Plywood (Common)

Plywood comes in many varieties and certain varieties may have several grades. 

Cradling or bracing is recommended to mitigate warping. Most unsupported plywood will warp with time, the weight of the material itself, and the swelling caused during application of waterborne coatings.

A ground or barrier coating is not required when working on plywood with acrylics, oils, watercolors, or dry media.

When painting with an acrylic paint, medium, gesso, or ground, two or more initial coats of Gloss Medium can be applied to reduce Support Induced Discoloration (SID).

Any of our Gesso & Grounds, Gels & Pastes, and most of our Fluid Mediums can be applied to alter the absorbency, durability, or texture of the surface.

For watercolors, we typically recommend applying Gesso followed by one of our three QoR Watercolor Grounds for a bright white absorptive surface.

For dry media like PanPastel, we recommend applying a textured ground or paste for improved tooth.

Video: Support Induced Discoloration (SID)

Article: Understanding Wood Supports for Art

Article: Plywood as a Substrate for Painting