Softwood plywood when nailed or stapled on the floor joists can act as underlayment for floors. For maximum bonding between the joists and the plywood, the builder adds a non-structural adhesive at the floor joists. To prevent water and moisture from damaging the underlay plywood, he also applies exterior glue on the softwood plywood.
Carpenters use plywood to construct walls and ceilings, along with a wide variety of furniture such as wall units, sofa sets, cupboards and wardrobes.
Sheets of plywood are often installed on the sub-flooring and walls to provide shear value, which is the maximum amount of stress an object can withstand without fracturing. Builders use plywood sheathing in balcony decks and elevated pedestrian walks as a substrate to be covered in a protective layer of another material such as lightweight concrete. In roofs, the plywood acts as a substrate for the installation of tiles or iron sheets for roofing. Sheathing a frame such as roof rafters increases the strength of the frame and reduces the risk of collapsing.
When plywood meets the required specifications and is treated properly, it is one of the best materials to make boats. This is because plywood offers a high strength-to-weight ratio and has perfect fastener holding capabilities.
Contrary to its name, softwood plywood is not weak. Masons and builders make steps from plywood whenever they are constructing something with more floors than the ground floor. The plywood can withstand great weights of concrete going into thousands of pounds.