Let's take a look at the artificial board family and see what their abilities are

When decorating their home, the first thing that many people worry about is the board materials.

Artificial boards are originally very good and excellent. Since their advent, they have been an upgraded version with better performance than solid wood.

There are many types of artificial boards, and different boards have different application ranges. They are also indispensable in decoration. A mind map will first sort out the classification and common name classification of boards.

[Editor's own]

Considering that some old carpenters, master craftsmen and even decoration and design companies have multiple names for the same board, some terms have characteristics of the times and have evolved with the rapid development of industrial production, we have made a simple sorting of them.

1. Plywood

The most common ones are solid wood plywood and multi-layer solid wood plywood.

Plywood is very strong and flexible, but it is also divided into two types: softwood and hardwood.

Softwood plywood is commonly used in roofing and flooring, while hardwood plywood is stronger and suitable for wall structures and furniture.

Plywood is a higher-strength board with better fire and moisture resistance. It's a staple for load-bearing applications and applications requiring flexibility. It's also exceptionally waterproof, making it a great choice for bathroom cabinets, even in the humid southern regions.

It is widely used in renovation projects, high-end residential building decoration projects and high-end furniture manufacturing projects.

The veneer plywood is made of hardwood, and the high-quality logs are imported from Western Europe, Africa and Latin America.

2. Fiberboard

Next comes what many people used to think of as the “crumbs” stage-let’s start with the broader concept: fiberboard.

Modern fiberboard, also known as density board, is a type of fiberboard that's been improved with technology. The most commonly used type of fiberboard is medium-density fiberboard (MDF). MDF is a semi-finished product that's flat, smooth, and has a uniform density, making it suitable for secondary processing.

Fiberboard is a board with fiber as the base material. Sawdust is commonly used. A synthetic resin or other adhesive is added to the sawdust and the board is combined together under heat and pressure.

Different pressing processes produce different densities, resulting in high, medium, and low density, hence the term "density board." It can be used to create a variety of decorative veneers, enriching the colors and patterns; it can also be carved and grooved to create shapes, including European and American classical lines.

Because MDF is very easy to shape, even rounded corners can be molded, making it easy to cut, it is often used in musical instruments such as guitars and speaker cabinets. Therefore, fiberboard (MDF) is most suitable for facades, such as various cabinet doors.

3. Particleboard

Particle board was formerly known as chipboard. Now the mainstream is solid wood particle board, and the newcomer on the market is European particle board (OSB).

Particleboard is an honest name. It originated in Germany. During World War II, the Germans mixed waste floor wood, paper scraps and glue together to produce particleboard, which was then widely used.

At that time, the classic configuration was formed: birch, beech, pine and spruce were processed into particle boards as the outer layer, with thick core fiber in the middle, which was called three-layer particle board.

Later, the development direction of particle board was particle board, which has a cross-staggered structure of particles inside. The performance in all directions is basically the same, and the lateral bearing capacity is better.

Its surface is very flat and its bulk density is uniform, making it convenient for making various finishes. For example, this year's new high-end furniture board with particle board as the core material is finished with Germany's Schattdecor decorative paper. It has electrostatic ink absorption and good stability. It can be made into a whole board and resists deformation and cracking. It is not only the all-round king, but also the king of performance.

Particle board is used for veneer applications and is a versatile material with excellent load-bearing properties. The decorative veneer ensures visual beauty and excellent moisture resistance. It can be used for both cabinet bodies and doors. Its solid materials, exquisite craftsmanship, rich patterns, and excellent performance make it a popular choice for custom furniture.

It has to be mentioned here that additives are added to particle boards during production to enhance their performance, so such truly high-quality particle boards are moisture-proof and waterproof, and can be used to make countertops, bathroom cabinets, and even withstand the plum rain in the south.

Particle board  OSB

European particle board is the abbreviation of Oriented Strandboard, which is the transliteration of OSB.

It is made by flattening narrow and long wood shavings, directional paving, and then hot pressing.

This orientation is like the "angle design" mentioned above, which is closely related to mechanics. If designed properly and the wood grain structure is reorganized, the force, strength, durability, etc. can be greatly improved.

OSB board features a vertically arranged surface particle board and a horizontally arranged core board. This overlapping, vertically staggered structure gives the finished product exceptional mechanical properties and dimensional stability. Based on veneerable particle board, decorative paper or engineered veneer finishes create a clear, natural surface texture while retaining the inherent mechanical properties, durability, moisture resistance, and dimensional stability of OSB. The board also boasts a low expansion coefficient, minimal deformation, excellent stability, uniform material quality, and high screw strength.

OSB is very common in Japan, Europe and the United States. In the United States, OSB accounts for half of the consumption of artificial boards. OSB is currently in a trend of completely replacing plywood.

4. Core board

Nowadays, it's primarily referred to as blockboard or malaysia decking, but it generally refers to blockboard. Core board, in simple terms, is a board with a core made of large pieces of wood (rather than small wood chips). The wood is cut into uniform squares, glued together, and topped with single-layer boards. This is then pressed together using a hot or cold press. However, significant progress is still being made in core materials and production technology.

The wood inside is a whole piece, so it won't fall apart or chip when cut, and carpenters can cut it manually. Because it is very common in on-site furniture making, the name "blockboard" became popular.

The blockboard is made of high-quality southern fir, poplar, paulownia, etc. The top and bottom panels are made of Okoume veneer, and adopt an advanced production process of double sanding and double molding. The product has the characteristics of good flatness, small color difference, light weight, and not easy to deform. It can be widely used in interior decoration and furniture making.

In this issue, we have sorted out artificial boards according to the base materials, and we will introduce them in the next issue when we differentiate them by the finishing.