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Many consumers who want to customize cabinets are easily confused when they go to the building materials market because there are so many materials available. Even the same cabinet body material can have a variety of names that can be misleading and deceptive. Here, we will provide some basic information for consumers.
There are only two types of wood: logs and engineered boards. Particleboard, MDF, blockboard, plywood, and wood-based panels are all examples of engineered boards. So, when you hear about engineered boards, don't be alarmed or assume they are inherently trash. Beyond their rather unsavory name, once you learn more about them, you'll discover they represent an environmental milestone in modern furniture history.
Why are artificial boards considered a milestone in environmental protection? Think about it: solid wood grows slowly, often taking dozens or even hundreds of years to grow. If every household used solid wood, the forests on Earth would have long since disappeared.
This article will share with you the eight most common types of boards for consumers: solid wood particle board, medium-density fiberboard, woodworking board, core board, density board (fiberboard), multi-layer solid wood board, fir board and paint-free board.
(1) Solid wood particle board
What is solid wood particle board? Some consumers may ask, isn't solid wood particle board the same as particle board? Yes and no, solid wood particle board is just a type of particle board, and the best one. I wrote an article about the classification of particle board four years ago:
According to the raw material classification of particleboard, it can be divided into:
Wood particle board
Bagasse particleboard
Flax chipboard
Cotton stalk particle board
Bamboo particle board
Cement particle board
Gypsum particle board
According to the internal structure of particleboard, it can be divided into:
Single-layer particle board
Three-layer particle board
Gradient structure particleboard (from the side you can see the particles change from large to small or from small to large)
Oriented strand board (generally refers to wood chips that are regularly crisscrossed and hot-pressed)
Waffle particle board (meaning large pieces of particle board)
Molded particleboard
Solid wood particle board falls under the category of particleboard and oriented strand board. Solid wood particle board is a man-made board made by mechanically cutting wood into small chips of a specific size, then interlacing, gluing, and heat-pressing them. It's a standard feature of the custom home furnishing industry, including imported brands like Perli and Boffman. Consumers shouldn't assume solid wood particle board is inferior. If it were of poor quality or environmentally unfriendly, how could the entire industry, and even major global brands, use it?
So what are the advantages of solid wood particle board?
Good moisture resistance (because the base material of solid wood particle board is small wood chips, it still retains a large amount of wood fiber, and the water absorption rate of wood fiber is low, just like why wooden boats can sail across the ocean? It is because the water absorption rate of wood is low, so the moisture resistance of solid wood particle board will be better)
Strong load-bearing capacity and good nail holding force (because the base material is small wood chips, and it is made of hundreds of tons of hot pressing, it is very hard and has a very strong nail biting force)
Environmentally friendly (solid wood particle board is not powdery, so it requires less glue and is relatively more environmentally friendly)
Of course, solid wood particle board is not without disadvantages:
It's ugly (indeed, it's not pretty at all when you look at the cross section, but after edge banding and finishing, these problems no longer exist. Why bother worrying about it? Just like people need to wear clothes, if a person is naked, I believe it won't look much better than solid wood particle board, haha o(*￣︶￣*)o)
High requirements for processing equipment (indeed, the equipment used for cutting wood generally uses German-imported Homag cutting machines, which cost millions of dollars, which is indeed not affordable for ordinary small brands. This is why small brands and small manufacturers do not use solid wood particle board, because it saves money, because they have no money. Having said that, the high requirements of solid wood particle board for processing equipment are not a disadvantage for consumers, because this is not a problem for big brands. Big brands leave simplicity to consumers and complexity to themselves. This is why I have always advocated choosing big brands. This is the simplest and most effective rule to avoid pitfalls)
It is not easy to shape (because solid wood particle board is very hard and has a crisscross structure, it is not easy to shape it. It is generally used as a load-bearing cabinet body, not a door panel. Door panels need to be shaped, but cabinet bodies do not need to be shaped. The so-called making the best use of talents and materials.)
(2) Medium Density Fiberboard
What is MDF? MDF is a type of fiberboard, and MDF is also classified into:
Low-density fiberboard (usually used for packaging cartons or low-quality furniture)
MDF - Medium Density Fiberboard (moderately soft and hard, good flexibility, easy to shape, so it is generally used as door panels for panel furniture)
High-density fiberboard (highest hardness, generally used as wood flooring)
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is generally made by cutting wood and other plant fibers into powder using a machine, then gluing and hot pressing them to form a man-made board. Consumers can also learn about the advantages and disadvantages of MDF:
Benefits of MDF:
Good flexibility (because door panels are often pushed and pulled open and closed, if they are too hard, they are prone to cracking, so this advantage of MDF can be utilized)
Easy to shape (because it is a powder structure and very smooth, it is easy to shape, just in line with consumers' needs for different door panel shapes)
Disadvantages of MDF:
Poor moisture resistance (because it is in powder form, it has strong water absorption and is naturally not moisture-proof, but this no longer exists after the MDF is finished and edge-sealed)
Poor load-bearing and nail holding strength (due to the characteristics of the base material and powder structure, medium-density fiberboard cannot be used as a cabinet body, but there is no problem as a door panel)
Poor environmental protection (because it is in powder form, it requires more glue and is relatively less environmentally friendly, but this can be solved through edge banding and finishing)
(3) Wood board
What is wood board? Wood board is also known as core board, blockboard, or some more advanced wood products called eco-friendly solid wood or Malaclan decking. In essence, it's just wood board. Wood board generally refers to wood cut into strips, spliced together, glued, and then double-sided with a high-quality veneer with a textured finish.
I would like to state my opinion first: I do not recommend wood board. This is because wood board has the following fatal disadvantages whether it is used as a cabinet or door panel:
Not environmentally friendly (wood panels are made of low-quality wood strips of different sizes, with poor flatness and requiring a lot of glue to bond. Since major brands have long since phased out wood panels, only small manufacturers use them now. Small manufacturers have limited financial resources and cannot afford imported machinery and glue, so formaldehyde emissions are bound to be high)
Poor load-bearing and nail-holding strength (because the wood strips of the wood board are made of low-quality materials, the wood strips themselves have many defects and even termites, plus they are of different lengths, so there are large gaps, plus the surface is only covered with a very thin veneer, so the nail-holding strength is very poor, and it can't bite nails at all, let alone load-bearing)
Of course, it doesn’t mean that wood board has no advantages. It still has its advantages. Anyway, why would small manufacturers and small brands use it?
Low requirements for raw materials (so any fast-growing wood strips or waste wood can be used, because there is no standard, and consumers can’t see it after bleaching anyway)
Low requirements for processing equipment (so no German imported Homag equipment is needed, the saw blade can saw it, and the equipment cost is super low)
It looks high-end (because it is made of wood strips, it feels like solid wood and looks high-end. This is also an important reason why many consumers who don’t know the industry like wood panels. Insiders look at the doorway, while outsiders like to watch the excitement and look at the surface)
(4) Core board
The core board is also called the blockboard or plywood. The wood board is processed into wooden strips of a certain specification, which are spliced together by a splicing machine. After splicing, they are glued together by cold and hot presses. Advantages: good nail holding force, high strength, solid quality, sound absorption, heat insulation and other characteristics. The moisture content of the blockboard is not high, between 10%-13%, and it is easy to process. Disadvantages: A large amount of urea-formaldehyde glue is used in the production process, the formaldehyde emission is high, the environmental protection standard is relatively low, and the smell is relatively pungent. The veneer material is different, the density varies, and it is easy to warp and deform, affecting the appearance and effect of use. The surface of the core board is relatively rough and requires on-site carpentry to reprocess.
(5) Density board
Density board is also called fiberboard. It can be divided into high-density board, medium-density board and low-density board according to its density. The main ones used on the market are medium-density board, which is what we often call medium-density fiberboard.
Advantages: The surface is flat and smooth, making it easy to coat and glue. Various materials, such as veneers, adhesive films, veneers, lightweight metal sheets, and melamine boards, can be glued to the MDF surface. Disadvantages: The interior is made of milled wood fibers, which are slightly inferior to solid wood particle board. It has higher moisture absorption and water absorption properties, and a higher thickness expansion rate. Because a large amount of adhesive is required, and the powdered fibers are difficult to release after being pressed, its environmental performance cannot be guaranteed to a certain extent.
(6) Multi-layer solid wood board
Multi-layer solid wood panels are manufactured by gluing three or more layers of veneer or thin board together under high temperature and high pressure. The primary substrate is a staggered arrangement of plywood, supplemented with a high-polymer, environmentally friendly glue. High-quality solid wood veneer is applied to the surface. The panels are then processed through a series of processes, including cold pressing, hot pressing, sanding, and conditioning. Advantages: The use of vertical and horizontal gluing of veneer boards and high-temperature, high-pressure pressing results in a stable, non-deformable structure, high strength, excellent internal quality, smoothness, and robustness, while reducing the use of adhesives. The use of high-polymer glue in the production process reduces formaldehyde content, making it environmentally friendly.
Disadvantages: Since the production cost is relatively high compared to other materials, its price is relatively high compared to other boards.
(7) Fir board
Fir board, also known as fir integrated board or fir finger-jointed board, is a thick, large-format board made by joining short pieces of wood together using tenons and tenons. This process eliminates the need for extensive glue or adhesive bonding, making it one of the most environmentally friendly decorative panels for interior decoration. Currently, fir is the most common wood, hence its common name, fir board.
Advantages: Made entirely of high-quality wood, the glue used is only seven-tenths of that used in wood panels, making it an environmentally friendly product. Durable, insect-resistant, and warp-resistant, the surface is smooth and flat, eliminating the need for veneer when making home furnishings and furniture, saving labor and materials and being economical.
Disadvantages: poor quality, low price integrated boards, substandard moisture content, easy to deform, and will crack over time.
(8) Paint-free board
Paint-free boards are made by soaking papers of different colors or textures in melamine resin adhesive, drying them to a certain degree of solidification, laying them on the board, and hot pressing them to form decorative boards. Therefore, they are often called melamine boards.
Advantages: Natural texture, clear wood grain, no color difference on the surface, self-extinguishing when away from fire, washable, wear-resistant, moisture-proof, corrosion-resistant, acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, dust-resistant, and not prone to mold or blackening. No paint is required, saving labor and paint costs after construction and shortening construction time.
Disadvantages: High price, short lifespan, relatively fragile, very difficult to repair once damaged