Plywood vs MDF Board
Plywood and MDF board are two popular options available for furnishers. Whenever one decides to make wooden furniture for his house, there is one question that he is compelled to ask, the basic material that he should use to make it. There are different materials available in the market, most common ones being wood of different species, plywood, laminated particle board and MDF board. Wood being a costly affair is used for high class furniture and laminated particle board has a very limited choice of colours and patterns. The most commonly used raw material for making basic furniture for homes and offices are plywood and MDF boards. Although MDF board is relatively a new product when compared to plywood but has captured a vast market and is now preferred over plywood.
PLYWOOD
Wood has been used to make furniture from ancient times, but that was the time when wood was available in abundance, as the scarcity of wood increased plywood was invented so that all those who could not afford the furniture made of teak, mahogany or walnut woods. Plywood is made by wood but, minimizes the wastage of wood as every bit of wood that is cut from the tree is utilized in making plywood. Plywood has many advantages as it is available in many sizes and thicknesses so that it is easy to work with. It provides a good finish to the furniture and can be covered easily by paint or laminate of one’s choice in colour or pattern. Plywood although minimizes the wastage of wood but it does not eliminate it. A certain percentage of wood is wasted in its manufacturing.
MDF Board
MDF board is an acronym for medium density fibre board. As the scarcity of wood invented plywood, MDF board is another product that was invented as wood got still scarcer. MDF board is made out of small wood pieces that are broken down into wood fibres and then it is pressed in a hydraulic press at a very high pressure in the form of boards. The MDF boards are manufactured in different thicknesses so that they can be easily used in different applications. These boards have a very smooth finish and the furniture made of these boards has a very high quality in terms of attractiveness. MDF boards can be easily covered with laminate of different patterns and colours or painted in colours of one’s choice. MDF boards are made of wood fibres hence they have a very poor screw holding capacity.
Difference between Plywood and MDF board
Both plywood and MDF board are made of wood and are used for making furniture for homes and offices. Both these products are popularly used by furniture manufacturers around the world and provide the versatility in working with them. The basic difference that puts these two in different class is that plywood is made from solid wood whereas MDF board is made from wood fibres. There are far more sizes in which plywood is available than MDF board. The nailed and screwed plywood has much more strength than that is in MDF board. MDF boards are used with certain technique when they are joined together, but plywood can be simply nailed or screwed. MDF board provides a far superior surface finish to the furniture than that provided by the plywood.
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Recap: › Plywood is made from solid wood whereas MDF board is made from wood fibres. › Plywood incurs some wastage during manufacture but the wastage of wood is nil in MDF manufacturing and it can be made by mixing variety of wood fibres. › Plywood comes in more sizes than MDF board. But, MDF boards are more attractive and you can paint it in whatever colour you want. › Plywood can be simply nailed or screwed in making furniture but MDF needs certain technique to join. › Plywood furniture are more stronger than MDF. |
The world over MDF board is swiftly replacing plywood in furniture industry. The shortage of wood in coming years will fully replace plywood by MDF board. The biggest advantage of MDF is that the wastage of wood is nil in its manufacturing and it can be made by mixing wood fibres of different species whereas plywood can be made by using single specie at a time. Both plywood and MDF board are used in furniture making but as MDF board is now mostly used for furniture plywood is now mostly used as a packing material as it has a clear advantage of strength when compared to MDF board. MDF boards are eco friendly products as they use wood to its full value and if you care about your environment you will select MDF board to make your furniture rather than plywood.