10 Beautiful Plywood Projects for Your Home
Plywood is a fantastic material for practically any application – you can make flooring, create furniture, or use it as a base for hundreds of different DIY projects. Here are a few of our favourite plywood projects from around the web.
How to Cut Plywood
DIYers often avoid plywood as a material since it can be challenging to get a clean cut, especially when using hand saws. Here are a few tips to help you get a clean cut without tearing parts out of the surface:
- Score the wood before making a cut – make sure you do this along the entire design.
- Use a saw with smaller teeth – smaller bites reduce the chances of chipping.
- Cover the cutline with masking tape to hold fibres in place.
- Support the wood when cutting.
- If you can’t get a clean cut, saw the wood slightly above where you need it and trim or sand it down to size.
Our Favourite Projects
Plywood pegboard
Pegboards are a great way to organise your life and even create storage – Vintage Revivals have a fantastic plan that shows you how to make huge pegboards that can even support shelving, plants, and mirrors for a full, modular feature wall.
Book holder
If you have a few favourite books you like to showcase, why not make a holder for them? You can make each layer the perfect width for each book and paint and varnish it to keep your favourite tomes snug and tidy, like this holder from Anthropologie.
Modular shelving
If you need to hold a bit more than just a few shelves, you can make plywood boxes/crates and arrange them on your wall to make a modular shelving system that grows as and when you need it to. Don’t just stick to squares, try out hexagons like this design from Luona.
Branched bookshelf
If you prefer something that looks slightly more organic than modern, this beautifully branched bookshelf is easier to make than it looks. There’s even a video showing you how to do it on the HowWeMakeThings YouTube Channel.
Gallery shelf
Sometimes it’s hard to show off framed photos, paintings, and records, which is why gallery shelving is so popular. This option means that you can easily move your display around without having to re-drill holes or consider sizing. Just 3 sides of plywood can make an elegant, simple shelf for anything you want to show off, like this one from WoodenGood on Etsy.
Cube lamp
If you’d like to try your hand at something a little more complicated, why not make a lamp. Something simple and urban like is surprisingly simple to make, but make sure that you properly insulate the wiring and lamp away from the wood.
Climbing wall
Avid climbers in the family (or just the members with a bit too much energy to burn) might like a personal climbing wall. It’s important to ensure your wall is strong enough to support their weight (not just the weight of the holds!) but it makes a great addition to a kids’ room or even a more serious wall in the garage or garden for adult climbers.
Plywood parquet
Parquet flooring is typically seen as being an expensive addition to your home, but it’s surprisingly easy to fit and looks fantastic when made from plywood. Take another look at Vintage Revivals for a guide on how to do it yourself.
Layered clock
Clocks can be surprisingly fun to make – you can make them out of practically anything, including records, coke cans, and of course plywood. We love this layered design from GorjupDesign on Behance.
Desk organiser
If you need a bit more space on your desk but don’t want to take up more floor space, layer up. Desk organisers like this one from Helmm are an excellent way to tidy up desktops by adding room for stationery, monitors, or entire laptops. The Helmm version has elaborate cut outs but novice DIYers could make a simplified version.
