When building your house or remodeling it, it is best to research everything. The Saying ‘A stitch in time saves nine is accurate in such cases. If you have chosen plywood for furnishing your kitchen, then you are on the right track. Unfortunately, all plywood isn’t of the same quality.
Let’s discuss six secrets to know the best plywood for your Kitchen cabinets:
1. Branded plywood is a far better choice.
Unfortunately, 80 percent of plywood trade in India is done in the unorganized sector. The low cost of inferior quality plywood available in the unorganized sector is tempting for a layperson to make decisions casually. The secret your suppliers aren’t telling you is that such plywood has no assurance of much-needed after-sales service. Moreover, in the case of plywood, ‘quality’ isn’t something aesthetic; it also translates into better safety against radical elements and durability. Branded plywood also comes with warranties. In the long run, branded quality plywood will also prove cheaper by serving you longer and better.
2. Go into the details of the warranty given.
Plywood in your kitchen is very likely to be exposed to moisture, heat, and other natural agents even during normal usage.
When buying plywood, you might hear that it has a warranty of so or so many years, which sounds fantastic. However, it is wise to go into details – read the terms and conditions and determine what these warranties protect you from. Specifically, ask if warranties cover turmeric, borer, moisture, and other radical agents. The security may be only against ‘manufacturing defects,’ which won’t protect you against significant problems arising from regular usage.
3. BPW plywood is ideal for your kitchen.
Boiling waterproof plywood, also known as marine-grade plywood or PF-grade plywood or IS710 plywood, is the best type of plywood available in the market. Phenol-Formaldehyde or PF is used to treat this plywood which makes it capable of being exposed to water, even boiling water for up to 72 hours without being degraded in any way. BPW plywood thus offers protection against both water and heat.
4. Test your plywood yourself.
BPW plywood fraud is quite common. The sellers claim that plywood is BPW while selling plywood of poor quality. You can ask for a sample. Cut off a little chunk of it and put it in boiling water for two to three days; if it shows any signs of decline in quality, you are being cheated.
5. Consider the wood used.
The wood used in making plywood should also be considered. Different wood has different strength and screw-holding capacities.
Gurjan, Hardwood, and Beech Hardwood are recommended varieties of Harwood, while we recommend avoiding popular plywood.
Alternate and Rubberwood plywood is not recommended. Rubberwood plywood doesn’t offer a lot of resistance against termite Infestation. Alternate plywood has a low weight handling capacity.
Birch plywood may have some very particular applications in the premium indoor sector but should be avoided as it does not fit Indian conditions.
6. Look for a Fire Retardant Plywood.
Your kitchen has elements like electricity, water, cooking gas, oils, etc., in its different corners, and thus it is the place where a fire is most likely to occur. Therefore it is highly recommended that you use fire-retardant plywood for your kitchen cabinets. This plywood is slow to burn – it can take up to half an hour to catch fire and twenty minutes to burn. That gives you precious time to save your life and valuables or control the fire. That is done by further treating plywood with chemicals. These properties are available in combination with boiling waterproof plywood properties mentioned above, further making an excellent choice.
On a parting note,
We hope that these secrets will help you decide on the kind of plywood you are looking for. If you wish to learn even more about different types of plywood, we recommend sparing a few minutes to read Smart Plywood Buying Guide, written by India’s leading Plywood expert Akhilesh Chitlangia. It can be downloaded here: http://www.plywoodguide.com
