WBP vs other plys

[bandejapaisa]

What is WBP actually giving me that other ply doesn't... in terms of your average household usage. Would it stand up to a big leak, or is it just better for the occasion splash of water or humidity?

I soaked a piece of WBP in water last night (to simulate a leak), it looks alright at first glance... didn't really measure it first, need to do a proper test.

What would happen to other ply? I don't have any to hand...[/b]

 

[AronSearle]

WBP has to withstand 72 hours in boiling water, and 24 hours in cold, after that it must still be sound.

Its difficult to translate that into actual performance, but typical situations are, several weeks of exposure to rain, or decades exposed to rain with edge sealent and protection. It will typically survive a leak with no delamination.

Its still timber, typically made from non durable species, so prolonged wetting will still cause decay, and it will still shrink and expand, the cross layers will obviously reduce that movement. So you have to consider the species it is made from to judge the overall perforamnce of the plywood. Constant wetting and drying cycles will stress the glue, this is why edge sealent must be used for long term durability.

FYI, WBP is no longer current, the standard is 10+ years defunct, its now EN636-1, 2 and 3, class 3 being the equivilent of WBP.

 

[bandejapaisa]

If it's defunct then why is everywhere still selling it as WBP ?

So is class 3 better than 1 & 2?

 

[AronSearle]

If it's defunct then why is everywhere still selling it as WBP ?

If the product is actually stamped as WBP, its probably cheap chinese rubbish, loads of people still use the term, but often the plywood is not stamped as such, like hoover or walkman, it will go out of fashion at some point.

So is class 3 better than 1 & 2?

Class 1 = internal
Class 2 = semi external
Class 3 = external (essentially the same as WBP)