Water – How would you protect a plywood container from moisture and abrasion

plywoodwaterproofing

We have a pitching mound that sees basement and outdoor use. We try to keep it out of the rain but it does sit on wet ground sometimes.

It is made of plywood and has a number of hinges/brackets as it folds in three. What I am mainly concerned about is the plywood. This seems like it has a good chance of fraying from movement or just normal use and then add to that hitting rough concrete in basement and water outside.

What is the optimal way of protecting this? Also bonus if that way includes the ability to paint/color.

Edit: Hate to add more after feedback and answer but I am really worried about the very bottom and it is water and water that leads to fraying. Each of the three sections have basically the same bottom albeit the other two sections deeper. So kind of worried this get scruffed up, little water, then start chipping like mad.

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Best Answer

The usual approach is a couple coats of polyurethane varnish. I'd sand it a bit to clean it up and give it a coat on all exposed surfaces. Steel wool between coats. It'll be apparent when you've applied enough coats to seal the edge grain well enough to protect it. Reapply every couple years as needed.

If you want the plywood to have a color, simply stain or paint it first. If you use a good oil-based paint (like a floor paint), you could omit the varnish and use two or more coats of paint. Otherwise paint with a flat sheen, then varnish. Glossy sheens would require light sanding for good bonding of the urethane.