Why are plywoods better for your interiors than wood?

At CenturyPly, we understand that the thought of decorating your house for first-timers may seem intimidating. The fact of the matter is that our interiors are a reflection of our identity and we always want the best raw materials to form the foundation of the furniture in our house. But with continuous strides towards technological advancements leading to the advent of newer options everyday, we are bound to feel confused. The key is to pick out the “best” from the “good enough” options. We will try to simplify the question of whether you should opt for plywood or solid wood for your home interiors so that you make an informed decision. With this regard, we will be looking into two most popular products that form the skeleton of your interiors - plywood and hardwood. 

Here is an overview of plywood versus hardwood and how they compare in terms of strength and its various applications.

WHAT IS PLYWOOD?

Plywood is a manufactured wood product that is made from multiple layers or plies of thin wooden chips that are glued together with an adhesive to form a panel of a specific thickness. The plies are oriented so that the grain direction in one ply is rotated 90° relative to adjacent plies. This enhances both the strength and dimensional stability of the plywood.

WHAT IS SOLID WOOD?

Solid wood is milled directly from trees unlike plywood, which is a wood composite. This is produced from slabs of wood that are sawn from logs and then kiln dried. This process of drying helps eradicate moisture content to a large extent and also lends strength to the wood but doesn’t fight against shrinkage due to weather changes.

WHERE CAN IT BE USED?

Plywood is the best choice for applications that require sheet material that is not prone to chipping, shrinking, or warping. This means that they can be used to make cabinets, book shelves, study tables, storage containers, sofa, etc. 

Solid wood has been used for centuries as building material and still comes in handy when one is building structural supports such as floor joists and roof rafters.

More often than not, solid wood is often used in combination with plywood to give your interiors the benefit of strength and durability. 

WHICH IS STRONGER?

Going solely by appearance, solid wood may seem to be stronger than plywood but that may not be the case. Solid wood is strong but plywood is even stronger. It’s all about plywood processing and production methodology. 

As we already know, plywood is manufactured by adding several layers of plies. Each layer is alternated at 90 degrees in such a way that the grains run in the opposite directions. This means that if one set of grains breaks due to stress or overload, the other set running in the opposite direction will resist and hold the wood from breaking, contributing to its strength. On the other hand, solid wood has its grains running in the same direction, which makes the wood comparatively weaker. For example, CenturyPly Club Prime plywood is one of the few brands made by pre-pressing, where each veneer is treated with preservatives before pressing, ensuring equal distribution of moisture and adhesive. It is made with more number of plies to add to its strength. 

There are a few factors that determine the strength of plywood. Firstly, the thickness and strength of the plywood are directly related. The thicker the sheet is, the higher the strength will be. CenturyPly plywood comes in varied thickness - ranging from 4 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm, 12 mm to 16 mm, 19 mm and 25 mm.

The strength of a plywood panel also depends on its ability to hold a nail and a screw.This means that when a plywood is fastened with nails and screw, they won’t fall apart. Such plywood can be used for furniture work, frame structures that require plywood nailed to it and almost any other work which involves nail and screw usage. CenturyPly plywood range has been designed to have extremely high capacity to hold nails and screws that comes as a bonus for interior decorators and carpenters.

Another crucial aspect that affects the strength of plywood is the moisture content. When a plywood is bound with adhesives, it blocks the pores and prevents the humidity in the air from damaging the plywood.  Therefore, it is less susceptible to moisture and water damage and also shows good resistance to cracking, twisting, bending, warping and shrinking. The CenturyPly range has both IS: 303 certified plywood (moisture resistant) and IS: 710 certified plywood (waterproof) in an affordable price range to cover all your needs.

To sum up our thoughts, we believe that choosing plywood for your home interiors gives you an edge over others as plywood comes with a range of benefits, ensuring that your furniture stays with you for a long time. You can browse our range of best quality and affordable plywood here: https://www.centuryply.com/