Composite Wood Products

Earlier this month FurnitureCart team has started the Ultimate Guide to Wood Furniture. We have discovered what kinds of wood are usually used for furniture production and common wood finishes. You are welcome to check them out, if you are a newcomer at our blog.

Today we continue with the third and last chapter of our Wooden Furniture Guide. And today we will talk about the composite wood products.

Most probably, when buying the wooden furniture, the customer pays attention to solid woods in the specifications and the list of materials used for the dining set or bed. Actually, we have to be frank: nowadays very often plywood, MDF, and particle board are made of a high quality. So, there is no use disregarding these manufactured wood products. Sometimes it can be difficult to differ a composite wood piece and a solid wood piece of furniture, if the composite wood piece comes covered with a high-quality veneer. Let us discover together the three types of manufactured wood products.

Plywood is flexible, though strong material resistant to cracking, warping, shrinking or swelling. Plywood is made of thin layers of wood that are glued together and pressed. To make the plywood furniture stronger, wood grain of adjacent layers is rotated up to 90 degrees to one another.

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is made by means of breaking down hardwood and softwood materials, and then combining it with resin, glue or wax to form panels under high temperature and pressure. As a result, there appears a product that is stronger and more solid than any other wooden materials. Usually it is used for cabinets, cupboards and wardrobes, shelving and bookcases. Though it is heavy material, it is quite easy to cut and finish.

Particle board, also known as low-density fiberboard (LDF) or chipboard, is made of wood chips, sawmill shavings or sawdust, and bound together by synthetic resin or another suitable binder, and pressed. Actually, the process of manufacturing is similar to how MDF is made. Particle board is a part of budget-friendly furniture (kitchens, dining room furniture) and flooring; it is common-used in budget furniture that has a veneered or laminate faсade.

Usually MDF composite wood products do not contain knots or rings, as the natural woods do, making it more uniform to finish, as well as in service. Plywood is frequently used to create curved surfaces as it can easily bend with the grain. Particle board made the huge revolution in wooden furniture design once it appeared, and still continues to make it evolve, by making the prices lower for the final customer.