Chipboard: what is the material, types, applications.

Particleboard or chipboard is a sheet material that consists of wood chips and an adhesive base. For adhesion and moisture resistance of the material, formaldehyde resins are added. Let's consider what other types of this material there are, what it is notable for, its features and ways of application.

Features of chipboard

Particleboard has such advantages:

• The material is cheap.
• Fibreboard sheets are durable for standard use in furniture or wall decoration, can withstand household loads.
• Particleboard is easy to work with: cut and assemble various constructions out of this material.
• Particleboard does not deteriorate from fungus, because it contains toxic formaldehyde in its composition.
• The material is more fire-resistant than wood.

It is important to consider that the moisture resistance of particleboard is not high. The material swells from moisture, so products made of it need to be insulated. In particleboard screws are inserted once. Repeated installation of fasteners is difficult, because the material crumbles.

Types of chipboard

Particleboard comes in these types:

• Particleboard is a sheet of uncoated insulation or sanded particleboard. It has a loose structure, so it is cut with a sharp saw with fine teeth.
• Laminated chipboard board is coated on both sides with melamine resin film under pressure and lacquered. This material is used to create furniture for the kitchen, where there is high humidity. This material is sawn in factories, special equipment not to damage the laminate layer. If it is done independently, the place of sawing glued with adhesive tape.
• Fibreboard - the chips are pressed wet, so one side of the sheet is smooth, the other - rough.
• OSB - sheets of long chips. This material is not waterproof, it does not crumble when sawing.

Particleboard differs in the content of formaldehyde resins, which are not safe for human and animal health:

• Particleboard E0 - the material is approved for use in children's institutions, is considered safer.
• Particleboard E1 is used in living rooms.
• Particleboard E2, E3, E4 - the material is only suitable for exterior work.

Application of chipboard

Normal untreated or sanded sheets of chipboard is used to create furniture with subsequent processing and for the internal parts of anything. They are often used to line shelves in dry warehouses. Particleboards are laid under laminate or between concrete walls for insulation.

Laminated chipboard is used to manufacture furniture. The coating of this material comes in different textures and colors: like wood, stone, solid color and colored. The insulation holds firmly and does not peel off.

If the chipboard is covered with adhesive-based film and not lacquered, the coating will peel over time, especially on the edges of furniture, the corners. Furniture is made of it for dry rooms: bedroom and living room.

Some products in which particleboard is used:

• Fences on construction sites.
• Formwork for pouring concrete.
• Interior partitions in dry rooms.
• Stands for products.
• Store shelves.
• Interior doors.
• Packaging.

Particleboard is a material that is most often used in the production of furniture, in order to create strong and cheap structures. Choosing products for home and office pay attention to the safety classification of particleboard.