LDSP (laminated chipboard) is a material that is widely used in repair and furniture manufacturing. Let's figure out how its properties differ from ordinary chipboard.
By its nature, laminated chipboard is a composite. The role of a binder in it is played by a polymer based on phenol and formaldehyde. The filler is cheap and readily available wood chips. After pressing under heat, slabs are formed, which are widely used in construction and furniture making. The main feature of laminated chipboard is that the board is covered with a thin layer of film. The film is made from paper impregnated with melamine resin.
Production technology
The material is completely natural, it is produced by hot pressing waste from the wood processing industry. Formaldehyde resins are used for the connection, and the top layer is a laminated film of different shades. Its appearance made it possible to reduce waste in the manufacture of wooden products from 60 to 10%. The panels are made from low quality wood. But if you select and process the chips correctly, the quality of the slab will be high.
The production technology is simple; coatings are applied to a flat, smooth chipboard surface in three layers:
- Base layer. It is a special paper impregnated with polymer.
- Decorative layer. At this stage, a drawing with a thickness of no more than 1 millimeter is applied.
- Transparent layer. It imparts moisture resistance to the coating and prevents volatile substances from evaporating.
Properties
In many ways, the properties of laminated chipboards are inherited from the original material. For example, there is virtually no difference in flexural strength or machinability. However, gluing the material with film and finishing the edges with plastic gave some improvement in properties:
- The appearance of the slab has improved significantly. The use of films of different textures and shades makes it possible to imitate expensive types of wood. The variety of material is very large and increases every year.
- Plastic edge trim prevents volatile substances from evaporating from the panel.
Therefore, laminated chipboard is safer for the environment and has a less pronounced odor. Finishing edges with plastic can only be done using a special machine. Typically, this service is provided by companies producing chipboards or large building materials stores. - The film on the surface significantly reduced the risk of destruction of the slab around the holes for fasteners. Thanks to this, the service life of laminated chipboard is 10 years or more.
All this significantly increases the attractiveness of laminated chipboard as a structural and finishing material.
What kind of material is there?
Laminated chipboards are usually classified into different groups, depending on the materials used for production. Based on quality, panels are usually divided into two categories: P-B and P-A. The first type is less durable, and therefore is intended for the production of shelves with low loads and pallets. P-A slabs are resistant to damage and moisture, their surface is less rough, and therefore they are used for the facades of kitchen sets, tables, beds, and cabinets.
Laminated chipboard contains formaldehyde resins that differ in emission class. This is a very important characteristic; the safety of the product depends on it. If you are buying furniture for a children's room, then you should pay attention to this parameter. In terms of environmental friendliness, materials are of the following types:
- E1
. This is the safest emission class, suitable for making furniture in homes with children, schools, hospitals, kindergartens. - E2
. This class is prone to releasing toxic substances, and therefore is rarely used for furniture production. The product is cheap, which is why it gained its popularity. It is allowed to use the texture for office furniture, archives and buildings with little traffic. - E3
and
E4
. These types are the most dangerous; in European countries it is prohibited to make furniture from them and decorate residential premises. In Russia, this rule does not exist. But you should not use texture for furniture in residential premises, hospitals, schools and preschool institutions.
To find out which emission class a material belongs to, you must request a quality certificate. You can also understand whether the stoves are dangerous for humans or not by smell. If they have a strong and unpleasant odor, do not make a purchase. Many people hope that it will disappear over time, but as practice shows, the smell remains forever.
How to choose
To choose high-quality laminated chipboards, you need to know what parameters you need to pay attention to when choosing. First of all, it is the quality of the chips. Wood that is usually used to make slabs is not of very high quality: slats, slabs and other relatively low-quality lumber. But provided that the chips are correctly selected, the quality of the slab will be high.
High-quality slabs are made from petal-shaped chips. The cross-section of the chips should be as close to square as possible. The particles should not be too small or too large. Violation of these rules leads to a significant decrease in the mechanical strength of the slab and its ability to withstand bending deformation.
Another sign of high-quality laminated chipboard is a smooth surface. If, after running your hand over its surface, you feel noticeable bumps, potholes, cracks, roughness or graininess - this is a reason to refuse the purchase. Such structural features indicate that either the material for making the slabs was of low quality, or there were violations during manufacturing. The mechanical strength of such plates will be low.
The strong odor of formaldehyde is a sign of poor quality. Therefore, you should make sure that the stove does not smell. It is better to do this indoors, since in the cold the evaporation of formaldehyde will be lower. To learn how to choose wooden panels for walls, read this article.
Advantages of laminated chipboard
Before talking about how the panels are used, it is worth mentioning the advantages of the material:
- Durable structure. The material is reliable, it is not afraid of mechanical damage and temperature changes. But to maintain an attractive appearance, you need to regularly care for it.
- Large assortment of colors. You can order furniture in any color so that it fits well into the interior. There are many colors that imitate natural tree species, which will give the house exclusivity.
- Low price. If we compare the cost of laminated chipboard with the price of solid wood, then purchasing the former is much more profitable. Pricing can be explained simply - no expensive raw materials are used for the board products, which reduces the cost of their production. It is because of this parameter that laminated chipboard is so popular among buyers.
- Good thermal insulation. The material has excellent heat-insulating and noise-absorbing properties. And therefore it is suitable for finishing the room.
Application in furniture production
Laminated chipboards have gained wide popularity in the production of home and office furniture. For different groups of products, slabs of excellent thickness are used.
- 8 mm
. The panels are suitable for decorative processing of furniture. They are also often used to make drawer bottoms. - 16 mm
. The material is suitable for the manufacture of various furniture. - 18 mm
. The texture serves as the basis for the production of cabinet furniture. - 22 mm
. This thickness is ideal for making tables, chairs, countertops, and kitchen sets. - 25 mm
. The slabs are suitable for the production of massive countertops. - 32 mm
. Laminated chipboard is used for countertops with heavy loads.
The material is easy to process; many people also use it for home furniture making. Laminated chipboard is easy to drill, paste, and paint.
Furniture made from laminated panels is often placed in the bathroom; it looks much more attractive than cabinets made of plastic. But there is always high humidity in the bathtub, so you need to choose high-quality products so that over time the walls of the cabinets and shelves do not swell from water.
Application of laminated chipboard for the production of kitchen furniture
Processing does not require much effort: the surfaces can be washed. Therefore, slab products are suitable for premises for various purposes. And if you regularly take care of the furniture, it will last for several years. It often serves as the basis for the production of kitchen sets. A wide variety of colors allows us to produce “kitchens” of different shades. The panels themselves are not very resistant to humidity, but a film protects the surfaces from water, due to which the cabinets are distinguished by long-term operation. The material is not famous for its high strength, but it is ideal for home use.
Headsets made from laminated chipboard look attractive the first time after purchase. If you want to preserve the original appearance of your products for a long time, then you need to regularly care for them. Follow these recommendations:
- Wipe surfaces thoroughly. After removing grease stains and washing cabinets with detergents, wipe the set well to avoid swelling in areas where moisture has entered. Do not place cloths or wet towels on countertops for more than 5 minutes.
- Use only safe cleaning materials. When cleaning cabinets, use only soft sponges and plush or flannel towels. Avoid wire scouring pads and abrasive cleansers. The best cleaning product should be designed for chipboard panels. It is forbidden to use products with gasoline, solvent, chlorine, soda.
- Protect tabletop joints. Do not allow moisture to enter these areas. It is better to immediately purchase furniture with glued edges. Although the film protects against swelling of water, if the humidity is constant, the set will lose its presentation.
- Maintain optimal air temperature. In the room where laminated chipboard products are located, the air temperature should be in the range of +2-40 degrees. Favorable humidity – 70%. If you do not follow these recommendations, the material will deteriorate, which will lead to a deterioration in its appearance.
- Move furniture away from heating appliances. Batteries or radiators must be located at least 0.5 meters from laminated chipboard panels. The same applies to direct sunlight. Arrange the cabinets so that the sun from the window does not hit them. Otherwise, the coating will quickly fade and become deformed.
- Treat furniture with care. If the products have opening and sliding cabinets, then open them carefully and smoothly each time. There is no need to pull the handle sharply. With frequent similar movements, the door will simply come off. Although laminated chipboard is resistant to high temperatures and damage, do not place hot drinks on the tabletop without stands, so as not to spoil the appearance of the product. Wax and mastic also have a negative effect on the film, so be careful when working with these substances.
Laminated boards are used for the production of furniture in small kitchens, when furniture is made to order and in apartments with a standard layout. In order to protect cabinets from steam emanating from the burners and oven, it is worth choosing models of sets with aluminum frames. This will slightly increase the cost of the finished product, but will protect it from adverse factors.
If you decide to make a kitchen set from laminated panels yourself, listen to these tips:
- For wall cabinets, choose panels that are thinner and lighter in weight. This will allow the fasteners to hold firmly and remain safe for humans.
- Give preference to sets with thin panels; they look more elegant and beautiful in the interior.
- Use aluminum frames to extend the life of the product.
Advantages and disadvantages
Laminated chipboard has many advantages compared to other materials used in the same field. First of all, this is the low cost associated with the use of low-grade wood and cheap polymer components for production. Processing the material is also not particularly difficult. If you have the appropriate equipment, chipboard can be easily and quickly cut into sheets of the desired shape and size.
Good resistance to moisture allows you to wash the surface of furniture or walls finished with chipboard. With timely care, products made from this composite can last for decades without losing their attractive appearance.
However, like any other material, there are also negative sides. Here are the most significant disadvantages of laminated chipboard:
- Cutting and finishing of the ends must be ordered in specialized workshops. You can do these operations yourself. But the ends that are not protected by film will begin to attract moisture, and numerous chips of the coating that appear along the cutting line will spoil the appearance.
- The material tolerates moisture better than chipboard. But it’s still not worth placing such furniture or partitions in wet rooms.
- Reassembling furniture is extremely difficult. The screw that is turned out crumbles the material, and when you try to screw it back in, it will not hold tightly enough. Therefore, you will have to either use fasteners of a larger diameter or try to make new holes.
The characteristics of the material limit the designer’s flight of imagination. Laminated chipboard does not hold curved lines well. It is almost impossible to make relief notches on this material. This reduces the possibilities for decorating the finished product.
How to deal with stains on laminated chipboard panels
If stains and stains appear, try to remove them immediately, otherwise this will be problematic. Depending on the type of contamination, different cleaning methods are used. First, try removing dirt with a soft sponge soaked in water. If they don't come out, add some baby soap. Fresh stains can be easily removed with wet wipes.
If the stain is difficult, soak a cloth in vinegar and wipe the problem area. But perform these actions for more than 1 minute so as not to damage the surfaces. After removing stains, wipe the laminated boards dry. When greasy stains appear, laundry soap is effective. But so that the products do not lose their attractiveness, apply polish after processing. If the stain cannot be removed, discard aggressive substances and cover it with a laminate pencil.
Often an unpleasant odor appears in kitchen cabinets from seasonings, old foods, and sweets. In this case, it is necessary to treat the cabinet walls with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After treatment, wipe the cabinets dry with a sponge.
Tips for choosing furniture from laminated chipboard
The laminated coating reliably masks the composition of the texture, and the buyer does not know the insides of the board. Before purchasing any product, you need to carefully examine the texture of which it consists:
- Check for damage. Touch the furniture on all sides; its surface should be smooth. There should be no scratches or chips on top of the decorative film.
- Inspect the edges of the sheets. If the edges of the boards are thicker than the middle, refuse to purchase. Different thicknesses of the material indicate its swelling due to excess moisture. It is not worth purchasing such furniture, the fasteners will not hold in it and it will not serve you even for several years.
- Check the quality of fasteners. If you are purchasing hanging cabinets, make sure that all fasteners and fixing hinges are strong. It is important to consider that it is unlikely that you will be able to re-screw the screws into the chipboard.
If a store offers you a product at a very low cost, don’t hesitate to buy cheap products. Ask sellers for quality certificates for the product. If they are not available, refrain from purchasing. High-quality laminated chipboards should not have a strong odor; its presence indicates a dangerous emission class, which is harmful to human health.
In recent years, the demand for products made from chipboard has been growing significantly. This material has become more popular than solid wood, since its price is lower and furniture made from it is available in every store. But many buyers are afraid to purchase goods from this texture, as they are worried about the quality of the product. But with proper care, the furniture will serve you for a long time and will become a real decoration of your home.
Application area
The main direction is furniture laminated chipboard.
These are tables, kitchens, shelves, chests of drawers, cabinets... Laminated chipboards of two markings are used in furniture: BS (for offices) and SE (wood pores on the surface).
Besides:
- trade equipment, shelving;
- dressing rooms;
- wall panels, partitions;
- other.
In the internal partitions - laminated chipboard SM - with a smooth base. Sometimes PR has a porous surface.
For control: if the shavings on a piece of furniture laminated chipboard have a square, petal-shaped cross-section, that means what is needed.
Kitchen making
Chipboard class – not lower than E1. It is very important to choose the right thickness. The thinner the more elegant. The thicker it is, the stronger it is. You need to choose a thickness close to the permissible minimum, which is determined by the purpose of the slab. So for the frame the thickness should be at least 20 mm.
It is advisable to place laminated chipboard in aluminum frames near the heating plate. Although it will be somewhat more expensive, it will also last significantly longer.
Hinged panels - thicknesses close to the minimum, so as not to overstress the fasteners.
Shelving
They are relatively lightweight and can be easily transported to another place. They can be made open and closed, combined. In any colors, arbitrary shapes.
The most common are straight models, conveniently built into niches. The corner design allows full use of the room space. Slides are excellent room dividers into zones and interior decoration.
Dressers
Made from laminated chipboard, they come in various shapes, designs and sizes. With well-chosen colors and shapes, they are an interior decoration.
Structurally, they can be floor-standing or mobile.
Purpose: bedside, linen, TV.
Other furniture
Doors, window sills, load-bearing elements of commercial structures. Like laminated chipboard countertops, they are all made from slabs 22-25 mm thick.
Any cabinet and other furniture that does not require curved shapes or subtle decoration can be produced.
Classic approach: the furniture façade is made of MDF, the back wall is made of fiberboard and the body is made of laminated chipboard.
