Every year, the construction industry sees an upsurge in demand for new building materials. Among the other building materials, plywood seems to be a very demanding and eye-catching material. Plywood is a fantastic combination of strength, lightness, and flexibility. Therefore, the growth and demand for plywood are increasing day-by-day across Melbourne and other parts of Australia. The city has a grading system for this material.
Since the benefits of plywood are immense, many plywood suppliers in Melbourne, Australia over the world have started producing soft, hard, and decorative plywood.
Let us understand the features of plywood for Architectural Panels
High Strength
Plywood gets its structural strength from the wood out of which it is made. This property is considered to be one gained from its laminated design. Plywood sheets/panels can resist splitting and offer uniform strength for increased stability.
As opposed to cut lumber, plywood has more strength to weight ratio, making it perfect for webbed beams, flooring, and shear walls.
Flexibility
Plywood can be made to fit your needs. Some particular types of plywood can be easily bent without being damaged. Furthermore, plywood thickness varies from a few millimetres to inches. The additional layer of veneer adds more strength to plywood. Due to its flexibility property, it can be used for ceilings and panelling work.
Braced Panels Shear or Panel Sheer
The plywood panels made from using treated veneers have higher shear strength than those made by using non-treated veneer, according to Bekhta, et al’s research paper. By using the treated veneer, plywood’s shear strength becomes twice that of solid wood. It can further make it suitable for use as gussets in portal frames.
Fire Resistance
Along with the chemical coating, plywood can be treated as fire resistance. The non-combustible materials such as plasterboard or cement can be combined to resist the oxidation process, thus reducing fire.
Water Resistance
Veneers are treated with content that makes plywood highly resistant to water and chemicals. However, it is low as compared to other natural wood. Yet, it can be highly used in chemical industries. It can be an ideal material for furniture such as tables, decking, pergolas, planters, etc. Melbourne gets around 25.5 inches of rain every year, and it’s well-distributed year-round. So, water-resistant plywood is essential for any outdoor application too.
Impact Resistance
The cross lamination panels offer high tensile strength to plywood, which can be a force over a larger area, reducing tensile stress. Therefore, it can be able to withstand overloading by up to 2x its designated load.
It can be useful when considering flooring or concrete framework, and many plywood suppliers in Melbourne, Australia suggest it for the floor of various buildings with heavy wear.
Sound and Thermal Insulation
The utilization of urea-formaldehyde resin adhesives during plywood manufacturing enhances the sound and thermal insulation as per the Onur Ülker of Kirikkale University’s research paper.
Thin piles or veneers are glued together with resin adhesives to make it a good sound and thermal insulator. Thus, plywood is a versatile material, and the cost of plywood varies depending upon the properties and specifications. Ordinary plywood can cost you less, while standard waterproof plywood may cost you more.
Different types of plywood are readily available in the market today; however, one has to choose the right grade depending on your specific need.
So, if you’re planning to make furniture such as panels, give an encouraging thought on each feature/property of plywood in detail.
