Sanding and Painting Birch Ply

[greenlikeapples]

Hi

I have built an under-stairs storage area with the help of a chippie. He did most of the work, but now that I look at it, one of the doors is not flush. It's built out of birch ply, and uses complicated hinges, so I don't really want to get into taking the door apart.

Can I sand down the exterior face of the birch ply before it gets painted? Or is this likely to lead to delamination and other problems, during painting and further down the line?

Many thanks

Jon

 

[Burnerman]

You can certainly sand down......unless your paper is very rough there's no chance of penetrating the veneer!
Why not prime it first, and then rub down?
John

 

[greenlikeapples]

Hi John

Yes but I want to remove like 3mm, so going way through the veneer. My question is, if I sand through the face like that, exposing very gentle graduation of the layers, will that really cause problems with delimitation of the layers, as I apply paint, or years down the line?

Jon

 

[Burnerman]

Sorry Jon, I see what you mean now, but its a non starter to sand down 3mm of timber. There will be another way, such as resetting the hinges or even using a thinner ply.
Why not ask the chippy back?
Anyway, the ply wouldn't be particularly affected as its inside - regarding painting that is.
John

 

[greenlikeapples]

Why is it a non starter?

Planer, belt sander with aggressive paper, etc?

Can't reset the hinges without major hassle, don't think I can replace the ply without major hassle

Jon

 

[Burnerman]

Certainly it can be done, but the door would need to be set on a bench, and when you are taking that sort of material away there will be issues with keeping the sanded surface flat.
John

 

[Dave54]

I agree with John. You will "unbalance" the ply by removing a layer from one side, and it may well warp in consequence.
If you're not happy with what's been done, get the chippy back.

 

[foxhole]

Ply was less than ideal choice for a door.

 

[greenlikeapples]

Yeah chippie is coming back next week, so hopefully he can see how to sort it. Ply not ideal choice? It will warp?

 

[Dave54]

It won't (probably) warp if it's left alone, but the layers of the plywood are balanced each side, so both outer layers of the ply have the grain running the same way, and the next layers in are at 90 degrees to that and so on. if you remove a layer on one side, it will be unbalanced and may warp.

 

[endecotp]

Are these "complicated hinges" that you mention ones with lots of screws on them?

If so, you can tweak the alignment of the door by adjusting the screws.

 

[JobAndKnock]

You can tweak the alignment, but they still won't work if the door is warped and the framne is straight.

 

[joe-90]

I like the sound of these complicated hinges. I want some.