Kitchen Cabinets: Plywood And Particleboard
Posted on: 18 March 2019
Kitchen cabinetry can be made from a variety of materials. The cabinet box is often made from one substance, and the doors from another. Two common options are particleboard and plywood. So what is the difference between the two?
Particleboard Doors And Boxes
Leftover wood chips from various origins, sawdust, shavings and other offcuts form the basis of particleboard. The manufacturing process combines these elements with a resin before crushing and compressing the composite into the required shape. While different types of particleboard are generally similar, they can vary in density and strength. Sometimes the offcuts are further broken down and combined with resins and waxes for a denser, stronger result.
Particleboard often forms the base material for a cabinet box, which is then finished with a decorative layer to create attractive inner cupboard spaces. Though it does provide a sound basis for cabinets, one problem is its tendency to swell once water infiltrates the structure. Particleboard does bring environmental benefits, though, in that nothing goes to waste at the sawmill or factory.
Plywood As Cabinet Material
Plywood is another material that you might find within a cabinet door or box enclosure. Plywood consists of multiple fine layers of glued timber veneer. The wood grain on each subsequent sheet sits at right angles to the last, forming a cross-grain pattern within the plywood. This rotation makes it consistently strong in all directions, and it corrects solid wood's tendency to split and crack along the grain. The alternating layers also work to reduce expansion and shrinkage, as they counterbalance each other. Plywood is usually made from an odd, rather than an even, number of layers for added stability, which means the grain on the back and front run parallel.
The strength and stability of this material provide a solid basis for kitchen cabinetry. The glue between each rotated slice tends to increase its resistance to warping and water damage, which is essential for cupboards that contain foods and liquids. Plywood is often finished with a layer of another material such as a laminate, or it is finished with a particularly attractive hardwood veneer slice.
Both particleboard and plywood are expertly engineered to be suitable for cabinets. So if you're undertaking kitchen joinery work, either will function well. They are both typically finished with a variety of surfaces to suit many different kitchen styles. Plywood, though, has the benefit of extra strength and resistance against water and moisture.
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