What do furniture make of?

• Basic materials for the manufacture of furniture
• Wood chipboard cover
• What to choose: a brief summary of

chipboard, chipboard, MDF, softforming, laminate, laminating - all these terms can absolutely confuse and confuse an unprepared buyer when choosing cabinet furniture. Even the principle of "the more expensive - the better" is not always true. From this article you will learn what furniture is made of, in which cases it is better to give preference to this or that material. And also we will reveal the secret how to buy inexpensive but safe furniture.

Basic materials for the manufacture of furniture

Consider the most popular materials that are suitable for furniture manufacturing.

Particleboard

This material came across almost everyone. Particleboard is produced from woodworking waste: sawdust, large shavings, etc. They are glued together with phenolic and formaldehyde resins, and then pressed into a slab. It is because of the presence of these resins in the composition of the EAF is considered not entirely safe material. However, do not be afraid of all furniture from this material, you just need to carefully understand.

Types

Particleboard produced in two classes:

• E1 - produced using a relatively small amount of formaldehyde resins. Therefore, furniture from this chipboard can be safely purchased for office or living quarters.

Important! Make sure that all edges are closed with an edge. Thus, you avoid evaporation of formaldehyde resins and protect furniture from swelling.

• E2 - are considered more dangerous. Try to avoid such furniture.

Important! It is forbidden to make interior objects for a children's room and medical institutions from EAF E2.

Testing

To find out what grade of material the furniture you like is from, ask the seller for a certificate of conformity. Even in the search for quality furniture, your nose will help you: if you feel a persistent chemical smell when opening the lockers, most likely, in the production process, a large amount of formaldehyde resins was used. Advantages of furniture from chipboard:

• Low cost.
• Resistance to high temperatures - furniture from chipboard can be safely placed near cooking surfaces or other heated objects.
• Strength.
• Durability.

Disadvantages of particleboard:

• Sensitive to increased humidity.
• Difficult to be curled pruning.
• It is impossible to make curved furniture elements.

Such a plate consists of three layers, which are located on the principle of a sandwich:

1. The main layer is a conventional chipboard.
2. The fine-grained layer goes over the first one. Its main task is to improve the decorative properties of the slab.
3. Laminated film of thermosetting polymers.

Design

The surface of chipboard can be the most diverse:

• smooth;
• embossed;
• shagreen;
• for wood;
• high gloss;
• with patterns.

Types of

Made of furniture made of laminated chip board, both economy class and medium price category. The plate, covered with a film, is not afraid of water and moisture, except for the ends. Therefore, products from such material can often be found in the kitchen and even in the bathroom.

Important! When buying furniture from the chipboard, pay attention to the quality of gluing the edges on the ends. It depends on this, how much such a product will be sensitive to moisture, how long it will last.

There is also a moisture resistant chipboard. Its ends are treated with a special paraffin emulsion. And the composition of the plate itself includes wood fibers treated with impregnation, which prevents swelling of the material due to moisture ingress. Of course, the cost of moisture-resistant chipboard is higher than normal.

Advantages of chipboard:

• Relatively inexpensive material.
• Not afraid of high temperature.
• Has a wide palette of colors and textures.
• Resistance to moisture in places covered with film.
• Simple care for finished products.
• Durable.
• Not prone to drying or twisting.

Disadvantages of chipboard:

• Butts with weak protection can swell.
• It is not possible to make curly or concave elements.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners.

Important! The load on the shelves from the chipboard should not exceed 10-15 kg. Otherwise - over time they just bend over.

MDF

What do cabinets with semi-circular doors make of?- Often it is from MDF.Furniture made of this material is increasingly popular.

Important! MDF - this is another type of wood chipboard, but unlike the EAF, it contains no harmful resins. MDF plates are made from small chips, practically wood flour, which is pressed with a high temperature. For better gluing, the fibers are pretreated with natural binder products that do not subsequently release harmful substances - lignin and paraffin.

Advantages of MDF:

• It has a high density, which almost corresponds to the values ​​of natural wood.
• Environmentally friendly. It is from this material that furniture for the children's room is often made.
• Flexible enough to create bent surfaces.
• Has increased moisture resistance.
• It is possible to create furniture with carved patterns.
• Immune to multiple fungi.

Disadvantages of MDF:

• Relatively expensive production technology. Furniture, made entirely from MDF, is not cheap. Therefore, often of this material, only facades are made, and the inner walls are made of chipboard or chipboard.
• Sensitive to high temperatures, especially above 70 C. The material can lose shape, warp, crumble, bubble, etc.

Important! Do not place furniture from MDF close near the stove, oven or other heating appliances.

• Subject to scratches and mechanical damage.

Fiberboard

The second name of this material is hardboard, and in the people it was nicknamed "pressed cardboard".

Important! The main component of fiberboard, as in the previous versions, is wood shavings, flour and chips. The wood-fiber board can be produced in two ways:

• Hot pressed with the addition of resins.
• Wet compact without adding other components.

Advantages of fiberboard:

• Low price.
• Durability.
• Resistance to moisture.
• Lightweight material.
• Environmentally friendly.

Disadvantages of fiberboard:

• As a rule, fiberboard is not thicker than 5 mm.
• The difficulty of fixing.

Important! What do the back walls of cabinet furniture do?- It's from DVP.Only certain elements are made of this material. Furniture made entirely from fiberboard does not exist.

• Stiffness of form.
• Withstands only small loads.

Array

What is ecologically safe furniture made of?"Of course, it's made of wood."More natural material for cabinet furniture just can not be found. Most of the cabinets are made from hardwood - oak, beech, walnut, ash, mahogany, cherry. The longevity is directly affected by what material is made of furniture.

Important! Interior items made of pine are relatively inexpensive. But pine furniture requires special care, constant maintenance of humidity and is not very strong, so it is advisable to buy it only for the bedroom.

Quite often now, only facades or a furniture frame are made from the array, and MDF, covered with veneer or laminate under the appropriate rock, is used for the panels. Unfortunately, now all the furniture, in which even a part of the natural tree is present, automatically treat the elite and it costs a lot. However, one should not think that such furniture is absolutely ideal, it also has drawbacks. Advantages of furniture from wood:

• Environmentally friendly.
• Durability.
• Aesthetics.
• Unique natural drawing.
• Possible presence of thin carved elements.
• Subject to restoration.

Drawbacks of furniture from wood:

• High cost.
• Large weight of furniture entirely made of wood.
• Lack of mobility.
• Possible damage to various insects.
• May crack or swell with time.
• Highly flammable.
• Sensitive to mechanical damage.

Important! Reliability and security of furniture from the array largely depends on the firm's compliance with production technology, as well as the quality of the paintwork materials used. Since it is quite difficult to check these points, it is necessary to give preference to the furniture of well-known and tested manufacturers.

Wood board cover

The characteristics of the products are affected not only by what material the furniture is made from, but also by the type of decorative coating.

Laminating

This technology is used for budget furniture. On the surface of the chipboard or MDF, the usual texture paper is applied, quite often then it is varnished or embossed.

Pluses:

• Low price.
• Simple production technology.

Disadvantages:

• Very afraid of moisture.
• Rapidly scratches.
• Fragility.
• Does not stand frequent use.

Important! Furniture with such coating is not suitable for kitchen or bath. If carefully used, you can purchase such sets for a bedroom or a living room.

Melamine

Particleboard or MDF at a temperature of 180 C is covered with several layers of paper, which is impregnated with melamine-formaldehyde resins. As a result, moisture-resistant wear-resistant laminated panels are obtained.

Important! This coating is also called an artificial veneer. Panels with melamine coating are used as countertops, facades and furniture boxes. Advantages of melamine coating:

• . Low price.
• Waterproof.
• You can put hot dishes.
• Resistant to mechanical damage.
• A wide range of colors and textures.

  

Disadvantages of melamine coating:

• It is easy to scratch with a knife or other sharp object.
• When melamine coating is applied, it is impossible to achieve full tightness, so all joints of bathroom furniture must be treated with a sealant.
• Strong strokes can damage the coating.

Important! Quite often there is confusion between melamine and laminate, since the first and second coatings are made on the basis of melamine resins. The difference is just in the percentage of melamine: melamine coating is made of melamine-formaldehyde resins with a content of 60% melamine, and laminate - only 20%.

Laminate

Impact-resistant film based on melamine resins are coated with chipboard and fiberboard. The laminate has a laminated structure, due to which its special characteristics are provided.

Important! Do not confuse the laminated chipboard and laminate. They have different characteristics, although they are made on the basis of melamine resins.

Depending on the production technology, the laminate gets different qualities and is different in class:

• Class CPL - the surface of such material is super-smooth.
• HPL class - laminate is produced under high pressure. Due to the presence of pressing pads, it is possible to obtain a relief surface with imitation of a stone or wood structure. This laminate is characterized by increased wear resistance.

Important! For kitchen countertops should choose HPL-laminate thickness of at least 0.6 mm.

Postforming

What do furniture with rounded edges or countertops do?- It is from this material. It is sometimes called duroplast. Postforming is plastic made of paper with the addition of plasticizers. When heated, this material is capable of bending, and then, when cooled, retains a curved shape. It was for this ability that postforming became so fond of furniture makers. It avoids the occurrence of a gap and a seam between the upper working surface and the end face.

Important! Most often postforming is used in the manufacture of table tops, window sills and cabinet facades.

Advantages of postforming:

• Low cost of technology.
• Variety of color solutions.
• Resistance to moisture and mechanical damage.
• Does not burn in the sun.
• Relatively heat resistant.
• Easy to clean.

Disadvantages of postforming:

• If the technology is not adhered to, the plastic may become detached in the first months of use.
• It is impossible to make a solid corner countertop.
• You can laminate a surface with a radius of curvature of at least 3 mm.

Softforming

This technology is an alternative to postforming. Its essence lies in the fact that the protective film covers only the ends of the plates, the surface of which already has a protective coating. Advantages:

• Any embossed surface can be laminated, even a groove under the glass.
• Low price.
• Smooth rounding of the ends.

Disadvantages:

• The joint between the films on the butt is visible, which is not very aesthetic.
• The film has a low strength in comparison with the main coating of the plate.

PVC film

Polyvinyl chloride film has become widespread in our days. It has good adhesion and elasticity.

Advantages of PVC film:

• Durable and fairly stiff.
• Elastic.
• Environmentally safe.

Important! Furniture with PVC film can be used for children's rooms and medical facilities.

• Wide range of colors.
• The ability to simulate virtually any texture.
• Resistant to sunlight.
• You can cope with sticking yourself at home.

Disadvantages:

• Does not like high temperatures.

Important! When exposed to high temperatures above 65 ° C, the PVC film can peel and peel off. Do not put such furniture near the hobs.

• Not very qualitatively conveys the invoice - when you look closely you can see that this is an imitation.
• After 10 years of use, it can begin to release chlororganic substances. What material is made of modern natural furniture?- Of course, this is veneer. In German, der Spon means "sliver" or "lining".Veneer, which is used in furniture production, is a thin sheet of natural wood. It is glued on a chipboard or a less valuable tree.

  Types of

  There are three kinds of veneer:

  1. The planed one has a thickness of 0.2-5 mm. It is made of valuable wood species, such as mahogany, beech, oak, Karelian birch, yew.
  2. Sawn - thickness 1-10 mm. Obtained from coniferous species - fir, spruce, cedar.
  3. Deciduous - thickness 0.1-10 mm. Made from different types of wood - oak, alder, pine, birch. Such a veneer is produced by cutting a thin layer of wood from a rotating log. Its quality is slightly lower than sawn.

  Important! Varnishing not only gives a natural appearance to different materials, but also allows you to level out all the disadvantages of furniture from the array. Advantages of furniture with veneer:

  • Noble appearance.
  • Naturalness.
  • Does not shrink and does not deform.
  • Durable.
  • Quite simple to clean.
  • The cost is below the furniture from the array.
  • You can sand scratches and chips.
  • Mobility.

  Disadvantages of furniture with veneer:

  • Does not like sudden changes in temperature and humidity.
  • Subject to mechanical damage.
  • Over time, it may darken.
  • If the technology is not respected, the veneer can peel off from the substrate.
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  What to choose: a brief summary of

  Now you know what body furniture is made of. Brief summaries before going to the store:

  1. The most budgetary furniture - from chipboard and chipboard. When choosing it, pay attention to the DPS grade and the quality of the edge gluing.
  2. MDF is safe, moisture resistant, but does not like heat. Perfect for a bathroom and a nursery.
  3. Cabinet furniture with straight facades can be easily purchased from chipboard, so you will also save.
  4. But rounded facades are made only from MDF, and they are more expensive.
  5. Furniture with coating lamination will serve less. For the kitchen, a laminated board is suitable.
  6. The worktop, pasted on postforming technology, will last longer, has a beautiful appearance.
  7. Veneering gives a noble look to furniture, with care much easier than for products from the array.

  We hope that our advice will help you choose quality furniture that will please you and your loved ones for a long time.