A few months ago I built a “coffee bar” using maple veneered 3/4” ply.  A small job, but it took a bit of time because of the required templating, trimming and finishing.

The maple veneer is now delaminating.

1.  I paid about $90.00 for the plywood from Lowes.  I can’t produce the receipt but it was paid for with my AMEX card—so traceable. 

2.  Do I just walk in with photos, or samples from the unused portion to the returns desk?

3.  Do I contact the store manager or write to headquarters.

It is clearly a defective sheet of ply.  Even if they do give me a credit for the plywood, it is doubtful that they would cover my other costs or my labor.

How would you approach this?  I’m pretty upset.  I have about 10 hours labor invested, trim pieces and finish.  Plus, I like the coffee bar. 

I wrote about this earlier when I was still happy with the plywood.  Image is shown.  I will try to get an image of the delaminations, but I am not certain that it will photograph well.

Don’t expect much more than the cost of the sheet.

I had a couple of bunks of pre-finished maple ply that had issues, all I got was a too bad, should have caught it before the cabinets were made. Cost me almost 5K.

We no longer use that brand plywood or supplier.

Tom

Poly top in a window with a lot of sun. Maybe a lot of temp changes? Moisture? Single pane glass? I see a very old unsafe baseboard heater on the wall.

What city is this in?

Need to tell us more if you want to know why it happened.

I doubt Lowes would give you anything.

Scrap wont tell you anything. I'm guessing the issue is the location of install, environmental and potentially how you finished it.

Unless condensation is running down the glass onto the top I don't see anything in that install that would cause a good sheet to go faulty. I would hazard the sheet itself was faulty (dry glue join in that area?) and the heat from the window over time caused it to raise. From memory you only did this recently, if the damage was purely caused by the window/environment I would think it should surely take a longer to break down?

I've often  left plywood and timber scraps outside for ages and it's always taken a very appreciable amount of time before they break down or delaminate.

Have you used your finish approach on plywood before? Could have been too much spirits for whatever that laminate used.

Do we think that these photos are sufficient to make my case? Enlarging the image seems to make the case better. I have nothing to actually carry in without first demolishing the counter.  I would want to use this counter as the template for the next one—so I have to hold onto it until I cut the next one.

So whose fault is that?

Mine, for using it in a mildly hostile environment, where historically this application would have proven durable.

Or, Lowes’ for selling a product without a warning:  The product may not endure where historically it had, due to improved production capabilities that allow the product to have substantially thinner veneers than in the past. 

If it makes you feel any better, even the latest Herman Miller product sheet and care instructions cautions that their veneer products are susceptible to UV damage.  Goes so far as to suggest users keep moving things about the desk to equalize it and to shade it from direct exposure. 

So you're hardly alone here.

That patch looks like what happens when veneer gets wet and then dries. Can moisture get into the veneer along the joint between the edge strip?

The room is entirely dry.  No water intrusion at all.  Prime windows and door, insulated, but with an electric baseboard heater which I never use. 

I think I’m a victim of technology.  The new improved technology allows them to use veneers that are just thousandths of an inch thick.  They have to limit the amount of adhesive or it will saturate the thinner veneer.

Some 54 years ago, when I moved into my first apartment, I made an improvised desk using a hollow core door. It had plywood door skins, a generous solid wood surround and honeycomb bonded to both interior surfaces.

Some 25 years ago, when I moved into my current house, I made a temporary and improvised desk from a hollow core door.   It quickly caved under the weight of my printer. 

It seems that the improved  technology allows for skins made from cardboard with a very thin veneer.  The honeycomb was placed loosely in the cavities.  The premiere was just 1” wide. 

I don’t think I have a case with Lowes. 

It is just another instance of improved process yielding substandard products. 

Plywood is, I guess, not suited as a countertop material. I will have to seek out materials that are designed for counter top use. 

Of course the question becomes:  What is plywood suitable for?  At this time, I am no longer sure.  I built two cabinets that straddle a window.  Will they delaminate.  They are painted, so I am hopeful.  Hopeful, but not sure.

I see more cracks in line with the lamp base in front of the window and elsewhere in the sheet - is this the case?  To my eye it’s possible you are seeing only the beginning of your troubles.

Appears all the cracks are evenly spaced and in line with the wood grain. Wild guess but possibly the veneer is rotary cut from a log and the cracks are remnants of successive growth rings or some defect in the log??  Can you see anything matching this spacing pattern in the veneer at equivalent of the “end grain” on one of your scrap pieces?

Big box plywood suppliers are likely under pretty severe price pressure these days and cutting veneer from lower grade logs might help them hit the price point their buyers want.

FWW- I’ve done tons of diluted minwax finishes on sheet goods with no issues. Also doubt Lowes will do anything beyond replace your sheet or refund.

Shellac diluted 50% with DNA is a very standard formulation for initial coats of finish and I have used this for decades on solid and plywood with good results and no issues.  Plywood that won't tolerate standard finishing techniques is defective.  I suspect the cause of this surface failure is a combination of too thin a face veneer and substandard bonding.  It's worth taking a look at remnants of the material if you have them to see if the show face veneer and the other side veneer are of consistent thickness providing balanced movement with humidity changes. 

This whole solvent issue.... gotta ask, was the maple ply Purebond (tm)? 

Ouch...that hurts, it looks like the entire surface is lifting, it's just looks worse at the edge.

I'd consider sanding, prepping and finishing some of the ply you have left, in EXACTLY the manner in which you finshed the counter top and it that lifts, I'd bring that sample along with the photos to Lowes for their inspection.

They may just choose to go back to their supplier and ask some questions once they have a defective sample in their hands.

That’s a thought, though it did not start to delaminate right away.  I can certainly do that though.

I will make up a sample starting this afternoon.  I can only apply 2 - 3 coats per day, so about 3 days’ work.  Then I will leave it on the counter for the same sun exposure.  I will keep you all advised.