Why Solidwood is better than Plywood for Furniture?

Never use all-purpose sprays unless your solid wood furniture has a plastic or protective coatings, such as the kind on children's furniture and kitchen tables.
With the advent of newer options every day, furniture buying has turned into a real chore. There are many factors to keep in mind while buying furniture like- the types of material, qualities and strength, durability, flexibility, different styles, finishes and colors and much more.

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SOLIDWOOD VS PLYWOOD

Plywood is an engineered wood made by gluing several layers of veneers in different directions. These veneers are obtained from logs of wood which are peeled into thin layers of sheets.

However, Solid wood is natural wood obtained from trees. The trees are firstly decked after which the timber logs are cut in saw mills to smaller sizes. These blocks of wood are directly used for making furniture and other wood products.

STRENGTH

Solid wood definitely is considered to be stronger as compared to plywood as it is a homogeneous material. Whereas plywood is made up of sheets that are glued together. If at all the Glue shear strength is low, the veneer sheets will soon come apart.

APPEARANCE

Appearance wise too, no wood can beat the look and feel that solid wood delivers. Like Sheesham wood, the most popular solid wood is not only known for its strength and durability but also for its appearance- the straight wood grain patterns and brown color.

Plywood by itself is not a decorative product like solid wood. It needs to be covered by other decorative material to enhance the product which involves additional cost and efforts too.

DURABILITY

Plywood and solid wood, both are quite durable products. But durability mainly depends on the type of the wood used for plywood and solid wood.

Better the plywood is, the longer its life will be. For solid wood, hardwood like Sheesham wood or teak wood is stronger and durable than softwoods like Mango wood.

PROBLEMS WITH PLYWOOD

The problem with these types of wood is that they are much easier to damage. Scratches and water stains cannot be repaired. There is an added risk of cracking and warping occurring within modern centrally heated homes as engineered wood does not expand and contract like natural wood does. Furniture made from engineered wood does not last as long as solid wood furniture and has to be replaced much more frequently.

HOW TO IDENTIFY PLYWOOD

Apart from reading labels carefully, you can also identify engineered wood by the weight of the furniture. It will be much lighter than solid wood furniture. The exterior and interior of the furniture will not match. Lifting the furniture and looking at the base of the legs is another good indicator.

WHY SOLIDWOOD IS BEST

Solid wood is by far a much better choice for homeowners. It may cost more than furniture made out of engineered wood but will last much longer making it much better value for money. Engineered wood furniture, no matter how well made, can never possess that patina of age, and luxurious elegance that solid wood furniture achieves. It will simply never look as good. If you want to want a chic, upmarket home style that says quality and elegance to everyone who enters your home – then solid wood furniture is essential.

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