Which is lighter MDF or plywood? What is better: chipboard, OSB or plywood?

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We would like to say a few words about the most common materials used for the production of “Hard” furniture - cabinets (both built-in and cabinet), kitchens, dressing rooms, cabinets, etc.

First of all, it should be said that the main components furniture can be:

• frame,
• facade,
• table top,
• accessories.

Case materials - product basics

Material No. 1 - laminated chipboard

The vast majority of furniture cases in Russia are made from Chipboard thickness 16 mm, although there are other thicknesses, for example 18, 25 mm. LDSP is a Laminated Chipboard (the official abbreviation is LDstP, the most common abbreviation is LDSP, in common parlance - chipboard, in professional slang - firewood). The basic device is a particle board consisting of glued together at high temperature wood shavings, onto which special decorative paper – impregnate – was “glued” on both sides. This paper (Impregnate) or imitates various materials– as a rule, wood of various species or some other materials, for example, Titanium metal, or simply plain different colors: white, beige red, blue etc..

Non-laminated (or sanded) chipboard is not used for the production of furniture cabinets.

1 chipboard

2 laminated chipboards

The price of laminated chipboard depends on the Thickness, Color, Texture (the surface may feel different to the touch) and pricing policy manufacturer's company. Prices

In the photo: Egger chipboard white with different textures.

To make furniture, a laminated chipboard is sawn, and decorative edges of varying THICKNESS are glued to the ends, depending on its purpose.

In the photo: 16 mm chipboard with PVC edging 2 mm thick

The material from which edges are now made is plastic (or PVC-Polyvinyl chloride or ABS - Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) with a thickness of 0.4 to 2 mm. These edges are designed to be applied using special equipment. The previously common melamine edges, which could be glued with an iron, have practically fallen out of use due to lower consumer qualities.

Material No. 2 - MDF

MDF is, just like chipboard, a glued board, only it is glued not from shavings, but from wood “dust”.
MDF (MDF) - from English. Medium Density Fiberboard to indicate fibreboard medium density. The most common thicknesses are 16, 19 and 25 mm, and gluing of these boards is also possible.
Fundamental difference from chipboard - MDF is much more durable and dense - therefore, patterns can be applied to its surface using milling.

In the photo: MDF with milling

MDF is a more expensive material (more wood base, more binder) than chipboard, and, as a rule, intended for subsequent surface treatment: painting, milling, gluing veneer, plastic, PVC film, etc.. For this reason, laminated MDF in any color other than white is a rarity.

There is an opinion that MDF is more environmentally friendly pure material than chipboard is a misconception.
The environmental characteristics of these materials are very similar: both high-quality chipboard and high-quality MDF corresponding to class E1 have equally low formaldehyde emissions. To see this, read the Egger environmental brochure - see page 24.

Egger environmental brochure
Eco Egger.pdf (1.61 MB)

Material No. 3 - furniture board, solid wood, plywood

Furniture board, solid wood, plywood are also glued wood. In general, furniture made from a single piece of wood is a rarity in modern world. The number one reason for this is due to changes in humidity whole piece wood of large width (and this is exactly what is needed for the production of the cabinet body) is prone to deformation, reason number two - solid wood of large width is very expensive.

Material No. 4 - for rear walls

For back walls, the most common materials are fiberboard, HDF, laminated chipboard, and in the cheapest furniture - fiberboard.

A little more about each of these materials in ascending order of cost.

Fiberboard - Wood Fiber Board is similar in composition to MDF, only the density is lower and standard thickness just over 3 mm. This is the cheapest slab material known to us; it has no decorative finishing, but it often has a persistent odor, which tends to accumulate inside your closet. This material is suitable only for the most undemanding consumers.

DVPO – Ennobled Wood Fiber Board, in common parlance - Hardboard. This is fiberboard, one side of which is painted and either imitates wood or is simply a solid color. Because the decorative layer DVPO is applied using a technology that is fundamentally different from chipboard, and their colors are different.

HDF – from English High Density Fiberboard – wood-fiber board high density. Roughly, this is a higher quality DVPO. HDF is produced by the same companies as laminated chipboard, so some of the colors of HDF and laminated chipboard are almost identical, but, alas, not all. Disadvantages of MDF– the cost is close to laminated chipboard and relative fragility.

Laminated chipboard for rear walls is used in the following cases:

• The back wall is not covered by the facade and its color must completely match the rest of the body parts. In this case, the thinnest plate, 8 mm, is most often used.
• The product is located in the middle of the room - and its back side is visible.

The rear wall experiences high loads - in this case, chipboard with a thickness of 16 mm or more is used.

Facade materials

It should be noted that facades come in different types of opening: sliding – for example, sliding doors made of aluminum profiles and hinged ones, which affects their design. From a structural point of view, facades can consist of a single material and be prefabricated, for example, filling from other materials is inserted into a profile made of one material. Common frame materials – aluminum profile

, a profile made of MDF and wrapped in PVC film. The materials for facades consisting of a single material and the materials for filling prefabricated facades are fundamentally the same: laminated chipboard, painted MDF, both with and without milling, MDF covered with PVC film, MDF covered with HPL plastics, Mirror and glass, as simple and processed - matte, tinted, painted, with a pattern, etc., decorative plastics

• and artificial leather.
• 1) laminated chipboard.
• 2) Transparent glass and “silver” mirror (i.e. not tinted)
• 3) Glass with Oracal color films
• 4) Facades made from MDF frame profiles
• 5) MDF covered with PVC films
• 6) MDF coated with HPL plastic from Egger, Melaton, Arpa and others.
• 7) Matte painted MDF
• 8) Painted MDF glossy

9) MDF veneered

Options for materials from which countertops are made

If the furniture is not exposed to moisture, then it is laminated chipboard or MDF, painted or veneered.

If the furniture is exposed to moisture, for example in the kitchen, then it is a tabletop based on moisture-resistant chipboard, lined with plastic, a tabletop made of artificial stone or natural stone. Our company works with most of the listed materials. More detailed information

You can obtain it in the relevant sections of the site or from our employees.

Wood-tile materials are products of processing soft and hard wood and waste from the woodworking industry. These raw materials are widely used in the furniture industry, door production and construction.

Big choice wood boards offered today by construction markets. Competitive prices, prompt delivery, individual approach to every buyer - you will find all this.

Features of materials

Chipboard (chipboard) is a pressed board material consisting of sawdust and shavings mixed with synthetic glue and hot-pressed into sheets. This one is durable and comfortable material is actively used in the production of furniture and interior decoration.

Chipboard has a number of advantages:

• high strength;
• heat and sound insulation;
• various sizes;
• ease of processing;
• price.

Areas of use

1. Floor and roof sheathing is an ideal layer for parquet and linoleum flooring, and is excellent for sheathing roofs under tiles.
2. Manufacturing wall partitions– when remodeling premises, it is actively used as rough material.
3. Furniture manufacturing - racks, shelves, cabinets in offices are made of chipboard.
4. Door production - budget interior doors are made from chipboard.

Plywood is sheet material consisting of several layers wood veneer, perpendicularly glued together. This durable material used in construction, renovation of premises, and furniture production.

Advantages of plywood sheet:

• increased moisture resistance;
• strength and wear resistance;
• resistance to temperature changes;
• non-toxic;
• aesthetics.

Areas of use:

1. Furniture production - the texture of plywood itself is original, and is often used in the production of chests of drawers, tables, cabinets, shelves, and children's beds;
2. Covering floors and walls - plywood is often used as the basis for parquet, and for walls beautiful texture the material is used as a decorative detail;
3. Mechanical engineering - plywood is used as flooring in buses, trailers, and trucks.

What material to choose?

Plywood and chipboard are made from natural wood, but less glue is used for plywood, which means it is less toxic. Plywood has higher moisture resistance, as well as abrasion resistance.

When exposed to moisture, chipboard is susceptible to changes in structure. Fasteners hold better on plywood. As for the price, chipboard is cheaper than plywood, and is often used for the production of budget furniture.

Based on the characteristics of these materials, each consumer will independently choose what he needs to buy, plywood or chipboard. Discussions on this topic are in this video:

The use of natural wood in some areas of construction, as well as in the production of furniture and in any other industry, is partly unreasonably expensive. For this, there are cheaper substitutes - wood-based materials. Many of them have everything necessary qualities for use in one or another area of ​​construction, but the most popular are chipboard and OSB (OSB) and plywood. It is difficult for an ignorant person to make a choice, because the quality characteristics of these materials and their cost vary significantly. To make a targeted and right choice, you need to know their differences.

Production technology

A comparison of OSB, chipboard and plywood can begin with their production technology. All indicated materials are made using natural raw materials, although they step by step process is different.

• Plywood is a multilayer material for which peeled veneer is used. Plywood has good strength, since the veneer sheets are laid using a special technology - perpendicular to the fibers of the previous sheet.
• Chipboard – this one, unlike plywood board, is produced by hot pressing. And the raw material for it is waste shavings after wood processing.
• OSB – compared to the above-mentioned boards, is a new material. However, it has already firmly taken a leading position in some areas of construction. OSB panels consist of 90% natural pine sawdust, and only a tenth is allocated binder. Moreover, in comparison with the first two, they are environmentally friendly. Of course, these indicators significantly increase the quality characteristics of the slab and expand its scope of application. Even though more high price, such material in some cases is more profitable to buy.

Qualitative characteristics

When choosing a material for certain type work, it is also necessary to take into account its operational characteristics. After all, to perform certain functions, you may need one of the qualitative aspects of one of the panels, which others have to a lesser extent.

The strength indicators of chipboard are much lower than those of plywood and. The last two are not inferior to each other in this regard. The strength of plywood is ensured by the special laying of veneer sheets, then OSB method pressing wood chips, similar to chipboard, is still more advantageous, since the capacity of natural raw materials is greater there.

Considering the possibility mechanical damage, again, chipboard is not the best option for places where such influence is possible. Although this material is not able to dry out and come apart, which is the sin of plywood. The best option is still OSB panel, it is reliable and not susceptible to external influences.

The moisture resistance of materials also varies. Use chipboard in areas with high humidity not worth it. In turn, the production of plywood and OSB boards has the ability to produce moisture-resistant grades - this FSF plywood and OSB-3, 4.

From an environmental point of view, OSB is more the best option, since it does not contain synthetic impurities, which plywood and chipboard cannot boast of.

To sum up, we cannot mention the cost. Of course, of all these materials, OSB panels are the most expensive, but their advantages and long service life always justify such a purchase. Although plywood sheets are not inferior in cost to OSB boards, their use is possible for the most part for outdoor work. But chipboard is a cheap material and is most often used for rough finishing, for example, for flooring.

Since OSB is more natural in its composition, it is often used for finishing wall surfaces. The panels are well tolerated various paints and other coating agents. Plywood sheets are more often ordered for the manufacture of budget furniture and the production of laminated floorboards, although many designs in construction also cannot do without its participation.

Modern repairs often involve leveling surfaces. This can be done using a wet or dry method, the latter of which involves e.g. use of chipboard. In order to choose which quick leveling material to use, you should know the pros and cons of each.

To obtain a more rigid and robust construction It's better to use plywood.

Tools and materials

• hacksaw;
• nails;
• hammer;
• logs;
• plywood;
• level;
• jigsaw

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Chipboard, plywood and OSB

Chipboard is a composite sheet material made by pressing small wood particles; this process occurs when high temperatures, and shavings mixed with a binder that are of non-mineral origin are used.

If you are laying chipboard on the floor, you should take into account the need for pre-treatment of the material, which can damage the already vulnerable corners and ends of the boards. This is due to the fact that pieces of glued shavings easily break off, unlike plywood. The process is complicated by the need not to damage the coating and ensure reliable fastening.

Despite the fact that chipboard contains wood, the material cannot be called completely environmentally friendly, since the boards contain synthetic resins and formaldehyde. However, by laying chipboard on the floor, you get a guarantee of ease of installation and economical material consumption. In addition, these slabs are available, which quite often acts as decisive factor when choosing this alignment method.

The difference between chipboard and plywood is that the latter material is a board made of layers of wood.

Before laying chipboard on the floor, it must be treated with drying oil or an antiseptic.

This material is made by gluing prepared veneer. As a rule, the number of veneer layers is odd and the minimum can be 3. In order to ensure the greatest strength, veneer layers for plywood are applied in such a way that the fibers are perpendicular to the previous sheet.

You can also use OSB for the floor, which is an oriented strand board. This is a relatively new development in the field of deeper processing of wood, which has made it possible to obtain a material that has unique physical and mechanical characteristics.

OSB combines best qualities which he has natural wood In addition, these boards do not have the disadvantages that chipboard or plywood have. To obtain OSB, high-tech methods of processing raw materials are used. If we consider OSB board in cross section, you can see 3 layers, each of which consists of chips with a length equal to the limit 4-8 cm.

The position of the chips for the OSB structure plays a major role. The middle layer in its structure contains chips that are elongated transversely in relation to the other layers, and the structure of the outer layers contains chips located along the length of the slab.

Layers of this material are pressed under significant pressure during the manufacturing process, and to increase the binding effect, the raw materials are impregnated with waterproof resins. This makes it possible to obtain a material with a uniform layer structure, in which delamination and voids are excluded. This distinguishes OSB from the materials described above.

Choosing the material to be used rough coating If you plan to lay the floor, you should first decide what is more important to you - cost, quality or ease of installation. If you want to save money, then you should choose chipboard, its cost is lower compared to the other materials under consideration, however, its installation will be more labor-intensive, since the coating will have to be carefully protected from the penetration of moisture, which can cause swelling and subsequent destruction of the chipboard.

Alternative, but of higher quality and expensive material, in comparison with chipboard, OSB acts. This material does not have a wax coating, is excellent for laying on a substrate with adhesive and has locking system tongue and groove

Plywood can cope with heavy loads if the floor arrangement requires it. If you intend to cover the floor with this material, then it is necessary to use one that has water-resistant characteristics and a thickness of at least 6 mm.

It is worth considering that the cheapness of chipboard may seem deceptive, because such floors, not sufficiently protected from moisture, can become wet and completely collapse, which can even happen to a painted version of chipboard. This will entail the need to change the coating after 1-1.5 years.

Advantages of chipboard:

• ease of installation;
• economical material consumption;
• insignificant cost.

Disadvantages of chipboard:

• the need for careful processing due to the likelihood of damage to the material and the occurrence of chips on it;
• not so much environmentally friendly material due to the content of synthetic resins and formaldehyde;
• flammability;
• the need to carefully protect the material from water penetration during the installation process.

Advantages of plywood:

• material strength;
• naturalness;
• Can be used even in wet conditions;
• ease of installation.

Cons of plywood:

• high price;
• flammability;
• With a certain production technology, harmful substances may be added to the material.

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Comparison of chipboard and plywood

• plywood has more high cost compared to chipboard;
• plywood is made of veneer, and chipboard is made of chips, which makes the latter material more vulnerable to mechanical stress and moisture;
• Chipboard involves more labor-intensive installation compared to plywood, since the latter option does not require careful protection from moisture;
• plywood may contain or be devoid of harmful phenolic compounds, while chipboard in any case contains resins that are harmful to human health.

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