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Manufactured Woods

Today, the term wood embraces many types of manufactured products, such as plywood - pic.4,5 medium density fiberboard (MDF)- pic.3, chipboard - pic.2 and hardboard - processed materials which have tended to be used in a workhorse capacity as linings or carcases but which are now increasingly seen as final finishes. Then there is an equivalent range of formats, everything from solid planks, tiles, strips, sheets and blocks to thinly veneered boards and panels.

Blockboard (pic.1) consists of a core of solid blocks sandwiched between veneers. It comes in a similar range of thicknesses and facing veneers as plywood (see above), but its cut edges may show gaps where the blocks of wood do not meet, so these are therefore covered up. Blockboard is cheaper than plywood and tends to be used for shelving light loads.

Cork is derived from the bark of the cork oak, an evergreen native to Mediterranian regions. It is a relatively cheap material with both many admirable practical qualities and something of an image problem. Cork is typically available in tiles of varying thicknesses, grades and dimensions. Flooring-grade cork is harder wearing than the tiles produced as wall covering. One of the most notable characteristics of the material is its springy resilience, which makes it a very comfortable and quiet surface. Colors are generally the natural shades of caramel and honey, but some darker tones are also available. The major drawback of cork is that it can qiuckly wear if dirt becomes ingrained, which means that repeat sealing, particularly for cork floors, is essential.

Chipboard is among the cheapest of all manufactured wood products. It consists of chips or fragments of wood bonded with plastic glue and is available ready veneered. It is much weaker than blockboard or plywood and cut edges must not be left esposed as they absorb water readily.

Hardboard is a type of fiberboard in the fragments of wood are bonded by heat and preassure. A relatively thin material, with one rough face and one smooth, it is commonly used as a sub-floor in order to level surface unevenesses.

Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is a relatively new type of wood product, made from tiny particles of wood bonded with plastic resin. An overnight success due to its uniformity, dimensional stability and strength, MDF has a wide variety of uses ranging from shelving and interior trim and mouldings to drawer fronts and cupboard doors. Smooth and sleek once painted or laquered, MDF is the perfect material for clean-lined contemporary interiors or for creating a seamless look for built-in storage.

Plywood is a hugely versatile material with cool, utilitarian aesthetic. Plywood features in many contemporary furniture designs and is also used as a final floor, as well as sub-floors. Marine ply is used as a sub-floor for mosaic and in areas such as kitchens and bathrooms where moisture occures. Plywood is made out of an odd number of thin veneers of wood (known as piles) glued together. In most cases the veneers are laid at right angles to each other, which makes the material equally strong in both directions. A range of thicknesses is also available, with the thinnest being suitable for bending and the thickest being the strongest and most stable.

Different woods are used in the composition of plywood. Mong the most common types are birch-faced ply or all-birch ply. More expensive plywoods include those which have been faced with an attractive hardwood such as maple, teak or oak.