The Plywood-Pedia

Plywood is made of different layers of wood (called plies or veneers) glued together. It has multiple uses in our day to day life and almost everything we see around us is made of plywood. Plywood is gradually becoming indispensible and And willcontinue becoming more useful in all wood related building and furnishing solutions in the future as well Therefore, it becomes even more important to have information about different types of plywood and their application. There are seven main types of plywood that are categorized on the basis of the wood they are made of, the intended purposes, its sustainability, etc.
1. SOFTWOOD PLYWOOD:
Softwood plywood is manufactured from a long-grained, homogenous timber with straight fibres. Its veneer structure gives it considerable strength and rigidity. They are light, easy to work with and can be installed easily. Besides being beautifully light coloured and environment friendly, they can also withstand rough usage.
2. HARDWOOD PLYWOOD:
Softwood plywood is manufactured from a long-grained, homogenous timber with straight fibres. Its veneer structure gives it considerable strength and rigidity. They are light, easy to work with and can be installed easily. Besides being beautifully light coloured and environment friendly, they can also withstand rough usage.
2. HARDWOOD PLYWOOD:
Structural aircraft-grade plywood is more commonly manufactured from African mahogany or American birch veneers that are bonded together in a hot press over hardwood cores of basswood or poplar. It is thin but has high strength along with heat resistance.
5. DECORATIVE PLYWOOD:
This plywood is for decorative purposes and is made from oak, teak, mahogany, etc. It is often surfaced with hardwood and Formica, metal and resin-impregnated paper or fabric bonded added on top of this kind of plywood on both sides, making it ready for use in the decoration field. Decorative plywood is easy to dye and draw on as compared to other Plywoods.
6. FLEXIBLE PLYWOOD:
As the name suggests, this kind of plywood is flexible and is also called by names such as ‘flexi- ply’, ‘bendi-ply’ and ‘hatter’s-ply’. It is used for making curved parts and in some countries, it is not considered plywood.
7. MARINE PLYWOODS:
We will have to change this to a dark looking Ply Marine plywood is manufactured from durable face and core veneers that make it perform longer in humid and wet conditions and resist delaminating and fungal attack. Its construction is such that it can be used in environments where it is exposed to moisture for long periods. The veneers have negligible core gap, limiting the chance of trapping water in the plywood and hence providing a solid and stable glue bond. It uses an exterior Water and Boil Proof (WBP) glue similar to most exterior plywood. Most of the marine plywood manufacturers are from the tropics. It is usually used in the manufacture of boats and docks.
The industry is slowly turning towards more value sophisticated plywood.The consumer is looking for strong and durable solutions for their home décor, hence moving towards branded product offerings. CenturyPly, being one of the pioneers in the plywood industry ensures high standards of plywood manufacturing. It offers you a great range of high quality plywood that add to the beauty of your house.

Trends in Laminates, 2014

1. What is new in laminates for homes?
The new generation homes are being built with utmost care & people don’t compromise in spending a lot for their interiors. Be it the sofa set or the curtains used or the laminates put in furniture/wall panels, they want it to be the best. This has created a demand for premium laminates in the market. Thus, Century Laminates introduced their premium range of laminates in January 2014, Opulenza, which is doing really well in all the markets. Opulenza consists of 36 exquisite designs that have been developed by blending European paper & moulding plates to give that premium feel that the new generation demands .
2. What are the ways in which laminates can be used in home décor?
It can be used on the surface of all the furniture, wall panelling, modular kitchens. The application can be both on vertical or horizontal surface-tops. Few designs are however not recommended for horizontal surface-tops & are clearly mentioned in our product catalogues. To add, laminates are widely used in offices, lounges, hotels, restaurants, gyms, coffee shops as well.
3. What is trending in laminates?
The latest trend in laminates is to use a contrasting design in the interiors. For e.g. If the wall panelling is being done with a lighter shade of woodgrain, then the furniture (bed) is being done with a dark shade of woodgrain laminates. Another e.g.: Two contrasting plain colours may be used for a door or kitchen to make it look unique.
4. Any off beat or interesting ideas to use laminates in home décor?
There are magnetic laminates which are very useful in kitchens these days. That eases a home-maker to stick a paper to it with the shopping or the to-do list.
5. Anything else on the topic.
Indian markets normally choose laminates on the basis of designs, colours & textures. But there is a trend in the market, where the consumers or the architects are getting more educated about quality, maintenance & installation. This is resulting in increase of market share for branded companies.