Pro tip: Check your plywood moisture before cutting. I learned the hard way.

I had a big kitchen cabinet job last month for a client in Portland and thought I bought quality birch plywood from the local supplier. Got it all cut and assembled, then a week later the doors started warping like crazy. I finally tested the leftover sheet with a moisture meter and it read 14% when it should have been under 8% for indoor work. Found out the supplier stores their plywood in an unheated warehouse right near a river. That extra moisture cost me $400 in replacement material and two weekends of rework. Now I check every single sheet before cutting no matter what. Anyone else deal with wood that warped after assembly from a supplier you trusted?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.uma18d ago

Oh man, that's brutal. I now keep a moisture meter in my truck at all times.

williamw7518d ago

Read a pro builder say the same thing on a podcast last week!

morganmartinez18d ago

Grabbed one after my second floor sagged half an inch from a load of wet lumber I didn't check. Took me a whole weekend to fix that mess and now I check every single board before it even touches my trailer. Moisture meter lives in my glove box right next to the spare tape measure. Feels weird not using it every time I pick up a new load honestly. Best twenty bucks I spent all year.