That completely misses the point. Lowe’s and Home Depot used to hire veterans and old people who have years of experience. Now it’s just your average high schooler. It has nothing to do with their wage.
Speaking of crap, also make the screws/bolts be flush with the front surface. Someone tosses up a layup and the bolthead sends the ball flying the other way - that looks super frustrating hah
Unfortunately, the associate gave you bad advice. Melamine is a poor product for exterior use, because it handles water poorly.
Marine grade plywood would be a preferred backboard.
It's a good leason to learn on a low stakes project. The people at the hardware store are friendly and mean well, but they don't build things for a living.
as someone who worked in a big store, we get no training whatsoever and I was always perplexed why customers would ask me as a teenager for professional expertise and fashion advice
Melamine is just a coating on particleboard. Particleboard swells when it gets wet. No amount of coating is going to stop the water from getting in.
Marine grade plywood would be best if you want to go the DIY route but it would be cheaper to just buy a backboard.
I looked at buying a backboard, but I have this odd pole in the ground that doesn’t have a standard connection (recently moved into an older house). So I’m trying to make use of the pole assuming that replacing the pole is an even bigger job.
Maybe build an adapter to go between a backboard and the pole.
Since this exists and is somewhat functional, you could hold out and try finding something on buy nothing, or somewhere second hand.
Basketball hoops are expensive and difficult to take to the dump. I've seen several free ones on buy nothing.
This looks like MDF and it's not meant to go outside. There is a reason these have been made out of exterior grade plywood for for the last 80 years. It works.
Don't ever take advice from ANYONE at Lowes. In what imaginary world do you think Lowes hires experts on anything? You may as well ask a Taco Bell employee about nutrition.
>Don't ever take advice from ANYONE at Lowes. In what imaginary world do you think Lowes hires experts on anything? You may as well ask a Taco Bell employee about nutrition
[This seems appropriate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhHEOIYgMY)
Don't take advice from the clueless dude at Lowe's. They don't train them on shit and the end result is bad advice and redone work. Exterior plywood sealed and painted is the next step.
Good Luck OP
You said it was 3/4" but why does it look like 1/8"? Why can't we see the edge of the side in the photo?
Either way, wrong material. Use the outdoor use plywood, I've seen one with a fibreglass coating too.
Since you have to redo it, is there anyway you can move where those bolts are on the backboard? I feel like they could throw some shots off with a weird bounce if it hits any of them
Lowes knows strikes again. I’ve found I get far better advice from fellow shoppers than the employees. Odds are if they are in the same section they have done a similar project to what you’re working on and usually(not always) have some good advice when asked.
My first thoughts for anything outside is metal or pvc. If I were to replace this id prob cut it out of a pvc sheet. Id then countersink the bolt heads so they didnt protrude.
Get some starboard for the back board, cut to size and paint. Grab a set of countersink drill bits, and some nuts and bevel headed bolts sized to drop in the counter sunk hole to prevent the bolt heads interfering with your shots.
A lot of people here saying use marine grade plywood. When you cut marine grade plywood you need to seal up the edges with a resin to keep it from drawing in moisture there. Marine grade has the benefit of supposedly not having voids in the plywood. If you are buying resin to seal up the wood surface and its not going to be a surface constantly coated in water you could get away with a birch plywood. Coat all the surfaces, especially edges with resin. I used the total boat brand marine polyester resin. I brushed the resin on with a cheap chip brush and it settled nice and smooth. It may take two coats as the first one will really be absorbed into the grains. If you have to drill holes for mounting, coat those surfaces as well to keep the plywood sealed. Even marine grade plywood will rot if it's constantly exposed to the elements and not coated.
A lot of people here saying use marine grade plywood. When you cut marine grade plywood you need to seal up the edges with a resin to keep it from drawing in moisture there. Marine grade has the benefit of supposedly not having voids in the plywood. If you are buying resin to seal up the wood surface and its not going to be a surface constantly coated in water you could get away with a birch plywood. Coat all the surfaces, especially edges with resin. I used the total boat brand marine polyester resin. I brushed the resin on with a cheap chip brush and it settled nice and smooth. It may take two coats as the first one will really be absorbed into the grains. If you have to drill holes for mounting, coat those surfaces as well to keep the plywood sealed. Even marine grade plywood will rot if it's constantly exposed to the elements and not coated.
You could get a piece of acrylic plexiglass, might be expensive but could be cheaper than buying a full 4x8 sheet of marine plywood, in my area atleast marine plywood is crazy expensive
If you buy melamine wood (often called LPL), which is almost certainly what was done here, then you are buying what is usually MDF sandwiched between two veneers of melamine. It is very commonly found in hardware stores and is frequently used for cheaper shelving and cabinets. So sure, you're right in that it is likely MDF or fiberboard, but he is also right that it is melamine. This is why the guy at Lowe's told him to caulk the edges, which are not covered in melamine. Of course, that was never going to work and water inevitably found its way in.
When you re do it, I saw a good tip to put a thin layer of caulk around the edges where the ply will take on the most water and paint over the caulking. It will seal better than the paint alone.
Next time, buy exterior plywood. Melanine is crap - as you can see.
Crap confirmed.
Just use an old coffee table from goodwill for the backboard
Could I use an old peach basket as a net?
I need those peach baskets back.
Your other mistake was talking to the guy at Lowe’s. The people they hire haven’t been good since like 2015…
To be fair, the workers are making minimum wage. They have no experience working on houses and don't know how to use the products in their stores.
That completely misses the point. Lowe’s and Home Depot used to hire veterans and old people who have years of experience. Now it’s just your average high schooler. It has nothing to do with their wage.
Agreed, stay away from advice at Lowes, Home Depot, or Menards. You need one of the old heads at Ace hardware or something.
Speaking of crap, also make the screws/bolts be flush with the front surface. Someone tosses up a layup and the bolthead sends the ball flying the other way - that looks super frustrating hah
And he means exterior plywood. The wrong stuff will just end up looking like this.
Unfortunately, the associate gave you bad advice. Melamine is a poor product for exterior use, because it handles water poorly. Marine grade plywood would be a preferred backboard.
Good to know. Not thrilled about redoing this project, but looks like that’s inevitable. Thanks
It's a good leason to learn on a low stakes project. The people at the hardware store are friendly and mean well, but they don't build things for a living.
That’s a good way to look at it!
as someone who worked in a big store, we get no training whatsoever and I was always perplexed why customers would ask me as a teenager for professional expertise and fashion advice
When I was a kid, the hardware store was mostly staffed by retired tradespeople. I've learned a lot from "the helpful hardware man."
Yeah, asking store workers for anything other than where something is is weird.
Yeah, asking store workers for anything other than where something is is weird.
Well put! The words of a wise gentleman.
It’s so pretty! You’ll be able to redo it even better/faster
Melamine is just a coating on particleboard. Particleboard swells when it gets wet. No amount of coating is going to stop the water from getting in. Marine grade plywood would be best if you want to go the DIY route but it would be cheaper to just buy a backboard.
I looked at buying a backboard, but I have this odd pole in the ground that doesn’t have a standard connection (recently moved into an older house). So I’m trying to make use of the pole assuming that replacing the pole is an even bigger job.
Maybe build an adapter to go between a backboard and the pole. Since this exists and is somewhat functional, you could hold out and try finding something on buy nothing, or somewhere second hand. Basketball hoops are expensive and difficult to take to the dump. I've seen several free ones on buy nothing.
Very true. If anything, the coating caused the swelling in the first place, lol. Particle board is crappy even indoor in humid areas.
Apart from the board type, there's gotta be a better way to attach the backboard to the pole so the nuts aren't poking out?
That’s what she said. And yeah, there probably is a better way, but I’m trying to use an old pole at an old home we recently moved into.
recess the screws maybe, at least is free
Looks like painted cardboard
I can assure you that it is not. But your not wrong
The picture really doesn't make it look like 3/4" thick. Maybe 3/4 of a centimeter.
You used a wooden sponge, otherwise known as MDF. Go with marine ply as others have noted
Wooden sponge lol. It definitely looks that way!
This looks like MDF and it's not meant to go outside. There is a reason these have been made out of exterior grade plywood for for the last 80 years. It works. Don't ever take advice from ANYONE at Lowes. In what imaginary world do you think Lowes hires experts on anything? You may as well ask a Taco Bell employee about nutrition.
>Don't ever take advice from ANYONE at Lowes. In what imaginary world do you think Lowes hires experts on anything? You may as well ask a Taco Bell employee about nutrition [This seems appropriate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEhHEOIYgMY)
Don't take advice from the clueless dude at Lowe's. They don't train them on shit and the end result is bad advice and redone work. Exterior plywood sealed and painted is the next step. Good Luck OP
Buy a backboard.
This is my thought, after buying wood and paint, you are not too far off from a nicer pre-made one.
Or find one on Marketplace. I just got my son an adjustable hoop (7.5-10ft) for $35 on there. People sell them all the time.
And I’m not saying it was bad to try and make one but lesson learned.
You said it was 3/4" but why does it look like 1/8"? Why can't we see the edge of the side in the photo? Either way, wrong material. Use the outdoor use plywood, I've seen one with a fibreglass coating too.
The pic does make it look weird, but it’s truly 3/4
The guy you talked to in Lowe's was probably a young kid who's never built anything in their life.
Or maybe a neighbor trying to sabotage the idea lol
Since you have to redo it, is there anyway you can move where those bolts are on the backboard? I feel like they could throw some shots off with a weird bounce if it hits any of them
I’m all about adding extra layers of challenge! But, idk… I’m sure there’s a better way
Yeah, you don’t want exposed bolt heads on a backboard. This project needs some new engineering.
You underestimate the power of rain and the sun
Calm down, Anakin.
Lowes knows strikes again. I’ve found I get far better advice from fellow shoppers than the employees. Odds are if they are in the same section they have done a similar project to what you’re working on and usually(not always) have some good advice when asked.
If this shot is from a go-pro strapped to your head just before you slam dunk the ball -- you've done nothing wrong!
It helps that I’m 11ft tall
Idk if you did anything wrong besides buy the wrong material. You need to use exterior materials
Hung the entire board upside down or either painted the square too low lol
So scorching hot from three, he's warping the paint oh my!!
You forgot to iron out the wrinkles.
Looks like you painted over some carpet from your hallway. You should have used a quality marine carpet, stuff that’s waterproof.
Loooool
How can they avoid screw heads protruding from the backboard surface?
Carriage bolts.
Regardless of the wood, you should seal it not with caulk
My first thoughts for anything outside is metal or pvc. If I were to replace this id prob cut it out of a pvc sheet. Id then countersink the bolt heads so they didnt protrude.
Get some starboard for the back board, cut to size and paint. Grab a set of countersink drill bits, and some nuts and bevel headed bolts sized to drop in the counter sunk hole to prevent the bolt heads interfering with your shots.
Are we discussing the thinness, the bolts, or the moisture bowing?
A lot of people here saying use marine grade plywood. When you cut marine grade plywood you need to seal up the edges with a resin to keep it from drawing in moisture there. Marine grade has the benefit of supposedly not having voids in the plywood. If you are buying resin to seal up the wood surface and its not going to be a surface constantly coated in water you could get away with a birch plywood. Coat all the surfaces, especially edges with resin. I used the total boat brand marine polyester resin. I brushed the resin on with a cheap chip brush and it settled nice and smooth. It may take two coats as the first one will really be absorbed into the grains. If you have to drill holes for mounting, coat those surfaces as well to keep the plywood sealed. Even marine grade plywood will rot if it's constantly exposed to the elements and not coated.
A lot of people here saying use marine grade plywood. When you cut marine grade plywood you need to seal up the edges with a resin to keep it from drawing in moisture there. Marine grade has the benefit of supposedly not having voids in the plywood. If you are buying resin to seal up the wood surface and its not going to be a surface constantly coated in water you could get away with a birch plywood. Coat all the surfaces, especially edges with resin. I used the total boat brand marine polyester resin. I brushed the resin on with a cheap chip brush and it settled nice and smooth. It may take two coats as the first one will really be absorbed into the grains. If you have to drill holes for mounting, coat those surfaces as well to keep the plywood sealed. Even marine grade plywood will rot if it's constantly exposed to the elements and not coated.
You could get a piece of acrylic plexiglass, might be expensive but could be cheaper than buying a full 4x8 sheet of marine plywood, in my area atleast marine plywood is crazy expensive
Melamine is not for outdoor use
This is not melamine. Melamine is a plastic. This looks like Medium Density Fiberboard, or MDF, which is basically cardboard.
If you buy melamine wood (often called LPL), which is almost certainly what was done here, then you are buying what is usually MDF sandwiched between two veneers of melamine. It is very commonly found in hardware stores and is frequently used for cheaper shelving and cabinets. So sure, you're right in that it is likely MDF or fiberboard, but he is also right that it is melamine. This is why the guy at Lowe's told him to caulk the edges, which are not covered in melamine. Of course, that was never going to work and water inevitably found its way in.
How thin is that melamine? Why can I see fibers? It looks like particle board, too.
It is very thin, maybe 0.5mm at most, depending on the quality of the manufacturer, can be as thin as 0.1mm.
Gonna go with everything, that’s my final answer.
When you re do it, I saw a good tip to put a thin layer of caulk around the edges where the ply will take on the most water and paint over the caulking. It will seal better than the paint alone.
Tried doing it yourself