Should I stay away from plywood for a DIY hood?

[jtown]

will it warp easily?

[Cam barr]

yes it is cheap but if any moistuyr comes in comtact with it it will fall apart if u want a cheap but good wood for a hood go with popler pine even go with solid wood ive tryed plywood and it dosent work as great!!!!!1

[jtown]

ya, I'm going to stay away from plywood.  whew ... almost bought a sheet today for 17 bucks.

 

I'm gonna take a look at a few other stores tomorrrow and see what I can conjure up.  at first I thought making my own hood would be ugly, but I think I can make a nice looking one.

[Cam barr]

if u have a home depot they sell the scraps for a fraction of the cost i hav a ten gal so i just bought some oak scraps and made a really sick hood!!!!!

[trailguide]

i you happen to be in the south, cypruss is the way to go.  very good wood even if it gets wet.  can be a little pricey, though.

[pulpsmack]

Not so fast guys. I'll be the first to admit that the most desirable hoods are made with solid woods, but don't rule plywood out for an affordable way to make a hood. Some of you may not believe this but people have sucessfully used plywood for 4 sides of enormous aquariums. The key is to prep the wood first by painting it with a few coats of marine-grade paint. Again, if you have the cash then go with solid wood but don't rule plywood out all together as unfit.

[lfrd124]

I used Ply on my tank (oak) but i coated it with "spar" urathane 3 coats and it has not showed any signs of warping.

[Kapelakin]

There is also plywood that is glued with glue made to stand up to the wet conditions.  I wish I had more info on it, but my dad uses it building sailboats.