Chipboard And Chipboard: What's The Difference? How Do They Differ Visually And What Is Better In Furniture?

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Upon closer examination, modern furniture products have a presentable appearance, which attracts attention with a variety of material textures. But even with the external similarity, prices for standard products can be very different. This is due to the fact that the manufacture of furniture consumes material with different properties and quality. The price of finished furniture products depends on the cost of the material from which they are made. The higher the quality of the material, the higher the price of the finished product will be; in addition, the service life of the furniture will depend on the type of material. Let's take a closer look at what is the difference between chipboard and chipboard.

External differences

In the construction and furniture manufacturing industry, materials of the chipboard and chipboard brands are often used. The difference between these woodworking products is significant - and this affects the cost of materials.

It is not difficult to visually distinguish these two furniture boards - the chipboard material has a small porosity and roughness, while the chipboard board has a sheen due to its lamination and its surface is always smooth.

Chipboard is a chipboard made by molding small wood chips with an adhesive mass in the form of polymer formaldehyde resin . This panel is used for the production of shelves, cabinets, bookcases, countertops and so on. It is often revetted with thin natural wood veneer, plastic or impregnated paper.

Chipboard is a laminated chipboard . It differs from chipboard in that melamine paper with a certain impregnation is fixed on the upper layer of the material by lamination. This layer protects the surface of the slab from moisture and mechanical damage. Chipboard is used for the production of beds, wardrobes, countertops and other pieces of furniture, and this board can also be used as decorative finishing panels.

Plates from chipboard have higher quality characteristics, differing from chipboard not only in appearance, but also possessing properties of high temperature stability. Chipboard and chipboard slabs on the cut have a loose structure, but both of these materials are easy to process.

Furniture made of chipboard requires less maintenance and has a more attractive appearance, compared to an ordinary chipboard sheet.

Comparison of properties

Laminated chipboard differs from conventional chipboard only in the presence of a durable surface layer in the form of lamination. Both categories of these woodworking products have high strength and excellent performance characteristics . Chipboards contain formaldehyde components in their adhesive composition, but in the laminated version this substance does not emit outward in the form of fumes, therefore the value of chipboard is much higher than that of chipboard.

A protective film consists of several sheets of paper plastic that are firmly attached to each other . The lamination process takes place under the influence of high pressure and a certain temperature regime, therefore, the adhesion of the surface coating to the particle board is ultimately very strong and monolithic.

Laminated material is not afraid of the effects of moisture, therefore, the range of its application is much wider in comparison with a simple chipboard board.

Each of these two materials has both advantages and disadvantages. The positive aspects of chipboard material are as follows:

• good resistance to various mechanical influences;
• can be hygienically processed;
• does not change the color of its surface when exposed to weak acid-base solutions - tea, juice, coffee, and so on;
• not subject to the negative effects of ultraviolet rays, while maintaining the durability of its color coloration;
• may have different textures and colors;
• the surface of the material can be finished with natural veneer or decorated with an applied image of imitation of natural stone;
• belongs to the budget class of furniture and building materials.

The negative sides of the chipboard material are as follows:

• exposed to moisture, unstable to the action of strong solutions of acids or alkalis;
• not resistant to cutting tools - prone to scratches;
• when the surface is heated, it tends to release formaldehyde vapors into the external environment, which pose a threat to human health.

Important! Despite a number of negative properties, chipboard material is widespread and is used in furniture production, as well as for construction needs.

The following positive aspects of laminated chipboard material should be noted:

• increased, although short-term resistance to moisture and water;
• resistance to fading under the influence of solar ultraviolet rays;
• resistance to hot boiling water or oil;
• the ability to maintain their properties and appearance when exposed to high temperatures;
• resistance to the appearance of dents and scratches when hitting and falling from above onto the surface of the material of heavy objects;
• does not absorb foreign odors;
• has an affordable price level and has a wide range of applications.

The negative sides of the chipboard material are as follows:

• prone to chipping, especially at edges and corners;
• in places where chips or cracks appear, formaldehyde is released into the external environment;
• appearance is inferior to natural solid wood;
• cannot be exposed to water for a long time.

Important! Chipboard sheets differ in quality from chipboard material also in that only high-grade chipboard panels with a high texture density are used for the manufacture of laminated products.

What's better?

The cost of finished furniture products depends on what material is used for their production. therefore in budget-class furniture, inexpensive chipboard panels are used, which can be covered only on one side with a moisture protection film . In addition, for the production of furniture, the factor is also important, whether the material from which it is made emits formaldehyde. For example, a higher quality laminated chipboard material will be used for a bed, since its protective layer does not allow a vapor of a harmful component to come out.

Of course, laminated chipboard furniture will be somewhat more expensive than products made from ordinary chipboard, but the quality characteristics of the material are quite capable of justifying such costs.

The cost of budget furniture made of chipboard is also influenced by the type of material. There are several types of chipboard.

• I grade - sawdust of a fine standard fraction without the presence of foreign inclusions is used as a raw material for the manufacture of the panel. The finished chipboard turns out to be perfectly flat, smooth, it has no chips or cracks. The first grade of chipboard is subject to mandatory additional decoration with foil or veneer, and this is done on both sides of the chipboard.
• II grade - is made from high-quality sawdust raw materials of different fractions, let's say a minimum percentage of impurities. The finished board may have minor damage in the form of chips or scratches. For grade II chipboard, decorative cladding may not be used.
• III grade - made from sawdust of various wood species, may include a small percentage of foreign inclusions. The material is not exposed to decorative cladding, since this grade is not used in furniture production. Particleboard III grade can only be used for construction purposes.

The resistance of the chipboard to moisture depends on whether it has a protective film coating. Plates that do not have such a film are not used for the manufacture of furniture, since the material quickly loses its attractiveness and is difficult to access for hygienic processing.

By the type of protective coating, chipboards are divided into such main types as:

• without cladding - such material is called rough; it applies only when performing construction work;
• laminated - chipboard has a durable varnish coating or a melamine film treatment;
• veneered - particle board has an external finish with natural wood veneer.

Unlike chipboard, chipboard materials have a wider variety . Lamination of the board can be done in various colors, as well as create an imitation of any texture. Furniture products made of laminated chipboard can harmoniously integrate into almost any interior composition. They look solid and elegant, while having a small, quite affordable cost. In some types of laminated chipboard material, a fire-resistant film containing carbon or HLP class material, which is resistant to fire, can be used as a laminating layer.

True, the cost of such furniture will be several times more expensive than that made from ordinary chipboard material.

Chipboards of the laminated type, despite the mass of their advantages, are prone to the formation of chips and cracks. Most often this occurs from heavy objects falling onto the surface of the plate or under the influence of a mechanical factor . It is no longer possible to eliminate such a defect in furniture later. Due to this property of the material, it is not subjected to various treatments by milling, therefore, it is impossible to obtain a relief surface, smooth bevels or rounding of a chipboard panel.

When a chip or crack appears, the chipboard surface loses its safety , since formaldehyde begins to escape to the outside, therefore the quality of the laminate and its resistance play a very important role for this type of chipboard.

For the manufacture of countertops or kitchen sets, chipboard material is not used, since only laminated chipboard surface is able to withstand frequent and prolonged contact with water without prejudice to its appearance . Although prolonged wetting is undesirable even for laminated boards, such an effect from the edges of the material is especially dangerous.

Under prolonged exposure to water, the structure of the chipboard absorbs moisture, swells and quickly collapses. Eliminating the effects of prolonged exposure to moisture in such a material will already be unrealistic.

To make budget-priced, but high-quality and beautiful furniture, modern manufacturers use both woodworking products - chipboard and laminated chipboard ., moreover, a conventional chipboard is used to create the supporting frame of the furniture, while the front part is made using a laminated board. Furniture products made from a combination of materials can be used both for home use and in office premises.

Despite its strength, the material, consisting of chips and an adhesive base, requires careful handling and protection from moisture.