When designing cabinets for a kitchen, a home office, a bathroom or another type of cabinet project it is important to consider plywood. In general plywood comes in two varieties: Particle board and plywood.
If you plan to use plywood for your next cabinet project, be sure to learn more about the different types of plywood available and how each plywood type can affect your finished product.
The main difference between plywood and particle board is the layers of material that are glued together prior to being cut into thin strips to form a sheet of wood. Plywoods consist of cross-layered plies (or sheets) of wood. These layers are glued together with their grains alternating directions to form plywood panels.
Particle board consists of small wooden particles mixed with resin and pressed into flat sheets. No actual plywood is used in particle boards but rather pieces of wood cut into tiny splinters, commonly called wood flakes. While plywoods give you better stability due to the layering process, plywoods can also be more expensive than particle board since it requires many more steps overall.
Another comparison between plywood and particle board is how they hold screws for installation purposes. The spaces between plywood sheets often hold screws much easier than those found in particle boards or other manufactured products that are made up of small wood flakes.
Plywood is also available in different grades, which affects the overall cost and quality of the plywood. The most common plywood grades are A, B and C with A being the highest quality plywood. Be sure to consider plywood grades when selecting plywood for your cabinet project as it can affect the finished product.
In general, plywoods are a better choice than particle board for cabinet projects. Plywoods offer better stability, hold screws better and come in different grades which affect the overall cost and quality of the plywood. When selecting plywood for your next cabinet project be sure to consider all of these factors to make sure you are getting the best possible product for your needs.
