Today in the market we can find different classes or types of wooden boards, whether solid or composite. All of them with very different properties and prices. For those who are not used to working with them, the decision can be complex, or worse, very simple when identifying everyone as similar, which would lead us to an error. Each type of plate was manufactured with a number of uses in mind. Some are more resistant to knocks, others to twist, to water, some are designed to support decorative elements, etc.

Types of wooden boards

We can classify them according to several criteria. According to the material and manufacturing process or according to the finish or coating they receive. Don’t forget that the combination is common.

FIBERBOARD, DM OR MDF

For this type of cardboard, small wood fibers are used, less than those used for agglomerates, which are pressed and glued. During the industrial manufacturing process, chemical components are also often added to improve the properties of the board. More often, water repellent plates, of greater water resistance, and fire retardant, fire retardant.

They can be found raw and with layers of melamine(like melamine MDF), so their uses are similar to those of chipboard. However, a differential to highlight is that they are an excellent support for the application of finishes (varnishes, enamels, lacquers …), since their texture, besides being smoother, allows sanding. Although these fiber boards are known as MDF or DM (medium density), these acronyms only refer to an approximate density of the ordinary MDF of 650-700 kg / m3. If the density is higher, the logic is to talk about HDF (high density fiberboard), and if less, low density.

PLYWOOD BOARD

Plywood boards are formed by stacking wood veneers, with opposite orientations to improve strength and stability, and applying glues for fixing them. This type of board has great resistance and depending on the treatment applied it can even be used in contact with water, so it is also known in some places as marine veneer, marine board. This possible resistance to moisture is due to the use of phenolic glues, so we speak of phenolic plywood.

There are some different types of plywood, such as film faced plywood, commercial plywood, melamine plywood, fancy plywood, grooved plywood, PVC plywood, etc. In some cases, the outer leaves are made of noble or precious woods. The reason is that these wooden panels will be used for decorative and not just structural purposes. Melamine plywood for decorative purposes is also common.