The wood boards used in the furniture industry are not solid wood boards, just as there are different types of edge bands for wood, the wood boards used in the industry are usually chipboard. Chipboard is the joining of wood chips in the form of a board and decorated on the surface with a melamine paper and resins. There are many types of chipboard on the market, each of them has its advantages and disadvantages, some are lighter, others are denser or even have qualities such as flame retardant or water repellent, presenting more resistance or hardness.
Within the different types of chipboard that can be chosen, all have the need to add a wood edge band, as the board is formed with fibres or wood shavings, leaving the edge of the board exposed.
There are few types of chipboard or boards that would not need a wood edge band, in the case of the board we will choose it for its qualities and the needs of durability, hardness and resistance, more than for its finish. Due to the fact that the final finish is usually given with some type of coating, whether it is the multipurpose melamine paper, natural wood veneer, varnishes or lacquers.
Just as there are different options for covering the surface of the board, such as the use of melamine paper or natural veneer cover, and although there is a tendency to leave the chipboard exposed or even to finish it with an OSB chipboard or plywood design, the most common in this industry is to choose chipboard with a melamine paper covering and a wood edge band cover.
The wood edge band offers resistance, sealing against moisture and environmental factors as well as protection against pests. The wood could swell, crack or lose its original shape, which at this point cannot be recovered. That is why we insist on knowing the final use that the wood will have, it will determine the functionality, quality and resistance of the final product. Nowadays we can count on materials such as PVC or ABS that provide maximum resistance and hardness with a material that when decorated fits in with any design, whether it is one-colour, wood or fantasy.
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