mdfWe see so much of it out there. Call it imitation wood, manufactured wood or engineered wood, it?s not the wood that your parents? furniture was once made of (or if it was, your parents don?t have it anymore). Today, we?re going to talk about the difference between the two and explain exactly what that fake stuff is made of.

Solid wood is just that. Whether it?s oak or maple or cedar or anything in between, it?s wood, through and through. No added ingredients other than what it took to put it all together (nails, a little glue, etc).

Now, manufactured wood isn?t as easy to explain. Not only is made up of many more different kinds of materials, there?s also so many more different kinds of it. We?ll go over three of the most common kinds of engineered woods and what they?re made of.

Plywood:?Plywood is often times called the original manufactured wood. It is made from sheets of left over wood. Those pieces are then pressed together using adhesive and heat to create what we know as plywood.

Chipboard:?Chipboard is a lot like plywood in that it is made of actual wood. However, instead of sheets pressed together, chipboard is made of chips of wood compressed together to create the sheet of wood.

MDF:?MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard is the newest and most commonly engineered wood used in furniture today. It is made the same way as chipboard with particles of wood, but is fused with plastic as well to make it a bit sturdier. So, MDF isn?t even real wood! It?s a wood/plastic mix!

So, there you are. Your choice is either solid wood or fragments adhered together. We know which is sturdier and can stand the test of time? do you? (Hint: It?s solid wood.) To get your piece of furniture that will last for years to come, stop by today and see what custom pieces we can help you with!