Wood type for home wall question

Hi, I’m building a spraywall at home, almost done with planning and looking to buy materials. I’m pretty confused about wood types for plywood though.

I’m going with 18mm thick. My local stores (I’m in France) basically give me the choice between three options: 100% poplar, 100% okoume, or poplar core with okoume veneer.

The wall will be in my basement, which can get pretty humid during autumn though nothing extreme.

I’m having a hard time finding information on these wood types as they don’t seem super standard in countries most represented in home wall communities.

Anyone has feedback on any of these wood types? I’m under the impression anything would work at 18mm but really unsure…

Thanks in advance!

Don't do Veneer unless it's more than 1/8" thick, it will splinter when you drill.

I'd go with 100% poplar.  Also, while my experience is limited to outdoor use, which could be a factor, I'd suggest that you think of your plywood as a semi-consumable commodity.  Even if the elements don't get to it, it's likely that loose/spinning t-nuts and other wear-and-tear factors will lead to eventual replacement.  In other words, it's not a case of "buy once, cry once," so I'd avoid the expensive stuff.

I'd think the 100% poplar would be your best bet since it's denser/stronger than the okoume.

Thanks for the feedback ! I think I will go 100% poplar.

Jeremy Diallowrote:

Thanks for the feedback ! I think I will go 100% poplar.

Ask for advice at your supplier which to use for your intended purposes.

Okoume is used for both interior and exterior purposes which means it is more resistant to moisture.

Poplar is lightweight and relatively soft, not sure if it will hold T-nuts well.

We use poplar mostly for temporary projects since it cost less than birch multiplex.

For reference. I've built my own homewall with 18mm birch multiplex. The standard in the climbing wall industry in Europe as far as I know.

Also I've never heard of anyone replacing their sheeting after a few years or anything like that.

I would get some real world advice if I were you.. wouldn't want to invest money based on forum advice 

Halbertwrote:

For reference. I've built my own homewall with 18mm birch multiplex. The standard in the climbing wall industry in Europe as far as I know.

Also I've never heard of anyone replacing their sheeting after a few years or anything like that.

I would get some real world advice if I were you.. wouldn't want to invest money based on forum advice 

In my experience, for specialized topics, forum advice has repeatedly proven to be more reliable than real world advice by people who know less about said topics. Typically, none of my suppliers are used to supplying climbing wall material. Birch is probably not standard in France as it is extremely expensive and most of the time simply not findable. My suppliers only worked with one climbing gym, and they sold them… exterior treated non-slip coated okoume faced poplar core plywood… because it’s "good for shoes grip". It’s an interior gym. So yeah I think I’ll go with aggregated internet advice on this one   

Grant Watsonwrote:

I'd go with 100% poplar.  Also, while my experience is limited to outdoor use, which could be a factor, I'd suggest that you think of your plywood as a semi-consumable commodity.  Even if the elements don't get to it, it's likely that loose/spinning t-nuts and other wear-and-tear factors will lead to eventual replacement.  In other words, it's not a case of "buy once, cry once," so I'd avoid the expensive stuff.

This is a non-sustainable approach. I have spray panels on walls still being used 30 years after they were first built. Your panels will outlast your holds if you buy good material.

The material you should be building your wall from is Baltic Birch. It will come in 5x5 sheets in France. You want a B/B surface which will have blemishes, but be 25% cheaper than BB/B. It’s super nice cabinet grade plywood and if you prefinish your panels, it will last decades. A poplar core plywood will be OK, but the surface veneer on a softwood core plywood is more temperamental and more likely to splinter when drilling your TNut holes.

This is the spot where many guys get lazy and cheep and buy crappy panel material. Those people will have “semi disposable” panels because they use shitty materials to start with.  So spent $50 a panel for something you probably want to throw out in 3-5 years or $120/panel on something that will last for decades.  Your prices will likely be higher, but the same principle applies. There is no reason your woody should be disposable. Your going to spend thousands of dollars on holds and padding, spend a little extra to make your wall an investment and not a liability. 

So I'm not super familiar with those specific building materials, but for more durability with sheet-goods wood products, i typically like sheets with high qty/thinner laminates per thickness. The glue content will go up, and having more of the thinner, alternating grain directions will contribute to an overall stiffer sheet. It will probably make the edges & coreners slightly more durable as well.

As for splitting when you drill, there really is no substiture for using a sacrificial backing-block behind the hole, to prevent backside splintering. For the front/face side, you can always put painter's tape over the start of the hole. For "perfect" holes, put that same 'backer board' on the front/face side too. It will take longer, but yield the best results.

Jeremy Diallowrote:

In my experience, for specialized topics, forum advice has repeatedly proven to be more reliable than real world advice by people who know less about said topics. 

There is  quite active Facebook group 'Home Climbing Wall Forum' https://www.facebook.com/groups/526138960814145/ 

Some members are posting from France. They are likely to have faced similar challenges as you in choosing/sourcing building materials

Your type of wood isn’t as important as how many plys/layers it has. The higher grade plywood like Baltic Birch has fewer voids in the center as well. This is very important as you don’t want a pretty wall on the outside with a bunch of soft spots where your T-nuts will pull through.

Typically you can count the plys and see if there are any voids by looking along the edges of the plywood. Plywood in the states has a few different grades. I’m sure France does as well but I don’t know what they are. The basic ones are; rough finish on both sides, finished on one side, rough on the other and finished on both sides. You want finished on one side, rough on the other. It’s much cheaper. The finish on the wood really isn’t that important as you’re probably going to want to paint the climbing face and add some grit anyway. Moisture won’t be an issue if it’s out of the rain and elements.