After reading this article, I have never stepped on a pit on a custom cabinet again

Many consumers customize cabinets and furniture online and offline, and are confused by the names of the boards, such as wear-resistant boards, ecological boards, technology boards, paint-free boards, environmentally friendly MDF, etc. Know how to choose.

After in-depth research, all boards are nothing more than a combination of substrate and veneer. There are so many names, but different merchants use different substrates, different veneer techniques, and even processing techniques as their selling points.

In order to give you a better understanding, LIN explains the difference between the classification of substrates and finishes, and finally gives you some advice on how to choose sheets and finishes. Be sure to watch the end carefully!

Base material classification

Don't be confused by the so-called "stage names", there are only two kinds of substrates, raw wood and artificial wood.

There are very few raw wood boards that can be made into furniture, and they are expensive. They have become their own selling points, so there are not so many stage names. Generally, they are directly named after the wood raw materials, such as walnut, oak, cherry, ash, etc., and the rest are called Any solid wood is not a log plank.

Artificial boards are the easiest to make a fuss about. Don't worry about too many stage names. No matter how many names, the real names are the following three.

 1st Particleboard

Particleboard is particle board. It is made of various branch buds, small-diameter wood, fast-growing wood, sawdust, etc. as raw materials, which are mechanically pulverized and processed into wood chips, shavings, and granular mixtures, which are made by spraying glue under high pressure.

Many people have just started to contact particleboard, and they feel that it is not environmentally friendly after hearing the name, but in fact, particleboard is suitable as a cabinet body load-bearing side board, laminate, etc. because of its stable material, good strength and mature technology.

Most of the mainstream brands use particleboard, such as the common Aixin board, Kangchun board, Hexiang board, bamboo fragrant board, etc. are packaged particle boards, as well as imported boards Feidnai, Fensa, Aige board , Kronosbon, Clif, etc., the substrates are all particle boards, but the brand and particle materials are somewhat different.

Moreover, the inner core of particleboard requires less glue to form, and it is basically dispensing or spraying glue, so the environmental protection is quite excellent in wood-based panels, and it can basically easily reach E1 and E0 levels.

Among them, there is a relatively special board, OSB, which is different from particle board in that after the raw material is sliced, it is tiled in a certain direction and reprocessed. It is an upgraded product of particle board. Compared with ordinary particle board , is a kind of plate with good performance in all aspects, and the scope of application is also relatively wide.

In addition, many people think that solid wood particle board is more reliable, but in fact, solid wood particle board is also a kind of particle board, don't be too obsessed with the word solid wood.

2nd MDF

The well-known density board is also fiberboard.

Its raw materials, production and processing process are similar to particle board, the difference is that it is a board made of wood fiber by grinding the raw materials into fine powder.

Because the raw material is delicate and the surface is flat, its advantage is that it can be used for modeling, such as classical-style cabinet doors, hollow glass doors, etc. are made of it. It is the only door panel that can be used for carving crafts except for log carving. a substrate.

However, it has low strength and is not suitable for cabinets, and has poor moisture resistance, which is easy to absorb water and expand, and is not suitable for use in near water areas.

3rd Plywood

The water in the name is very deep, because the name plywood does not sound environmentally friendly. In comparison, multi-layer solid wood boards are much more reliable, so there are names such as multi-layer solid wood boards, plywood, and multi-layer boards. Some businesses even omit multiple layers and call it "solid wood board".

It is to send fast-growing wood into a "rotary cutter" like a super-sized pencil sharpener, cut it into thin wood chips, and then use glue in a horizontal and vertical manner, paste it layer by layer, and then press it into a whole board with a press. After this process, the plywood is formed.

It is said to be made of solid wood, but the glue content is higher than the previous two, and the environmental protection is poor, but the advantage is that it has good moisture resistance and can be used in spaces near water.

Of course, if the quality of the glue is better, it can also improve the quality of the plywood, but if the glue is used in a large amount and the quality is better, it means that the price will rise, which will be much more expensive than the particle board of the same grade.

Facing classification

If the substrate is the body structure of the sheet, the finish is the face, figure and temperament of the sheet.

After understanding the base material, now let's understand the panel finish. There are many types of panels on the market, and the following five are common.

1st  Melamine impregnated film paper facing

In the whole house customization store, 80% of the cabinets are made of this melamine impregnated film paper finish + particleboard.

Its production process is that high-definition printed paper-based materials of different colors and textures are immersed in melamine solution, then hot-pressed and bonded, and edge-sealed with edge-sealing tape to form a high-strength surface wear-resistant layer with paint-free, Environmental protection, waterproof, wear-resistant characteristics.

And it has a wide range of applications. It can be used for cabinets and door panels.

Furthermore, both the melamine solution and the paper-based material do not contain formaldehyde. If the edge sealing is thick and tight, it can effectively seal the internal substrate to release formaldehyde, so this production process is environmentally friendly.

After the board is made, triamine board, wear-resistant board, Aige board, integral board, double-veneer board, paint-free board, are all the same thing.

2nd Pvc coated finish

The Pvc coated finish is a process of blistering and film pressing. It has the characteristics of softness and is suitable for concave molding. It is often combined with the MDF substrate and is used on the modeling door panels, such as European style and American style.

However, in this process, the film needs to be cut manually or by machine, and then trimmed. The scope of use is relatively limited, and it can only cover the front or side, but not the rear, which is mostly decorated with simple white triamine leather.

3rd paint finish

Baking lacquer finish is different from the above two finishes that only need a few seconds to heat press. Baking lacquer needs to go through nearly 10 processes. The process is complicated and time-consuming. It is known as the king of craftsmanship.

Moreover, the paint can wrap all sides of the board without additional edge sealing, with full coverage, good water resistance, smooth surface and easy cleaning.

However, due to the complex process, it takes a long time to customize and the price is high. It is mainly used for fashion and luxury style customization, or for cabinet door panels to enhance the scene.

4th Solid wood veneer finish

Solid wood veneer veneer, as the name suggests, is a layer of solid wood veneer on the front and back sides of the particleboard or medium density fiberboard substrate, and the edges are sealed before painting.

The solid wood veneer used is generally high-quality logs, which are cut into thin slices, and spliced and dyed seamlessly to highlight the elegant wood grain. The general thickness is 0.15~0.6mm, and the effect is much more realistic than that of triamine veneer and pvc lamination. .

Of course, the texture is the most natural and the price is the highest, and it is mostly used for Chinese style, logs and other styles of customization.

5th Electrostatic powder coating finish

In the past, it was more common in metal processing. For example, the surface technology of refrigerators and microwave ovens was sprayed by electrostatic powder spray gun. Because the powder itself has no formaldehyde, it can also wrap all surfaces without edge sealing. it is good.

Like MDF with poor moisture resistance, with this technique, it can be used in areas with water. But because it is a relatively new process, the price is relatively expensive, and only some big brands can customize it.

How to choose?

As for how to choose the whole house customization, Lin gives 3 suggestions, and the rest can be weighed according to the budget and actual usage.

1st Do not believe in solid wood

Some people have an obsession with solid wood. It seems that only solid wood is the top match in the customization world.

In fact, it is not. Just like the so-called ecological board, it is said that it is a solid wood board, but it is actually a large core board and a block board that were gradually eliminated in the past. It has changed its name and is very popular.

The key is that it is spliced by wood strips such as fast-growing paulownia. The flatness is poor, the gap is large, the nail holding force is poor, and problems such as deformation and cracking will follow in a short time.

Even if it is real solid wood, there is anisotropy between woods. Although fast-growing wood is cheap, it lacks performance and is not suitable for furniture. Slow-growing wood is not cheap, and it will also be affected by shrinkage and swelling. lead to deformation and cracking.

It is undeniable that the natural characteristics of solid wood are like this, and these shortcomings can be made up for by artificial boards, using fast-growing tree species and some recycled wood as raw materials.

Compared with expensive solid wood, the internal structure of artificial board is stable and uniform, the expansion and shrinkage rate is lower, and the probability of deformation and cracking is also lower. Make it bigger and more cost-effective.

As for the environmental protection problem, it is not as serious as imagined. When customizing, you can find a regular brand and meet the environmental protection standards.

2nd Look at environmental protection standards

If the representation of the sheet is too complicated to understand, another way is to benchmark the environmental protection level.

The new national standard E1≤0.124mg/m³ is the entry level of the sheet for interior decoration, that is to say, those below this standard cannot be selected;

E0≤0.054mg/m³, which is the environmental protection grade of most boards on the market, but need to pay attention to E0, not zero formaldehyde in the sales outlet;

Enf≤0.025mg/m³, which is the highest standard of environmental protection level at present. If you want to install and live at home, or children, you can choose this level.

In addition, in addition to the national standard, there are also foreign standards, such as the EU E1≤0.124mg/m³ is the same as the national standard E1, the Japanese F4 star certification is ≤0.03mg/L, and the level is equivalent to the national standard E0.

3rd Usage scenarios

In relatively humid spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms, the veneer door is better than the film-pressed door and the varnished door in terms of edge sealing and moisture resistance and stability.

If you like this article, you can go to the panel furniture website recommended by Lin https://www.joysourcehome.com/.