In recent years, the demand for laminated chipboard has increased significantly, which is used not only in the manufacture of furniture, but also in construction and repair work – from rough walls to installation of decorative flooring. The market offers a huge selection of chipboard: sheet size, colors, texture and types are presented in a wide range. How to determine the optimal ratio of price and quality, and what are the main characteristics worth paying attention to – this article will tell.
Advantages and disadvantages of chipboard
Laminated chipboard is a type of chipboard well known to all. This material has long enjoyed a well-deserved demand from domestic and foreign builders and furniture manufacturers.
Among the main advantages of chipboard is its low cost. Due to the fact that for the manufacture of chipboard used production waste (chips and sawdust), or simply crushed substandard trunks, the price of it is several times less than MDF or natural wood.
Other undoubted advantages of this composite material are its strength, ease of processing, resistance to mechanical damage, as well as a large variety of species, which greatly increases the scope of its application.
Among the disadvantages of particleboard is insufficient moisture resistance. Under the influence of water, the plates swell and deform. The same happens at high temperatures. In addition, their resins, evaporating, can cause significant harm to human health. This composite material is also not very flexible and can crumble when trying to install re-fasteners.
Depending on the level of environmental safety, there are 2 classes of particle board – classes E1 and E2. Particleboard class E1 is considered the safest, since it contains a smaller number of formaldehyde resins. The content of harmful substances in the plates of class E2 does not allow to use them in the manufacture of children’s furniture. Moreover, in recent years in the EU countries there has been a gradual reduction in its production. In Europe, there is another class of chipboard boards – Super E. Materials of this class are absolutely safe, but they are distinguished by excessive cost.
Helpful advice! Experts emphasize that it is better to buy sheets of chipboard made according to European standards, known for its rigor in matters of safety for the environment and human health. The content of formaldehyde resins in them is several times less than that of plates manufactured in accordance with domestic or even American standards.
In appearance chipboard is divided into 3 grades. Plates of the first grade are made only from high-quality raw materials, they have no defects, and at the final stage of production they are covered with a special decorative film or veneer. This grade is used in the manufacture of furniture.
For slabs of the second grade cladding is not required, small scratches or chipped along the edges are allowed. Chipboards of the third grade are often made from raw materials containing foreign inclusions or from bark chips; they have visible defects – chips, cracks, irregularities. The last two varieties are mainly used in construction – as a rough finish, flooring, leveling ceilings and walls, making formwork.
In addition, chipboard plates are:
- untreated (they are used for rough decoration of premises);
- polished (used in the manufacture of furniture, but only for hidden from the eyes of the elements);
- laminated (specially treated paper is used as a coating);
- veneered (on both sides of the sheet is covered with a thin layer of natural wood, which gives them a decorative appearance and allows you to use them for the front surfaces of furniture and for decoration of rooms);
- laminated (chipboard sheet is covered with a polymer film).
LDSP is made exclusively from high quality polished chipboard in accordance with GOST 10632-2007. They are devoid of the drawbacks of other chipboard: durable, not afraid of steam, mold and moisture, chemical and mechanical stress, and a special melamine film and edge trim significantly reduce the level of hazardous fumes and increase the durability of the material.
Thanks to these characteristics, LDSP boards can be used for the manufacture of furniture and decoration of rooms, including kitchens, hallways and bathrooms, closets, office and children’s furniture, as a floor covering.
Laminated chipboards are represented on the market with a huge amount of colors and textures, which allow to imitate any material, even stone, marble, metal or fabric, and fit into any color solution or interior style at a very modest monetary cost.
LDSP do not require further processing or painting. For the manufacture of furniture facades and countertops, it is enough to cut the purchased sheet of chipboard in accordance with the prescribed dimensions and edge off.
Important! It is necessary to process the edge not only in order to increase the wear resistance and appearance of the material, to protect it from moisture and steam, but also to prevent the evaporation of harmful substances.
However, this is the main drawback of this material – the need for a special machine for sawing LDSP and their edging. However, at present, any hardware store or furniture manufacturing workshop provides a service such as sawing the chipboard to the size of the customer.
Another disadvantage is that due to the crushing edge, such plates are also not suitable for creating curved contours and complex carved elements.
The standard sizes of a leaf of LDSP are regulated by state standard specification. In accordance with this standard, the widths, lengths and thicknesses of slabs are determined.
There are 18 standard lengths: 1830, 2040, 2440, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2750, 2840, 3220, 3500, 3600, 3660, 3690, 3750, 4100, 5200, 5500 and 5680 mm. In this case, the allowable length inaccuracy is ± 5 mm.
The width of the chipboard is determined by 9 indicators: 1220, 1250, 1500, 1750, 1800, 1830, 2135, 2440 and 2500 mm. As in the case of length, the permissible error does not exceed ± 5 mm.
The thickness of LDSP ranges from 3 to 38 mm with an allowable inaccuracy of ± 0.3 mm.
It should be clarified that, depending on the capabilities of the equipment, each manufacturer produces several basic sizes of chipboard, but the following are considered the most popular on the market:
- 2800х2620 mm;
- 2800×2070 mm;
- 2620×1830 mm;
- 2500×1830 mm.
The strength and ability to resist loads, and hence the scope of application, directly depends on the thickness of the chipboard. It is important to remember that heavy thick plates are very strong, but thin laminated chipboard bend without being subjected to deformation.
Most often LDSP thickness varies from 8 to 38 mm. 8-10-mm sheets are used for the production of packaging, the bottom of drawers, facing doors and walls, as well as for furniture fronts.
The thickness of 16 mm is widely used in the manufacture of furniture, for the construction of internal partitions and as a substrate for flooring (linoleum or laminate). Sheets with a thickness of 18 mm can also serve as the basis for the flooring, but most often they are used for the manufacture of cabinet furniture, including walk-in closets and wardrobes. 22-mm plates are suitable for the manufacture of kitchen furniture, countertops, tables.
For bearing elements, window sills and doors, plates with a thickness of 25 mm are used. But for the manufacture of durable bar counters, reliable shelves and countertops the best choice will be sheets of chipboard 38 mm. They will be able to withstand the strongest mechanical loads without deforming. It is worth noting that the most popular are laminated chipboards 10, 16, 18 and 25 mm thick.
An important characteristic in the manufacture of furniture and various construction and repair work is also the weight of the plate. It is determined by the dimensions of the sheet and its density. On average, the weight of one sheet ranges from 40 to 90 kg. For example, the weight of 1 square meter of laminated chipboard 16 mm averages 10.36-11.39 kg. With a plate thickness of 18 mm, it will be 11.65-12.82 kg, 25 mm – from 14.69 to 16.16 kg. Different manufacturers will have this indicator slightly different.
Helpful advice! Before you buy a chipboard plate, you must correctly calculate its size. This not only ensures the strength and durability of the finished product, but also helps to avoid unnecessary financial costs, guarantees a minimum of residual material and significantly saves time.
As mentioned above, each manufacturer puts on the market its own size of chipboard, due to the capabilities of its equipment.
The characteristic dimensions of a sheet of chipboard Egger are 2800×2070 mm. Such a unified size does not prevent the Austrian company from successfully competing in the European and domestic market. Indeed, in addition to excellent environmentally friendly raw materials and a huge range of colors, it offers its customers a good selection of plate thickness options – 10, 16, 18, 25 mm and even non-standard 19 mm, which also distinguishes its products from competitors.
Unlike the only universal size of chipboard Egger, the Syktyvkar plywood factory offers its customers a choice of 3 sizes of chipboard Lamartie –2800х2070, 2750х1830 and 3660х1830 mm with a thickness of 10, 16, 18 and 26 mm. Reasonable prices, high-quality raw materials and a wealth of color solutions allow LDSP Lamarti successfully compete for their place in the domestic market with foreign companies.
When calculating the final cost, it is also necessary to take into account the cost of sawing LDSP by size. The size of the chipboard and the price of chromium plating, respectively, will depend directly. You can buy laminated chipboard in specialized hardware stores or order a similar service in workshops where you have the appropriate equipment with a program for cutting laminated chipboard.
It is not recommended to cut the plate yourself. Given the characteristics of the material, its edge will simply crumble, and chips are formed. True, large construction stores often provide their customers with a bonus when buying laminated chipboard free sawing and chroming.
