Ash Archives - Solid Custom Heirlooms

Solid wood vs plywood

mattmcowen — Sun, 07 May 2023 21:42:48 +0000

Plywood or solid wood: which is better?

Customers often ask – is plywood or solid wood better? When buying a new piece of furniture, customers want to know if natural wood is actually worth it. The short answer is: YES! Solid wood is simply superior to plywood. Not only does it look better and last longer, but real wood will save you money in the long term.

What is the difference between plywood and solid wood?

Plywood is a manufactured product made from thin layers of wood (plies) sandwiched together with binders and preservatives, then compressed and heated. The result is a large sheet of material that has a very good strength to weight ratio and can often be lower in cost that a solid wood equivalent. Plywood is ideal for cabinet sides and backs, interior shelves and other surfaces that are not commonly seen during everyday use.

It’s important to keep in mind that the binders, adhesives and preservatives used in plywood often contain chemicals that offgas toxic fumes for months or years. If you are sensitive to formaldehyde or other preventives, you may want to avoid plywood in your home, or at the very least make sure it is sealed very well.

If you are sensitive to chemical offgas, insist on furniture made from solid wood with a low VOC finish such as Tung Oil.

Why is plywood used?

Now, this is not to say that good quality plywood is useless. Plywood is great for areas that need lightweight strength while not being seen. At Solid Custom Heirlooms we use high quality plywood for things such as drawer bottoms, cabinet backs and some interior bed pieces that are hidden from view during day to day use.

We use plywood for these applications items because of its strength to weight ratio. For example, to use hardwood for the unseen back of a dresser, we would need to use a 1 inch thick panel. Compare this with a 1/4 inch thick piece of plywood which has similar strength while being significantly lower in weight and consumes less space. This not only creates a design that is better, but it reduces shipping costs by reducing weight.

Not all plywood is created equal

Before we continue, we must point out that not all plywood is created equal.

We only use very high quality plywood made in the US. This plywood is usually made from real wood veneers glued together with resin, and then pressed under thousands of pounds of pressure. This creates thin sheets of a highly dense and durable material that is very good for retaining heavy loads over long periods of time.

But, this is for very high quality plywood. It is similar to marine grade plywood, but marine plywood is treated with waterproof glue. Ours is finish grade plywood.

However, your average “big box store” piece of furniture is not made with this material. Rather, it is made with a low cost type of plywood also known as particle board – a sheet material made from wood scraps, chemicals and glue. You can learn more about the disadvantages of particle board here.

Often the manufacturer will put a sheet of wood veneer made out of natural solid wood over particle board to make it look nice, but it will come apart under any serious pressure.

You are in essence buying the wood version of Spam. Put too many books on a shelf made with that stuff and it will snap in half. So much for the decorative veneer!

Why is solid wood better than plywood?

At this point, many of you will ask, “this American plywood sounds pretty good. It seems stronger. Why not make everything out of this laminated plywood?” Well, there are things that good quality solid wood can do that engineered wood simply cannot.

First, strength is not the same as durability. And second, there are qualities of real wood that plywood is simply incapable of matching.

Strength of plywood vs solid wood

Have you ever seen a professional weight lifter? They are really strong at certain motions. However, try to make them stretch in ways that they do not usually do. What happens?

They get really stiff or hurt. Plywood is the power lifter of the woods we use. They are really good at holding heavy things.

However, if you knock them against something, those strips of veneer will come unstuck from each other. Plywood gets chipped. The plywood strength is often not compromised, but it starts to not look very good. It gets damaged.

Real wood is durable

However, natural wood is durable and gets better over time. It is elastic. It pops back. It is like a scrappy endurance athlete. It may not be able to lift twice it’s body weight. But it can take the same movements again and again, while staying the same. It is simply more durable.

This is partly due to the wood fibers in solid wood. The strength from these fibers make solid hardwood ideal for cabinets dining tables and dressers.

Hardwood’s unique qualities

Hardwood is beautiful. It simply is. It is solid and dependable, yes, but the first thing you notice when you look at a beautiful piece of Oak furniture is it’s intricate outer layers, its straight wood grain patterns and polish. You can tell that it is high quality.

Because of that stability, it’s beauty will never diminish. Also, hardwood can be shaped into intricate shapes that bring out it’s grain. Plywood by nature cannot do that.

Hardwood has the added bonus of saving you money by being durable. If your furniture never breaks, it never needs to be replaced. It can be repaired and last for generations.

Pricing

The beauty of hardwood is that it ends up being cheaper than plywood in the long run. Since hardwood is more durable you can expect it to last for decades, outlasting your average plywood. While solid wood furniture might be more expensive upfront, it is worth the cost in the long term.

5 disadvantages of plywood

1. The edges of plywood show the induvial ply layers and must be covered or painted
2. Plywood is difficult to refinish and repair if damaged
3. Plywood is not moisture resistant, and can warp or separate if exposed to water or high humidity climates
4. Plywood is made with chemicals and adhesives that can offgas toxic fumes for months if not years
5. Solid wood simply looks better than plywood

Wrapping Up

Simply, both plywood and solid wood furniture have different advantages. Those advantages often complement each other, which is why we use both when making furniture.

Plywood is great for strength, and hardwood is great for durability and beauty.

Simply, an engineered product simply cannot match a product that comes straight from nature.

The post Solid wood vs plywood appeared first on Solid Custom Heirlooms.

What are the disadvantages of particle board?

mattmcowen — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 15:23:28 +0000

The temptation of cheap furniture

We’ve all been there. We need a piece of furniture, don’t want to spend a lot of money, and find ourselves at Ikea or browsing Amazon, pondering a low cost piece of furniture and thinking “I know it’s cheap, but how bad can it be?”

After many years of helping customers design, build and repair furniture of all different grades and types, we are here to answer that question: How bad can it be? … well, honestly… pretty bad! The reality is that low-cost furniture is low in cost because it is made with materials that simply won’t last no matter how careful you are with them. And the primary culprit? Particle board.

Particle board, also known as particleboard, chipboard or low-density fiberboard, is an engineered wood product manufactured from sawmill shavings, wood pieces, Urea-Formaldehyde, synthetic binders and resins used as bonding agents. This mix is exposed to high heat, then pressed and extruded into dimensional shapes.

Veneer is a thin layer of wood or synthetic material that is glued to particle board to give a finished surface. Some veneer can be real wood, while most is made from melamine which is a type of plastic. Plastic veneer can be very realistic with wood texture stamped into the materials and color variations that look very real at first glance. Laminated particle board and melamine particle board are types of veneered particleboard.

The Honest Carpenter gives a very good explanation of the disadvantages of particle board on his YouTube channel.

What are the risks of particle board?

Particle board swells when exposed to moisture

The primary disadvantage of particle board is that exposure to even small amounts of moisture will cause board to swell. Because it is made from wood chips and sawmill shavings, once swelling occurs there is no way to make it return to its original shape. Minor swelling can be unsightly while more significant swelling can cause the veneer layer to warp and crack, cabinet doors to stop closing and shelves to not fit properly.

This photo shows a particle board with melamine veneer cabinet shelf that was damaged by everyday use.

Veneered particle board chips and peels easily

Another issue is that the surface can be easily damaged during normal use. This is because particle boards typically have very thin melamine (plastic) veneer layers that simply break or crack when exposed to everyday use. Furniture corners are especially susceptible to this issue as well as any surface that receives regular use.

Particle board contains 12.4% Formaldehyde

If you are concerned about Volatile Organic Compounds – VOCs – in building materials for your home, it is best to avoid particle board furniture, cabinetry and shelving.

According to the Website My Chemical Free House, most particle board is made with 12.4% Urea-formaldehyde (UF). For this reason manufacturers highly recommend that all exposed surfaces be sealed either by the covering with thin layers of glued veneer or the application of a sealing agent such as a specialized sealing product.

A disadvantage of particle board is that unsealed material will release or “outgas” formaldehyde primarily in the first 2 months of life, and will continue to outgas for up to 5-10 years depending on the thickness of the material and exposed unsealed surface area. It is a good idea to have new particle board products rest in an open space such as a garage or even outside for 2 or more months before bringing it inside the house.

How can you tell if wood is real or particle board?

Look at the end grain of the wood. If you see real wood grain you have real wood. If you see layers of compressed materials you have particle board or plywood. One of the disadvantages of particle board is that this compressed material can separate over time or when exposed to moisture.

Feel the grain of the wood. Real wood has a natural grain pattern that never repeats or has seams. Veneered particle board can be “too perfect” to be real, or lack any texture or grain.

Look for seams or cracks at the edges. Veneer is glued to a particle board base and therefore a seam will always be able to be observed under close inspection. Small cracking is also very common, even on brand new pieces of furniture.

Look at parts that are not covered with wood veneer first. If you have a cabinet or bookshelf, one trick is to look at the small holes where the shelf supports insert into the material. With a paper clip or small knife, scrape the inside of the hole and observe what material comes out. If it looks like sawdust you have particle board material, if you have wood chips or shavings you likely have solid wood or plywood.

Check the price. Particle board furniture is generally lower in cost vs real wood. If the price of a piece of furniture seems to good to be true, it may be.

Particle board vs. solid wood furniture – why we don’t use particle board!

5 reasons we use solid wood instead of veneered particleboard.

Solid wood is durable. Particle board is not. Most particle board furniture ends up in the trash.

Solid wood is water resistant. Spill a glass of water, cup of coffee or other liquid and properly finished wood furniture will not be ruined.

Solid wood can be repaired if damaged. Particle board is almost impossible to repair once it begins to swell or bubble. Real solid wood can be repaired in a variety of ways from a simple re-application of finish to a more in-depth process of sanding, filling and refinishing the damaged area.

Solid wood looks better than veneered particleboard. There is nothing that compares to the color, luster and grain patterns of real solid wood.

Solid wood products will last for generations. Purchasing furniture that is made from quality materials is an investment that will stand the test of time.

Solid wood furniture made in the USA

At Solid Custom Heirlooms we think that handmade wood furniture should be accessible to anyone. Whether you want a simple platform bed for your queen size mattress or a elaborate canopy bed, we are here to help. Our goal is to offer a wide variety of furniture hand made from high quality American hardwood. If you don’t see what you are looking for, or want to talk more about achieving a specific look or type of bed, please contact us and we would love to help!

The post What are the disadvantages of particle board? appeared first on Solid Custom Heirlooms.