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I just bought some 1/2" plywood from HD for a project, and the best piece I could find was still pretty warped. Is there a way to fix this? Currently, it's sitting flat on my garage floor with a sheet of 3/4" plywood on top of it. Other than adding more weight (maybe some half-empty paint cans?) is there anything else I can do to help it flatten out?

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This is why I hate buying lumber from HD. Next time get your lumber at a local lumber yard, they typically have better stuff. – Tester101♦ Mar 30 '11 at 12:14
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See Vebjorn's answer to this question. You'll be "steam straitening" instead of steam bending. – Tester101♦ Mar 30 '11 at 12:18

3 Answers

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What are you planning on doing with it?

Generally, you nail or screw the plywood to something, and that gets rid of the warp.

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I had a feeling I might get that answer. I'm building a pet crate and needed a few panels for a built-in storage compartment and the lid. So the plywood won't be screwed to anything in the middle - just nailed and glued along the edges and set on 1x2's running along the perimeter of the crate. – Doresoom Mar 29 '11 at 16:58
Here's the first version that our puppy has since chewed up, prior to having the lid installed. I'm making it harder to chew this time by adding wire mesh behind the slats. 3.bp.blogspot.com/_2RZjfOZEJiQ/TThf7R0QS2I/AAAAAAAAABQ/… – Doresoom Mar 29 '11 at 16:59
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Unless the plywood is abnormally twisted, it should straighten out just fine when built. Just make sure it's flat when measuring & cutting :) – chris Mar 29 '11 at 21:08
You could add a rail in the middle of the board for straightening purposes. – Alex Feinman Mar 30 '11 at 16:02
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@Doresoom, your dog?! But you asked how to remove the warp from wood, not the woof! – Alex Feinman Apr 14 '11 at 12:54
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up vote 2 down vote accepted

I ended up leaving the warped 1/2" plywood under the 3/4" plywood and some paint cans for about a week. The plywood was visibly less warped afterwards, and almost lies flat on the ground with just a slight arch in the center. Not sure if it was significant, but it rained a few of the days, so humidity levels might have played a factor.

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up vote 1 down vote

(adding this because I came across it while reading about installing plywood T&G subfloor)

A warp means the convex face is larger than the concave side.

Set it out on a sunny day, with the convex face towards the sun. As it dries, it will shrink.

To help things along, add moisture to the concave side. Either a light misting of water (spray bottle or hose) or lay it on the ground, exposed to the earth's moisture.

Watch closely, because if you leave it too long it will warp the other way!

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