How to Finish Okoume Ply

[John Nardi]

Hey Guys...Thinking of using Okoume Ply to make both the Kichen/Bathroom Bulkhead and Bathroon face and door...It generally has a nice wood tone to it unlike regular ply wood...Was thinking of just finishing it with some sort of light stain and then a sealer of some type....Any recommendations would greatly be appreciated...Thanks, John

[CamB25]

If it's inside and you don't want a shiny finish, I would use teak oil. If you want a shiny finish you'll need to build layers of varnish.

[Navatech]

I'm presuming that you're talking about an inside finish... I would go with a finish that cleanable... Maybe a few layers of flat, satin or high gloss lacquer (depending on what you like)... If you want to give it a stain you'll have to do that first... That will look good and you'll be able to clean it with a rag and some soapy water if it ever gets dirty... It will also protect the finish from any water splatter...

[Yannis]

X 2 what Nav says.
I know that the bathroom side gets splashed and needs cleaning; only with a varnish top coat(s), (over a stain that will cover the plywood deficiencies) will do.
Also, consider doing a light door, with a wooden (teak?) frame of about 6-8 cm wide and inlay a white plexi. Big difference in weight over an all ply door.
The door side panel can also be a teak frame with a 6mm ply with teak (or other) top surface. The bathroom side has to be varnished too.




Dont forger the "skirt" on the inside.







The door opens inside; saves a lot of space










Custom refrigerator and freezer; all IKEA galey - whoever talks bad about Ikea is my enemy !!

[John Nardi]

Excellent...Thanks Guys!