Expert opinion on plywood

Plywood furniture has been dominating the interior design in Europe for several years and has been winning first places in design competitions worldwide.

Laminated plywood is a wood panel material the outer layers of which are covered with moisture-resistant film. Thanks to this film, the plywood has various areas of application. Film faced plywood is produced based on exterior birch plywood and overlaid with special phenolic or melamine film, making the surface of the plywood 20–25% stronger.

Fire-retardant (FR) plywood occupies a special place among a wide variety of construction materials. It is also called fire-resistant, fire rated, fireproof etc. Any wood is vulnerable to high-temperature exposure. However, fire-retardant plywood stands out from the rest, being a high-quality material with unique properties.

Waterproof wood panels made of veneer are considered to be the most popular in concrete construction, interior and exterior finishing, decorating. Plywood has moisture resistant properties due to the adhesives based on synthetic resins, which are used to glue the sheets. At the same time film faced plywood is also very popular in the construction industry. This waterproof plywood has improved water-resistant properties and specific scope of application.

Birch veneer is mainly used for the production of plywood. Other wood species widely used for this purpose are alder, beech, and pine. However, special types of plywood providing increased resistance to bending and torsion are also produced. Industrial plywood is also called "special plywood". It means that the plywood attained peculiar characteristics as a result of some technological processes and is intended for use in one industry or several industries.

Plywood is a multilayer material consisting of at least 3 layers of coniferous or deciduous veneer. Adhesive compounds based on synthetic resins are used to glue the layers together. These substances increase water resistance and mechanical strength of the material. Let's consider the main characteristics of the materia

Building codes require that certain structures shall be made with fire-retardant or flame resistant plywood. The use of this material in walls and partitions prevents the spread of fire from one part of building to others. Fire-retardant plywood successfully completes vertical through-roof firewalls, simplifying roofs construction and reducing building and reroofing costs.

Fire-Retardant plywood stands out from standard Exterior and Interior plywood. The difference becomes evident during the production process, when peeled veneer for FR plywood undergoes special treatment with fire retardants. Thus, the final product acquires its fire-resistant properties.

To obtain its fire-resistant properties, fire-retardant plywood is treated with special flame retardant during the production process. FR grade plywood is widely used to reduce the risk of fire in public places such as theatres, cinemas, offices, kitchens of restaurants as well as for cladding in residential buildings. Another major application of fireproof plywood is rolling stock construction. Fire rated plywood is also used for furniture production. The structures made of fire-retardant plywood are more expensive but the choice is always evident for those for whom safety is a major concern.

Birch plywood is one of the materials used for the production of parquet and engineering boards. It is one of the most demanding areas of plywood application. Although all the companies have their individual requirements, there are some issues that are equally considered to be very important by all of them. Birch plywood for parquet shall have optimal moisture content and high load bearing capacity.