5 Best Engineered Woods – Benefits And Use [Buying Guide + Updated Price]

 In general, three types of softwood, hardwood and engineered wood are used to make wooden items or accessories. Nowadays, various types of engineered wood are used to make most of wooden items such as beds, desks, chairs, etc. The reason for this is the diversity and durability of engineered wood. Engineered wood is a wood that is designed and produced in a precise way and is presented in a pre-engineered form.

In fact, engineered wood consists of materials such as sawdust, wood products, and wood waste, which are connected through pressure, heat, and glue. Engineered wood is also known as composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board

Advantages of Engineered Wood

Engineered wood is a good alternative to natural wood. Because the use of engineered wood prevents cutting down trees and is more economical compared to natural wood. In the comparison between engineered wood and solid wood, it should be said that engineered wood has the ability to be designed and manufactured according to specific needs. Therefore, it is superior to solid wood, and there is the ability to cut, drill, connect and glue and connect them firmly.

In addition, wooden items made with engineered wood are produced and sold at a lower price compared to solid wood. It is also versatile and available in a wide variety of thicknesses. Easy working with all types of engineering wood has made the construction of wooden items faster, which at the same time have high quality and durability.

Disadvantages of Engineered Wood

Engineered wood, like other types of wood, has its advantages and disadvantages as well. The type of glue used to make some engineered wood is toxic, such as formaldehyde.

Compared to solid wood, in order to achieve a favorable result from the appearance of engineered wood, it is necessary to polish it and use an external layer such as veneer or coating.

Types of Engineered Wood

In general, engineered wood includes four types of chipboard, laminate, MDF, and plywood, each of which has unique characteristics and advantages and disadvantages. Each type of engineered wood can be used in the construction industry to make different wooden items, and the choice of each of them is different according to the type of efficiency and application they have.

Plywood

Plywood can be considered the main product of engineered wood. In fact, plywood is produced by laminating several coatings and connecting them with resistant adhesives, and the use of resistant adhesives in their production process increases the durability and resistance of this wooden structure against heat, pressure and humidity. Compared to solid wood, plywood has a lower price and can be produced in large sizes. The high quality and high resistance of plywood have made it used in internal, external and structural applications such as the design of internal boards and structural frames. In general, plywood is used in various industries such as shipbuilding, aircraft manufacturing, automobile manufacturing, etc.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Plywood has high strength and resistance due to the cross veins in its structure. In addition to being strong, compared to solid wood, it also has lightweight. For this reason, it is a suitable choice for making wooden items, including furniture. It has relative resistance to water and will not crack or break easily.

Also, the sheets produced of this type of wood are large in terms of dimensions, and if needed, a single sheet of the multi-layer board can be used. This type of engineered wood, along with its positive features, also has negative features or disadvantages. Plywood is more expensive and harder to cut than MDF. Also, be careful when cutting plywood, because due to the presence of urea in it, there is a possibility of releasing dangerous gases that are harmful to health.

Chipboard

Chipboard is another type of engineered wood, which is produced from waste wood such as sawdust and wood chips. In fact, chipboard is produced through the process of thermal compression with resin or their mixture with glue. Chipboard is known as one of the popular building materials in the construction industry, and due to its reasonable price compared to MDF and plywood, it reduces the construction costs of various parts of construction, such as flooring, flooring infrastructure, wall covering and partitions, dropped ceiling, etc.

Read more: MDF Vs Chipboard Sheets- Which Is Better?

Advantages and Disadvantages

The weight of chipboard is less compared to plywood and solid wood, and this makes it easy to transport and use. It is also more economical compared to plywood and MDF. This type of wood has the ability to accept and store nails and glue, and it can be produced in various sizes according to its efficiency. In addition, it is sound and heat insulation, thus it is a suitable choice for making speakers, dropped ceilings, etc. Along with these positive features, it also has disadvantages. Its durability is low and it has low resistance to moisture and water. Also, it cannot bear heavy loads and its useful life is short.

MDF

Today, many factories and companies making furniture and wooden items use MDF in order to make cheap wooden items. Wooden furniture made of MDF wood, in addition to being affordable, can be very beautiful in terms of external structure. The most important applications of MDF are for the production of interior decoration items that are used in residential houses. These products include cabinets, baseboards, flooring and other wooden items.

Advantages and Disadvantages

MDF has a high resistance to fire and is fireproof. It is also vapor repellent and insulating, which means that it can easily withstand humidity and dryness without rotting and shrinking in the long term. It is also a good insulator for sound and has good resistance to pests. In addition, compared to natural wood, it has a lower price.

Using MDF to make wooden items also has disadvantages. Compared to natural wood, this type of engineered wood absorbs moisture and water more, and if it is under pressure or tension, it may break. Also, the glue used to produce this wood contains formaldehyde, which causes the release of dangerous gases that are dangerous for the lungs and are carcinogenic.

Laminate Cover

The laminate cover is an engineered wood for whose production and construction, instead of using wood from trees, wood materials are used. This type of wood is widely used for wall covering, flooring, etc. A laminate cover is also known as HDF.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Ultraviolet rays do not affect the laminate coating and it shows great resistance to environmental factors. It has a long service life, and there will be no change in the appearance of products made with laminate coating for many years. The laminate coating is very similar to real wood in terms of its appearance, with the difference that its price is lower and it is affordable.

Compared to natural wood, the laminate coating also has disadvantages. In order to maintain the appearance of this wood and prevent scratches on it in the long term, it needs more care. It is also sensitive and vulnerable to cleaning chemicals.

OSB

OSB board is another type of engineered wood that is made from chipped sheets of wood stacked at different angles. In the manufacture of OSB boards, wood from trees that are cheaper than their types and have better physical properties of adhesiveness, such as pine and poplar trees, are used.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Due to the high strength of OSB boards, they can be used to make wooden items inside the house, such as cabinets, temporary walls, shelves, etc. This board has a lower price compared to plywood and has the ability to produce larger sheets than plywood. Also, due to the use of small and young trees in its production, it is more sustainable and compatible with the environment. But in addition to these positive features, it is produced in a thick form, so its weight is heavy and it dries slowly. Also, it needs to be waterproofed after each cut to ensure its water resistance.