How to finish plywood for outdoor?

[mogadon]

Hi, I am making cubby houses out of plywood and wondering what I can use to finish the plywood (apparently I have to).

Ideally I want the plywood to look as close as possible to raw plywood. Is there a 100% clear matt exterior finish?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Mog

[*Kev]

Welcome to the forum Mog.

Yep I would definitely apply some sort of finish if you want it to last more than a year or so.

I've used a marine grade clear finish on some exterior stuff in the past with good results. I don't think I saw any with a matt finish though - I think they were all glossy.

Maybe a decking oil would give you the right look?

Hope this helps.

Kev

[nrb]

There are some treated pine plyboards,shadowline I think it's called which weather quite well with no treatment if you haven't bought your materials yet,maybe what you want
It cost more but by the time you buy paint or other treatment it most likely would work out the same cost

[BobL]

Hi, I am making cubby houses out of plywood and wondering what I can use to finish the plywood (apparently I have to).

Ideally I want the plywood to look as close as possible to raw plywood. Is there a 100% clear matt exterior finish?


This seems to come up more often than than I have cups of coffee each day.

Short answer is "nothing clear will last for more than about a year". Given you don't want the plywood glue falling apart find a good quality opaque paint and apply 3 coats. Repainting kids cubbies has knobs on it - big ones :D