How is plywood furniture better than MDF furniture?
Very brief answer do to limited time on my part, sorry.Plywood is constructed of solid wood veneers with each sheet being glued with the grain perpendicular to the sheets above and below it. This construction makes it very stable so that there is minimum seasonal expansion and contraction. Due to it’s construction it glues well and hold screws securely. This makes for sturdy construction of furniture.MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard, is, as it’s name implies, made up of fibers. Rather than me explaining how it’s made I copied this from a Google search “Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. MDF is generally denser than plywood.”With that said, problems with MDF for furniture is that, due to its construction, it does not hold screws well, is heavier than plywood (which might be good or bad depending on the purpose of the furniture) and swells if any water gets on it. Also, if you’re the manufacturer, MDF produces a finer dust than plywood. You need good dust control for both but MDF is more problematic. You can get around this shortcomings but, except for cost, plywood is the better choice.I use MDF in my shop to make jigs and templates. It’s great for that but I use plywood or solid wood for any furniture projects.
What is good for furniture, engineered wood or ply wood?
I think Abhishek Rao has already answered quite aptly to this question , although I’d like to add a couple of pointers here.Plywood by its manufacturing is actually one of the many engineered woods available in the market today such as MDF, HDF, Particle Board etc, so essentially plywood is a subset of engineered wood and therefore can’t compare against it.That being said, the primary difference between plywood and other grades of engineered wood is the strength and applications. Plywood is the oldest and most tried/tested engineered wood which has stood the test of time and is basically the best option for almost every application in furniture. Other grades of engineered wood such as MDF, HDF or particle board were all developed primarily for the Modular Kitchen or readymade Furniture OEMs (Manufacturers) who required cheaper options designed more towards their requirement. FOr any structurally strong furniture, go with Plywood, else opt for others where the panel is going to be fixed throughout the lifetime.Hope this helpsHarshal Agarwal
Is particleboard pressed wood good to use for furniture products? Does it come in different colors of finishes?
There are different grades of “particle board”. What you are probably referring to is low-density fiberboard (LDF), which is pale yellow with a coarse interior texture. When its surface is protected with a finish, melamine, veneer, or laminate, it becomes much more durable and resistant to moisture, it’s greatest enemy. In its raw form it will take stains, but without edge protection it is not very durable and is prone to crumbling under impact. It will hold screws, but has low structural integrity and designs should take this into account.The higher grades are medium and high density fiberboard (MDF and HDF), which are stronger, heavier, and some types resistant to moisture. MDF in particular is used in many types of higher quality furniture as a substrate.
Is MDF or Medium-Density Fibreboard really safe to use in households?
Why would it be unsafe? Fun fact: Nearly everything you buy made of "wood" these days is fiberboard. It may be low/medium/high density but real wood is pretty rare.The reason being is its hard to join pieces of wood at a factory scale. Wood warps, it isn't always straight, it has defects/knots, all of which make it difficult to make 1000 identical pieces of furniture. It is cheaper, and more accurate to use fiberboard and wrap it in a wood vaneer. The average consumer doesn't know/care, because it still has wood grain, knots, and natural stains. Even very high end furniture (non-craftsmen) is often not solid wood.I have knotty alder cabinets. I wanted to build a coffee maker (long story) out of knotty alder wood and stain it to match my cabinets. Turns out it is extremely difficult to get alder boards wider than 8" (I scoured the internet to no avail). So how do they make 48" wide panels if the trees rarely grow beyond 8" in diameter? They use a neat technique where they peel a 1/8 layer off the top of the log, as they rotate the log. This produces large, long sheets, which they then adhere to plywood or MDF. The point I am trying to illustrate is that most of the "wood" you see, is manufactured wood. It is possible to get solid wood furniture, etc. but very rare.Back to whether MDF is safe: There are 3 components in particle board, saw dust (usually recycled wood, or parts that are not easily used, pallets, etc ground into fine powder depending on the required density), a face adhesive (to laminate the vaneers to the particle particle layers, or not at all), and a resin (usually formaldehyde based).Formaldehyde is organic, and possibly carcinogenic, however I don't think its common for people to eat MDF, so, if we consider that nearly all furniture is particle board, and most cabinets are particle board, then it seems like we have a large enough sample size (the entire modern world), to conclude that it is safe for use in homes.Source: I owned an online furniture retail company, and have seen the insides of hundreds damaged shipments.TL;DR: Yes it's safe. How do I know? Because nearly everything made out of wood is particle board these days. Good luck trying to have a house free of the stuff.
Should I use Kraftmaid standard or all plywood construction for a bathroom?
Personally, in my years of remodelling I have seen far too much damage due to moisture in both kitchen and bath cabinets with an MDF substrate, including in houses I have lived in and in hundreds I have worked on belonging to others. I would not use it in either application. You can get solid wood cabinets (no MDF at all) which have carcasses (the basic box frame) made of plywood and the exterior surfaced made of all wooden veneers. That is what I have installed in my own house right now. The drawer fronts of most of the higher end Masco (Kraftmaid) cabinets are solid wood. The exterior of the carcasses can be either matching laminate or wood veneer. I have found that even if you laminate the INSIDE of MDF cabinets and/or try to seal any exposed MDF with polyurethane, it still eventually absorbs water and starts to swell or delaminate. I don't care what all the salesmen say, I have SEEN many dozens of MDF cabinets and every one that had been installed for at least a year in a kitchen or bath showed some signs on the interior of absorption damage.
What is the difference between "marble" looking table finishes when it comes to durability and looking good?
I'm looking to get a new dining set with a marble looking table top and have narrowed it down to a few options, but some are made of different things so I'm not sure if one is better than the other when it comes to durability/looking super fake. Or if they're pretty much the same? I was also told about a wood faux marble, if that exists? Just a little lost haha....This is my first table I'm buying brand new and don't want to get something super crappy, but don't want to spend a crazy amount on something either, have to furnish a whole apartment. Different table materials as listed on table descriptions (not sure if it means whole table or just the top): - pine, faux marble, MDF (what is MDF?) - marble veneer, MDF, rubber wood *** I don't really know what and of these materials are, except pine, and maybe rubber wood if that's a type of wood lol... THANKS FOR THE HELP!!!
I spilled water on my wooden desk and bumps formed. Reverse it?
I see you're getting advice to start sanding -- without anyone asking just what kind of desk you've got, hehehe. That's the FIRST thing I'd want to know - is this a solid wood top desk? or partical board, MDF, etc? What that desk is made of, will factor very largely in how it should be handled. Some products will sand easier than others, but what you do after that will vary. Prime and paint could be a possibility, but if its made of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), you'll want a different kind of primer than one used for wood. Another option would be to apply a new veneer, or laminate - and again, how you go about it, depends on what the desk is made of. I've done a LOT of furniture repair, and new construction over the years, both professionally, and as a hobby for myself. Feel free to email me, with details, if you'd like to discuss this further. Be happy to help. Good Luck
Different types of plywood?
I'm looking to buy plywood. my local timber store has this on their website... WBP Plywood – 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm, 25mm Shuttering Plywood – 12mm , 18mm Marine Plywood – 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm Flexy Plywood – 5mm, 8mm Veneered Plywood – Sapele/Teak/Oak – 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm Birch Plywood – 4mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm I understand the measurements but not the different types. which one would i need? I'm building a gaming table and I'm either going to paint the plywood with black then shades of green or glue sand to it.
Difference between laminates and veneers?
Veneers are a thin solid piece of material, like wood, used to cover the exterior surface so it looks nicer without the expense of having the entire object made with that materal. It's like a face surface. Laminates are constructed of different materials that are thin and flat and glued together to make a sturdier construction, but it's also cheaper because you're not using original material, like solid wood. For example, you could have a desk that is made of laminate panels. But because laminates are cheap and look ugly, they could put a layer of walnut wood veneer on the entire outside surface. So it looks like it's a solid walnut desk, but really, it's just the top layer of walnut wood and really constructed of laminate wood.