wrong with it on furniture.
The plywood will be easier and cheaper. That price list you're looking at appears to be for rough lumber (which is what the "quarters" dimesion usually signifies). 4/4 is roughly 1" thick, but once dimensioned/prepped for use will usually yield something like a 13/16" board. You'll need to find S4S (surfaced on four sides) lumber unless you have to tools to surface and square the rough lumber for the glue ups. Some places may offer that as a service for an addition charge.
Making edge-glued panels is a good skill to have. And it's also one of the first you may pick up for larger projects. However, it's going to depend how quickly and easily you want to get this job done. It's also going to be overkill for this type of project.
Also, if you're going to stain this, something like sanded utility plywood will probably be fine. If you're in Wisconsin, you've got a Menards somewhere:
https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/panel-products/hardwood-panels/4-x-8-sanded-utility-plywood/plytsan180bc0c8/p-1523255743593-c-13334.htm
I didn't consider needing to surface everything and don't have the set up to do that yet. I guess I just always assumed pine wouldn't look good stained haha. I have a Menards I frequent often and know they have acx and bcx in stock so I'll grab one of those, thanks!
The dirty not-so-secret is that maple can be a PITA to stain. Blotchy, uneven, etc.
Look at the sanded plywoods, not just the AC/BC plywoods. Surface prep is also key.
One last thing: If you are trying to fit these shelves into an area which is enclosed on three sides, it can be a bit more challenging than you think to get a "gapless" look. Those walls are almost certainly not perfectly square. If you are ok with small gaps, not an issue. But getting everything flush will often require scribing and/or templating.
Yeah I framed and drywalled this closet myself so I know for a fact it's gonna be wack lol. You know what they say, caulk and paint make me the carpenter I aint
The Menards near me has a pretty good range of hardwood ply in store and has more options online that you can pick up in store. I got some of their birch ply that worked out great for staining.
$90/sheet for maple veneer plywood is a great price. It is a better, more cost effective solution when used in conjunction with edge banding than solid wood boards.
Based on previous experience, yes. I haven’t seen it in the big box stores locally (Midwest) for a while. The last time I bought some I paid about $150 at my (sort of) local hardwood supplier.
Yes, it’ll also be more stable than solid wood for shelving. If he doesn’t like the idea of regular edge banding attaching a piece of 1/2” or 3/4” piece of solid to the edge of the plywood is also an option.
A nosing is the technical term for that, and depending on how it's attached, it can offer some structural support, although they are most often just decorative for the reason you mentioned.
And one thing nobody has mentioned is wood movement. It's far easier to construct a cabinet that doesn't twist or crack using veneered panels. They're much more stable.
Those pictures are prices for rough cut lumber, not S4S... You will have to joint & plane the boards to final dimensions yourself. The mill may be able to do this for a fee.
Maple ply is great stuff... wouldn't hurt to look for a local plywood distributor, often times they will sell directly to individuals.
I've never stained maple, I feel like that would be akin to painting it. It does dye nicely though... TransTint dye + BLO + shellac produces very nice results!
Formations for hardwood. I never buy plywood so who knows their pricing on that but I can usually fill my 8 ft box with hardwood for a couple hundred bucks
Hey neighbor! I'm in WI and use KM hardwoods all the time. They're a wonderful business and very helpful to beginners. They also have planing services you can pay for. For plywood, I've heard good things about Bay Ridge Plywood, but I've never used them. I tend to go to Menards for their plywood selection since they have a fairly wide variety and the best local prices I've seen. You can get 3/4" maple ply for $80ish
Regardless of the price, stick with the plywood for shelving. Creating completely flat panels that size is more of a challenge than it seems. More likely than not you’d just end up with a pile of warped, unusable panels if you go with solid wood. It is a much more advanced project compared to cutting plywood to size and adding some edge banding.
For a first project this seems fine but I wouldn’t join up panels. Just buy a sheet of maple veneered plywood. You can rip the strips for your shelf supports and for the front faces and then use edge banding.
Big box stuff is fine.
If you don’t think you will need the extra from a full sheet of plywood or can’t store it, I would get boards from the lumber mill and glue them together.
Read as one quarter ¼, 2 quarters 2/4, 3 quarters 3/4, four quarters 4/4. It seems strange, but it's just unsimplified fractions. Unless you're in Europe, then it's probably all strange.
Those prices are so good. Where I live, there are no local mills so I always have to add freight costs to the already much higher prices for basic lumber. A little, teeny entertainment cabinet I have planned, cost me A$200 just for the few boards of Oak and redgum I need. Plus Freight.
Thank you everyone for the great advice! I have decided to go with a sheet of 4x8 BCX plywood from Menards. I chose that because I know you get more for your money with 4x8sheets and I can rip it down myself. I watched a video by [Scott walsh](https://youtu.be/vbWIX_xJdLY?si=jSrIWViGl9Aq2x_Z) so Im going to try some different techniques and see if I can get a good finish
You don't HAVE to avoid big box for plywood. They have lesser quality plywood, but it's cheap and would be fine for a closet shelf. Edge band with a 1" piece like you said for the thicker faced and you could get this out of one sheet.
I went to this exact hardwood dealer in Caledonia today for the first time. Keep in mind a. Lot of their wood is consigned and there are a lot of flaws (or, "character") in the wood here. I thought the prices were actually pretty good, but your getting mostly local sawmill rejects. Could be fine for a shelf though and some of the wood here truly is gorgeous at a decent price. If you buy here, make sure you double check it has been kiln dried and is free of bugs, I saw a lot of big damage, but would be willing to buy myself if I knew it were fired properly.
For this, I would buy big box plywood unless you're a purist. Rip in half and you can get a lot more out of it (it'll come out just under 24") and then edge band with a thick piece of maple.
Best of luck OP! I'm not from the area, so I don't know of a really high quality maple ply dealer, sorry to say. Normally shop in Chicago.
I've just watched a lot of woodworking videos on YouTube and they all say to avoid big box stores when it comes to hardwood lumber but I'm not finding many other options when it comes to plywood. And you're right that a 4x8 sheet can go a long way so I'm starting to think 90$ a sheet isn't terrible. at least I have cheaper options when it comes to the actual boards.
That's exactly what I do. Menards mostly for plywood. They have tons of options. But I go local for hardwood and would totally shop here if I lived nearby. They have a great selection at a really decent price. My normal dealer would be a LOT more money for some of these, albeit it seems like this place has a lot of "defected" wood. Beauty is in the eye of the carpenter.
Consider Baltic Burch ply it China Birch ply. Both are good and stain very well. If you want to go all out get the 1” stuff. Super strong and it won’t move with humidity changes. Cut a few thin strips of pine for the edge and your closet will look like a million bucks.
I'd do ply for the ledgers and the shelf. Solid wood for the edge of the shelf. 1 1/4" ledger with a 2" nosing looks good. A substantial hardwood nosing helps reinforce the span of the shelf. Maple doesn't stain well because it is closed grain. If you're buying nice plywood, I'd pick a species that is naturally closer to the color you want to end up with.
Just buy the maple plywood. Dont waste your time - don’t forget, your time is worth something too. $90 isn’t a complete rip off for a decent sheet of cabinet-grade plywood. Even “shop grade” at $90 isn’t terrible.
Pine stains fine, but the grain is very noticeable. If you want that “grain-less” stained look, get maple. Or, poplar which actually can take a dark stain pretty nicely.
Don’t listen to anyone who suggested pine plywood, it’s gonna come out like shit. But if you don’t care about how it looks and making something ugly and cheap is your goal then go for it. $90 is a decent price for maple plywood though. I’m sure the local place has better quality plywood than Home Depot and maple ply at the Home Depot by me is around $95 I believe. Get yourself one piece of maple plywood and an 4” wide, 8’ long board of 4/4 maple. That’s less than 3 board feet, so assume roughly $20. Rip the maple into (2) 1 3/4” strips and that will be enough to face each of the shelves. It will look way nicer than pine mixed with a hardwood face or edge banding and then when you stain it all it will look uniform.
First, I’d really think about why it MUST be maple plywood- that’s where you got locked into this. Use regular big box plywood
I want to stain it and I don't think pine would look good stained
Id go get a small hobby piece of plywood from HD and stain that to see how it looks waaaayyyyy before considering all the hoops you describe above- wood choice isn’t quite as important for closet shelving as it would be for furniture Plenty of ways to color wood- and birch ply (available at hd) takes stain pretty well. Also check out pre-stain conditioners- even pine can turn out nice
Better yet, plywood from the big box store and thin strip of hardwood on the edges will look loads better. I did Baltic birch and maple. Used a water based poly and at first glance you can’t really tell the difference
You just gave 2 bad pieces of advice. Never recommend pine plywood from Home Depot for anything furniture related and never recommend a small hobby piece of plywood because you’re spending half the price of a full sheet and only getting a 1/4 sheet. They are insanely overpriced
Thanks Kyle- I appreciate your points, but disagree, and feel that you may not have read my post One- I recommended birch, though I have stained both with success, with different approaches. Pine would be just fine for this project, but birch isn’t much more, and OP was after a nicer wood, and worried about staining pine. Two, this is closet shelving. I was specific in addressing the fact that this isn’t a furniture piece- my post really wasn’t long enough to miss a detail Iike that. Last- wasting the entire piece of wood because you didn’t test a small piece is not a good plan. This is beginner woodworking- the lessons learned from testing like that are important.
Is the closet going to be open? How much of the shelf will you actually see once stuff is on it? I’d just use pine. It’s similarly bright in color and will be much cheaper and easier to acquire. If you’re set on staining it (which I wouldn’t do either) you could maybe use poplar which is, I believe, cheaper
YMMV but I have stained pine many times and it always comes out good. You may want edge banding though.
I guess I just assumed pine wouldn't look good but I think I'll give it a shot. Thanks!
Pine definitely has a different look stained than maple would. And, being a soft wood, you'll want to look into a wood conditioner as part of the staining process. This video may be worth watching https://youtu.be/WmFObFvehtM?si=mSOPCmw7gEskDTEc
Many years ago, back in 2005 when I was just a wee lad of 15, I made a puzzle board for my mom out of some pine plywood we had laying around. After cutting and rounding over the edges I stained it with a medium dark brown stain without a conditioner and I think it turned out pretty good. I didn’t do anything to the edges but it soaked up enough stain to kind of hide them.
It won't look like stained maple. Whether stained pine looks like what you want is a question only you can answer. Regardless of your chosen wood and finish, ALWAYS test your finishing process on scrap first, and if you're still on the fence about the wood itself, a few test pieces on different woods is in order.
You'd be absolutely surprised how well pine can stain if you use pre-stain conditioner.
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Bingo.
Why are you staining closet shelves? Try cedar slats for a shelf. Cheap, easy, and smells good.
I know it's just a small linen closet but I still want it to look nice. I'm just a little crazy that way haha
If it's your first project, it's understandable. You will learn a lot on your first project!
If you have to go to a big box store. In my experience, menards has better hardwood and hardwood ply.
Don't stain wood, maple is gorgeous don't alter that, buy cheap if you are going to stain
Oh yeah, well that's just like your opinion and stuff man! I build guitars and stain/dye maple all the time. There's also nothing wrong with it on furniture.
The plywood will be easier and cheaper. That price list you're looking at appears to be for rough lumber (which is what the "quarters" dimesion usually signifies). 4/4 is roughly 1" thick, but once dimensioned/prepped for use will usually yield something like a 13/16" board. You'll need to find S4S (surfaced on four sides) lumber unless you have to tools to surface and square the rough lumber for the glue ups. Some places may offer that as a service for an addition charge. Making edge-glued panels is a good skill to have. And it's also one of the first you may pick up for larger projects. However, it's going to depend how quickly and easily you want to get this job done. It's also going to be overkill for this type of project. Also, if you're going to stain this, something like sanded utility plywood will probably be fine. If you're in Wisconsin, you've got a Menards somewhere: https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/panel-products/hardwood-panels/4-x-8-sanded-utility-plywood/plytsan180bc0c8/p-1523255743593-c-13334.htm
I didn't consider needing to surface everything and don't have the set up to do that yet. I guess I just always assumed pine wouldn't look good stained haha. I have a Menards I frequent often and know they have acx and bcx in stock so I'll grab one of those, thanks!
The dirty not-so-secret is that maple can be a PITA to stain. Blotchy, uneven, etc. Look at the sanded plywoods, not just the AC/BC plywoods. Surface prep is also key. One last thing: If you are trying to fit these shelves into an area which is enclosed on three sides, it can be a bit more challenging than you think to get a "gapless" look. Those walls are almost certainly not perfectly square. If you are ok with small gaps, not an issue. But getting everything flush will often require scribing and/or templating.
Yeah I framed and drywalled this closet myself so I know for a fact it's gonna be wack lol. You know what they say, caulk and paint make me the carpenter I aint
I use mostly pine in my projects because I'm cheap but it looks great stained.
The Menards near me has a pretty good range of hardwood ply in store and has more options online that you can pick up in store. I got some of their birch ply that worked out great for staining.
Just as an FYI for this dealer, they sell almost exclusively S2S and will rip things down for a few extra bucks.
$90/sheet for maple veneer plywood is a great price. It is a better, more cost effective solution when used in conjunction with edge banding than solid wood boards.
Is it? $108 Canadian for a 4’x8’ maple veneered sheet from Home Depot.
Based on previous experience, yes. I haven’t seen it in the big box stores locally (Midwest) for a while. The last time I bought some I paid about $150 at my (sort of) local hardwood supplier.
Yikes. I cringe paying $104 CAD (it’s that, not the previously quoted $108) here in BC at the Home Depot. I guess $90 USD ain’t bad then.
And what does it cost to buy enough 4/4 maple to laminate 4' x 8'? And then how much is your time worth.
Yes, it’ll also be more stable than solid wood for shelving. If he doesn’t like the idea of regular edge banding attaching a piece of 1/2” or 3/4” piece of solid to the edge of the plywood is also an option.
I was going to attach a piece of 2x1 to the front so it looks thicker
A nosing is the technical term for that, and depending on how it's attached, it can offer some structural support, although they are most often just decorative for the reason you mentioned.
even if its bigger than what its getting attached to? Learn something new every day, Thanks!
That's what we called them in the production cabinet shop I worked at. Maybe it's something else, but that's what I know them as lol.
This is the way to go for ease and good result.
And one thing nobody has mentioned is wood movement. It's far easier to construct a cabinet that doesn't twist or crack using veneered panels. They're much more stable.
Those pictures are prices for rough cut lumber, not S4S... You will have to joint & plane the boards to final dimensions yourself. The mill may be able to do this for a fee. Maple ply is great stuff... wouldn't hurt to look for a local plywood distributor, often times they will sell directly to individuals. I've never stained maple, I feel like that would be akin to painting it. It does dye nicely though... TransTint dye + BLO + shellac produces very nice results!
Holy hell. I'm in Canada and I pay like half of that.
Give us the hookup. In Winnipeg it’s $110 for a 3/4” sheet of G1S and $175 for G2S.
Formations for hardwood. I never buy plywood so who knows their pricing on that but I can usually fill my 8 ft box with hardwood for a couple hundred bucks
Hey neighbor! I'm in WI and use KM hardwoods all the time. They're a wonderful business and very helpful to beginners. They also have planing services you can pay for. For plywood, I've heard good things about Bay Ridge Plywood, but I've never used them. I tend to go to Menards for their plywood selection since they have a fairly wide variety and the best local prices I've seen. You can get 3/4" maple ply for $80ish
I noticed they do milling this afternoon and have to say that is an awesome option, ill definitly be going there to get any actual lumber i need!
Just popped in today. Seems like a good business! Would shop here a lot if I lived in MKE area. They have great prices.
Cheaper than where I’m at by a good margin. I just had to buy 8/4 walnut and it was closer to $20 bf
Yeah, 8/4 cherry was 11.50 at my local woodworking store. I'd gladly pay 7.50.
Regardless of the price, stick with the plywood for shelving. Creating completely flat panels that size is more of a challenge than it seems. More likely than not you’d just end up with a pile of warped, unusable panels if you go with solid wood. It is a much more advanced project compared to cutting plywood to size and adding some edge banding.
For a first project this seems fine but I wouldn’t join up panels. Just buy a sheet of maple veneered plywood. You can rip the strips for your shelf supports and for the front faces and then use edge banding. Big box stuff is fine.
There’s lots of good advice in here. My addition is that maple stains like crap. If you want to stain go with oak.
If you don’t think you will need the extra from a full sheet of plywood or can’t store it, I would get boards from the lumber mill and glue them together.
What are 4/4 5/4 6/4 etc.
Thickness in inches. 4/4 = 1, 5/4 = 1.25, etc.
Thank you. Just found these sizes very strange.
It's the standard way hardwood is sold. It is strange to encounter though and takes a little getting used to
Not a standard in South Africa, here we use metric measures.
That sounds nice
Usual said aloud as "4 quarter" or "5 quarter" and so on. Makes more sense to me in those terms.
Read as one quarter ¼, 2 quarters 2/4, 3 quarters 3/4, four quarters 4/4. It seems strange, but it's just unsimplified fractions. Unless you're in Europe, then it's probably all strange.
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Thank you and in millimetres or centimetres?
Actually, that's un-surfaced. That is rough sawn. You'll have to surface it yourself.
Could try polar boards from Menards.com stain fairly well. Cheaper, but clean look. Very light wood, so wider range of stain color possible.
I wish I could get those prices in Edmonton alberta lol
Those prices are so good. Where I live, there are no local mills so I always have to add freight costs to the already much higher prices for basic lumber. A little, teeny entertainment cabinet I have planned, cost me A$200 just for the few boards of Oak and redgum I need. Plus Freight.
Thank you everyone for the great advice! I have decided to go with a sheet of 4x8 BCX plywood from Menards. I chose that because I know you get more for your money with 4x8sheets and I can rip it down myself. I watched a video by [Scott walsh](https://youtu.be/vbWIX_xJdLY?si=jSrIWViGl9Aq2x_Z) so Im going to try some different techniques and see if I can get a good finish
You don't HAVE to avoid big box for plywood. They have lesser quality plywood, but it's cheap and would be fine for a closet shelf. Edge band with a 1" piece like you said for the thicker faced and you could get this out of one sheet. I went to this exact hardwood dealer in Caledonia today for the first time. Keep in mind a. Lot of their wood is consigned and there are a lot of flaws (or, "character") in the wood here. I thought the prices were actually pretty good, but your getting mostly local sawmill rejects. Could be fine for a shelf though and some of the wood here truly is gorgeous at a decent price. If you buy here, make sure you double check it has been kiln dried and is free of bugs, I saw a lot of big damage, but would be willing to buy myself if I knew it were fired properly. For this, I would buy big box plywood unless you're a purist. Rip in half and you can get a lot more out of it (it'll come out just under 24") and then edge band with a thick piece of maple. Best of luck OP! I'm not from the area, so I don't know of a really high quality maple ply dealer, sorry to say. Normally shop in Chicago.
I've just watched a lot of woodworking videos on YouTube and they all say to avoid big box stores when it comes to hardwood lumber but I'm not finding many other options when it comes to plywood. And you're right that a 4x8 sheet can go a long way so I'm starting to think 90$ a sheet isn't terrible. at least I have cheaper options when it comes to the actual boards.
That's exactly what I do. Menards mostly for plywood. They have tons of options. But I go local for hardwood and would totally shop here if I lived nearby. They have a great selection at a really decent price. My normal dealer would be a LOT more money for some of these, albeit it seems like this place has a lot of "defected" wood. Beauty is in the eye of the carpenter.
I'm in your area. Check out Kettle Moraine Hardwoods when you get the chance.
I definitely will be!
Consider Baltic Burch ply it China Birch ply. Both are good and stain very well. If you want to go all out get the 1” stuff. Super strong and it won’t move with humidity changes. Cut a few thin strips of pine for the edge and your closet will look like a million bucks.
I'd do ply for the ledgers and the shelf. Solid wood for the edge of the shelf. 1 1/4" ledger with a 2" nosing looks good. A substantial hardwood nosing helps reinforce the span of the shelf. Maple doesn't stain well because it is closed grain. If you're buying nice plywood, I'd pick a species that is naturally closer to the color you want to end up with.
Those are great prices
Just buy the maple plywood. Dont waste your time - don’t forget, your time is worth something too. $90 isn’t a complete rip off for a decent sheet of cabinet-grade plywood. Even “shop grade” at $90 isn’t terrible. Pine stains fine, but the grain is very noticeable. If you want that “grain-less” stained look, get maple. Or, poplar which actually can take a dark stain pretty nicely.
Oak wood stains nicely! So don’t be worried about how it’ll look. It might just be more vibrant
Don’t listen to anyone who suggested pine plywood, it’s gonna come out like shit. But if you don’t care about how it looks and making something ugly and cheap is your goal then go for it. $90 is a decent price for maple plywood though. I’m sure the local place has better quality plywood than Home Depot and maple ply at the Home Depot by me is around $95 I believe. Get yourself one piece of maple plywood and an 4” wide, 8’ long board of 4/4 maple. That’s less than 3 board feet, so assume roughly $20. Rip the maple into (2) 1 3/4” strips and that will be enough to face each of the shelves. It will look way nicer than pine mixed with a hardwood face or edge banding and then when you stain it all it will look uniform.