I'm planning to build a nice outdoor planter and want to improve on my previous designs. I've made planters out of plywood with pocket hole joints and thin exterior paneling. This time, I want to use 2x6 cedar to wrap around the plywood boxes, which I'll still use for waterproofing the interior. My main concern is how to attach the cedar without visible screws on the outside. I was thinking of screwing through the plywood into the cedar from behind, but I'm worried about wood movement, especially for longer planters that might be around 8 feet. Should I also use construction adhesive to secure the cedar to the plywood?
1 Answer
Honestly, since the plywood won't really move much, I wouldn't stress too much about wood movement with the cedar. It sounds like a solid plan, but using glue might complicate things later, especially since wood naturally expands and contracts. If you want to ditch the plywood entirely, consider just using cedar since it's rot-resistant. That could really simplify the whole project!
Just a heads up, wood mainly moves across the grain, not in the long direction like you might think!
If I could use pond liner instead of a plywood base, I would, but I figured using plywood would help prevent any warping of the cedar in the long run.