Two silane-based hybrid coatings were developed for surface modification of paper samples with an attempt to improve the hydrophobic properties of the paper surfaces. A phenolic resin was used along with the sol-gel coatings to impregnate the paper samples before they were pressed on to plywood surfaces. The surface characteristics of the sol-gel-coated paper were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The surface chemical properties and water absorption of the laminated plywood was also evaluated. It was observed that the hybrid coatings had clearly different effect on the surface properties of the base paper compared to the industrially impregnated paper. The water absorption of the laminated plywood was decreased the most effectively by mixing the phenolic resin with the coating having an octyl group attached to the silane backbone. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.