Materials for cabinet furniture

Recommendation points

• Wood
• Wood boards
• Metal
• Glass and mirror
• Synthetic materials

There is so much furniture on sale now that it is difficult to say on the fly which one is really good quality and which one is better not to buy. Classic and English styles coexist in stores with modern, baroque, minimalist, hi-tech, etc. furniture. Furniture can be cabinet and soft, exclusive and serial, it is produced in the form of standard sets (headsets) and modules or sections (ready-made elements, allowing you to create custom designs). And finally, furniture can simply be bought, or you can order, not only according to samples and catalogs, but also according to your own project. But in the end, this is not the main thing. The main thing is that the furniture is of high quality. What does this mean from a consumer point of view? First of all, it is beautiful, comfortable, durable (reliable and durable) and environmentally friendly. And what is needed for a product to have all these features? Artistic taste and professionalism of the developers? Sure. Craftsmanship and perfect technology? Certainly. But even if all these conditions are met, nothing good will come of it without good materials..

What do we know about them? Almost nothing. Meanwhile, in order to correctly assess the quality of furniture, you just need to know what it is made of. We decided to turn to production workers for help. But, looking ahead, we note that so much information has accumulated that one article cannot be enough. Therefore, first let’s talk about materials for cabinet furniture..

Wood

In the furniture industry, wood is used for the manufacture of frames and facades of cabinet furniture, as well as for their finishing..

Solid wood does not need any special recommendations. True, an impartial approach unexpectedly reveals more disadvantages than advantages. The tree is afraid of water and fire, it is easy to damage it mechanically, it needs constant maintenance. On the other hand, wood has incomparable beauty, literally radiates warmth, does not threaten health, and, finally, this material can be “reanimated” many times. But all this, of course, only if the wood from which the furniture is made is of high quality – well dried, without knots, cracks, etc..

Unfortunately, when buying furniture, we are not able to assess whether the wood has gone through all the necessary preparatory stages. So what you want or not, you have to rely on the good faith of the manufacturer. But the type of wood, on which the reliability and durability of furniture also largely depends, is chosen by the buyer. Therefore, I think it would be useful to learn something about the properties of wood..
The furniture industry has long used valuable wood species – oak, walnut, birch, beech, maple, ash, cherry, mahogany. Their “value” lies primarily in strength. But if you want to buy furniture, for example, made of walnut or cherry, you will see only imported products in stores. Domestic furniture makers offer mainly oak, less often – beech and very rarely – birch. The lion’s share of Russian furniture today is made of pine..

Our advice: when buying pine products, remember that they require careful handling. Pine is not a valuable species, and products made from it are “soft”. The most suitable place for pine furniture is the bedroom: nice and healthy for your health. But for the nursery, hallway or dining room, it is better to choose something “stronger”.

Modern furniture is the most unexpected combination of wood, metal, glass and plastic

Blockboard is another material made entirely of natural wood. The structure resembles a “sandwich” in which a pine core is sandwiched between two layers of plywood. Blockboard is used for the manufacture of furniture facades and frames, “decorating” and protecting the outside with finishing material. According to experts, this “sandwich” is still little known in our country, but it looks like it has good prospects. For example, I was introduced to this material in the Lumi company, which has been manufacturing modular sectional furniture for individual projects for five years. Almost all the materials that the company uses are imported. One of the few exceptions is the joinery board manufactured by the Russian company “Alan-89”. By the way, Lumi also uses another interesting and so far rare natural material in the furniture industry, which looks like blinds..

“Wooden blinds” is a canvas made of multilayer wooden plates glued onto a soft base. The thing itself is not new, but the rich possibilities of its use in furniture production surprised me. It turns out that wooden blinds with equal success can serve as a cabinet door, and a movable cover for a cabinet or drawer. Remembered about this material very handy, because now “furniture fashion” prefers curvilinear shapes, and wooden blinds here are just a godsend. I think that over time they will take their rightful place among finishing materials made of natural wood, but so far veneer dominates in this “kingdom”.

Wooden blinds with equal success can serve as a cabinet door, and a movable cover of a cabinet or drawer.

Veneer is a thin cut of wood that is glued to a base (for example, chipboard) and covered with several layers of furniture varnish. It seems that the furniture is completely made of solid wood, but at the same time it costs much less. However, to achieve this effect, the veneer must be carefully matched in color and texture. Perhaps this is the main requirement for him.
As for varnishes, today furniture makers prefer Swedish and German heat-resistant varnishes. Although, along with this, natural materials are increasingly used, for example, varnishes based on beeswax.

Output:

When buying solid wood furniture, keep in mind the “character” of the wood from which it is made. Pine is a soft tree, but oak, walnut, beech, cherry, etc. are harder breeds. Therefore, pine furniture is quite suitable for a quiet bedroom, and for the kitchen, dining room or nursery, you will have to choose something stronger. Keep in mind: natural wood products need careful care, so please be patient and have a care product. Find out where, if necessary, you can restore “natural” furniture.

Wood boards

Here, the undisputed leader is particle board (particle board). However, recently it is “catching up” with MDF (Middle Density Fiberboard, which in English means “medium density fiber coating”). Chipboard and MDF are made using approximately the same technology, but chipboard is made from shavings and small chips, and MDF is made from sawdust, crushed to a powdery state.

Both types of wood-based panels are used for the manufacture of facades and furniture frames. Moreover, MDF has proven to be an excellent material for parts with curved surfaces. MDF sheet with deep parallel grooves becomes flexible. But if you bend it and, aligning the grooves, glue it to another sheet of the same type, the structure will lose its elasticity and retain the desired shape. So, for example, the new material Topan “works”, which is produced by the German company Glutz and which is used in Lumi, creating original samples of modular sectional furniture.
Particleboard and MDF are supplied to furniture production, as a rule, already covered with laminate or veneer. Laminate is a protective and decorative coating, which is a layer of special paper with a pattern, impregnated with synthetic resin (most often melamine). Laminated board is not afraid of friction, scratches, stains, water, high temperature, ultraviolet light, household chemicals. The decorative layer successfully imitates the color and texture of various types of wood, so products made of laminated chipboard or MDF look quite “natural”. But nevertheless, they still “do not reach” the furniture, veneered with natural veneer, which can often be distinguished from solid wood products only by professionals. But in terms of the degree of protection against mechanical and other external influences, “veneered” chipboard and MDF are inferior to laminate.

Furniture of Italian factories made of chipboard, finished with veneer, is in no way inferior to “natural”

Knowing that phenol-formaldehyde resins are used in the production of wood-based panels, which decompose over time and emit formaldehyde harmful to humans, I passionately asked the experts about the environmental performance of particleboard and MDF. It turned out that this factor is really very important and must be taken into account in the production of furniture. Fortunately, most furniture manufacturers try to take “into work” only chipboard and MDF with a minimum formaldehyde emission – E1. The fact is that it is more expensive to use materials with the worst performance: problems may arise with obtaining certificates for finished products. And without them, not a single finished piece of furniture can be sold. A very important conclusion follows from this: if the furniture has a European quality certificate and (or) a Russian certificate of conformity, it will not harm our health.

A rich range of colors of laminated chipboard will satisfy the most demanding taste

That is why, according to experts, there is no reason to treat MDF or chipboard furniture as a low-grade product. By the way, most of the famous Italian factories make expensive high class furniture from these materials. For example, the collections of modular sectional furniture and bedrooms of the famous MAP factory (they are presented in the MAP House brand store) give the impression of absolutely “natural” furniture. And in the prestigious Moscow salon “Ruslan-Möbel” (only high-quality exclusive furniture is sold here) they said that today the manufacturers of this “piece” furniture use veneered chipboard for the manufacture of some parts. For example, the doors of handmade wooden cabinets are made of this material in order to “lighten” them and protect them from deformation. So it turns out that with the proper use of chipboard and MDF, they can even improve the quality of wooden furniture..

Output:

Do not treat chipboard or MDF furniture as “second-rate” products. If the furniture has a certificate of quality (conformity), it is safe for health. When purchasing such furniture, ask what the covering is made of. If it is a laminate, then the products are reliably protected from mechanical and other damage. If the furniture is made of chipboard, veneered with veneer, pay attention to whether the individual veneer plates are well matched in color and texture.

Metal

According to forecasts of some experts, it is metal that will be the main furniture material of the XXI century. Some “metallization” of furniture can be seen already today, although so far it is more an exclusive than mass production. Therefore, we will talk about ordinary furniture that can be ordered or bought in any furniture showroom. It, of course, has metal parts: folding mechanisms, driving elements (tracks and pendants for sliding doors, wheels, swivel mechanisms of chairs and armchairs, etc.), some fittings (hinges, locks, handles) and some decor details.

The main enemy of many metals is rust, and therefore the main requirement for the metal elements of furniture is corrosion resistance. For reasons of economy, they are most often made of steel – a metal that is durable and cheap, but, alas, not very resistant to rust. Therefore, the steel parts of the furniture are either subjected to anti-corrosion treatment or chrome plated. But the most reliable way to combat metal corrosion is to replace steel with titanium or aluminum. True, titanium alloys are a rather expensive pleasure, they are used only in the manufacture of exclusive furniture. But furniture makers are increasingly resorting to aluminum “services”.
Six years ago, the Komandor company began advertising sliding doors in an aluminum profile, although it also had conventional steel structures in its arsenal. “Komandor” still uses both metals today, giving the buyer a choice. Lumi, for example, has decided to abandon steel elements altogether in their new program, replacing them with extruded aluminum parts. In addition, they successfully use aluminum as a decorative material..

Output:

If the furniture you are going to buy contains metal parts, you need to find out what they are made of. If aluminum is good, chrome-plated steel is also not bad, and if it is made of titanium alloy, it is even better (though more expensive). In other cases, you should ask the seller (manufacturer) how metal parts are protected from corrosion.

Glass and mirror

In the production of modern furniture, two types of glass and mirrors are used: ordinary and safe. The simplest version of safety glass (mirrors) is a “sheet” material glued onto a synthetic film. Like any glass, it breaks (although this requires more effort than usual), but, even when broken, it does not shatter into small fragments. An even more reliable option is triplex (laminated glass, in which a special film is located between the layers of material). Furniture makers began to use safety mirrors and glass relatively recently. If you do not take into account the “exotic” type of glass chairs, then we can say with confidence that the main area of ​​their application is modular sectional furniture. Let’s say the same wardrobes. Unlike traditional furniture, they often have large glass and mirror surfaces..

Large glass and mirror surfaces are often found in modular sectional furniture. Therefore, glass and mirrors must be safe.

Safe glass for furniture production is transparent, tinted, colored and frosted. As for the mirrors, besides silver there are also bronze, gold, graphite and even blue and green mirrors. Additional decorations of such glass or mirrors can be “overlays” made of metal or wood. As for traditional types of furniture, here manufacturers continue to use ordinary glass and, as I understand it, they are not going to replace it with a safe one..

Output:

If your choice fell on furniture structures with large glass or mirrored surfaces, be sure to check with the sellers which type of glass (mirrors) is used. Better if it is safe.

Synthetic materials

To tell in one article about all the synthetic materials required for modern furniture production is an impossible task. Finishing plastic, furniture films, edges, profiles, varnishes, paints, adhesives, impregnations – this is not a complete list of products that include synthetic components. Therefore, this time we will only talk about finishing plastics and edging materials..

Finishing plastic is a sheet or roll material, in which countertops and furniture facades are mainly “dressed”. Of course, even a straight surface can be carefully “wrapped” only with plastic that is capable of “softening” and taking the desired shape, and then hardening and retaining it. This property is possessed by the so-called postforming (postforming) plastics. They are obtained by pressing several layers of synthetic resin and a decorative paper layer. Recently, clear preference is given to materials based on acrylic resins. And this is good news, since this material is absolutely harmless to health. No wonder that it is acrylic resin that is used in dentistry for the manufacture of fillings.!

Chipboard, “clad” with post-formed plastic

So from the point of view of ecology, everything is in order here. Surfaces covered with finishing plastic do not crack, they are difficult to scratch, plastics are not afraid of water and household chemicals. Caring for such furniture is extremely simple: just wipe it with a damp cloth and ordinary detergent. A variety of colors and patterns makes it possible to find interesting design solutions.

Artificial stone is a composite consisting of a fire-resistant mineral filler, pigments and all the same acrylic resin. In appearance, artificial stone is in no way inferior to natural, moreover, this material is devoid of the disadvantages of natural material. It is much lighter than natural stone, it is difficult to scratch or break it, easy to work with, hygienic, easy to restore with a special glue, scratches are removed with ordinary sandpaper. As for “environmental friendliness”, everything is in order here too: acrylic resin and natural minerals are absolutely harmless.

Artificial stone is suitable not only for the office, kitchen or bathroom. It is quite possible for them to decorate furniture in a living room or office.

The first swallow was Corian (the brainchild of DuPont), a little later, Gibraltar and SSV (Wilsonart) appeared. I never managed to understand the difference in their chemical composition, since this is the patented know-how of the companies. But even professionals can hardly distinguish them by their appearance and properties. The latest innovation in this area is the spray stone. It is remarkable in that, unlike its “leaf” predecessors, it makes it possible to finish “like natural stone” surfaces of any shape with minimal material consumption. The material is transported in tanks and applied to the finished product with a spray gun. “Sprayed” stone feels great even on metal and glass, not to mention gypsum, chipboard and MDF.
But the employees of the Komandor company, the exclusive distributor of the American company SAFAS, which manufactures these products, stressed that it should not be confused with the “liquid” stone from which the products are molded..

Edging materials. After the “cutting” of the base material on the part, there is a problem of sealing the ends. The operation is very important and responsible. Any professional knows that the “cleanliness” of the edge is one of the main features of a quality product. It turns out that such a seemingly trifle as a furniture edge is actually a significant “figure” in furniture production.

The easiest way to seal the end face is with melamine edging. The part, the edges of which are “sealed” with melamine on special equipment, looks great. From the point of view of the consumer, melamine edging has undeniable advantages: a rich color range, the shades of which perfectly match the color of the main coating, and a low price. The manufacturer, however, would rather note its drawback: being very thin and plastic, it ideally repeats the surface configuration, which means it reproduces the smallest defects.

Therefore, if there are even small chips at the cutting site, an experienced furniture maker will use other, less “capricious” edging materials. For example, PVC or ABS edges (edging). They are thicker (2 – 3 mm) and, therefore, less sensitive to flaws in the end surface. And one more plus: the edge will not peel off or wrinkle, because during processing it forms a monolith with chipboard. PVC and ABS edging come in a variety of colors, including wood imitation, metallized and even fluorescent. As for the difference between PVC and ABS edge, experts consider the latter to be more environmentally friendly and resistant to mechanical stress..

Another common edge material is PVC profiles. To use them, no special equipment is needed. They are quite tough, such a profile can simply be “clicked” on the end (“P” -form) or fixed in the grooves of the workpiece (“T” -form). But on the other hand, PVC profiles still bend, so they are widely used for finishing rounded corners. PVC profile gives finished furniture a finished look.

PVC profile is a fairly common edge material

Output:

Furniture finished with plastic or artificial stone has excellent performance.
When dealing with laminated wood panel furniture, pay particular attention to the edging material. The “purity” of the edge is one of the main quality indicators. The ends finished with a thin melamine edging should be checked “by sight” and “by touch” for surface defects. The PVC profile should also be checked for strength – is it securely fixed.
So we got acquainted with the main materials that are used in the production of cabinet furniture. Now you know what you need to know when choosing furniture. Pay attention not only to how it looks, but what it is made of. Do not forget to ask the seller for a certificate of quality (conformity). If it is available, it means that the furniture is safe from an environmental point of view. In the next publications, we will continue this topic and talk about materials for upholstered furniture.