Engineered wood characteristics

Engineered wood products are used in a variety of ways, often in applications similar to solid wood products. Engineered wood products may be preferred over solid wood in some applications due to certain comparative advantages:

• Because engineered wood is man-made, it can be designed to meet application-specific performance requirements.
• Large panels of engineered wood may be manufactured from fibres from small diameter trees.
• Small pieces of wood, and wood that has defects, can be used in many engineered wood products, especially particle and fiber-based boards.
• Engineered wood products are often stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping than equivalent solid woods, although most particle and fiber-based boards readily soak up water unless they are treated with sealant or paint.

Engineered wood products also have some disadvantages:

• They require more primary energy for their manufacture than solid lumber.
• The required adhesives may be toxic. A concern with some resins is the release of formaldehyde in the finished product, often seen with urea-formaldehyde bonded products.
• Cutting and otherwise working with engineered wood products can expose workers to toxic constituents.

 

Source: Wikipedia