Range of Materials Available For Building a Modular Wardrobe

Raw materials form the core at which constructing a modular wardrobe begins. With a variety of materials available on the market, giving the customer plenty of choice, but each of these materials types have their pros and cons. All would want their closets to be durable and long lasting. Keeping this in mind although all of these materials are built for durability, it is the everyday usage that determines its wear and tear.

Raw Materials used for building a modular are typically classified in terms of their density, resistance to termites, resistance to moisture, water resistance, appearance for aesthetics and finally price. Raw materials are manufactured featuring a combination of these features. All raw material manufactures aim at putting manufacturers with all these features, it is realistically impossible to combine all of these features into one product. Either there would be manufacturing limitations or sometimes not even feasible from a pricing perspective. However, there is a balance of features seen in raw materials and depending on production capabilities these raw materials are made ready.

Melamine Face Chip Board

Melamine Face Chip Board is a type of board manufactured using wooden chips that is compressed using high pressure.  MFCB is a composite material and is a very popular alternative to solid wood. This composite material is also cost effect to use. The manufacturing process allows the material to be manufactured with consistency.

Medium Density Fibre Boards

  • Medium Density Fibre Boards or MDF is another form of a composite material is a popular choice for manufacturing wardrobes.
  • The core material used is wood fibres that go through a production process where it is mixed with glue and complied through a hot press machine. This machine then compresses the mixture and the board is produced.
  • The appearance of MDF has a smooth surface as it is made out of wood grains of uniform size. This particular raw material has no voids due to its smooth surface offering an average resistance to water.
  • The density of these MDF is above average and can be used for weight bearing structures that don’t have wide spans. The material is known to be of average strength when compared to other types of raw material types.
  • The durability if fairly durable and a wardrobe building this material will have a medium to long shelf life. The weight of MDF’s is in between of being very heavy or being too light.
  • The life span of MDF on an average is up to 10 years and if laminated on all sides it can last up 15 to 20 years

Particle Boards

  • Particle Boards are manufacture using wood chips saw dust and wood shavings. The process of manufacturing uses glues such as Urea Formaldehyde Resin or Phenolic Resin. This mixture is firmly pressed using heavy pressure and heat then compressed to form particle board.
  • Due to the presence of wood chips and wood shaving the surface of particle boards are not smooth. Voids are seen in its finish and thus do not have any water resistance as it known to soak up water.
  • Particle boards have very low density, which can be used in non-structural parts of a wardrobe build. Being of low density the strength of particle board a lot lower and must not be considered in assembling carcasses that have load bearing requirements.
  • Particle boards are less durable and therefore wardrobe manufactures using in non-structural elements of the wardrobe such as drawers bases, shelves, wardrobe backs etc.
  • Particle boards are light in weight.
  • Particle boards can last up to 5 years when used in a dry environment and if laminated on all four sides can last for 10 to 15 years.

Plywood

Plywood is a material that uses wood from three different types of trees in India. Gurjan is found in India towards the regions of Andaman and Nicobar. The second type is Eucalyptus and the third type is Popular that is found in the regions of northern India. The manufacturing process begins with the logs of wood being softened by adding moisture to it after which the process of slicing takes place. Slicing is process where the log is peeled into thin layers. These layers are sliced according to the requirements of production. During the production the layers are placed criss-crossed over each other and are bonded together with the help of strong adhesives. The criss-crossing placement of the layers eliminates the expansion and contraction of the wood. Hydraulic presses are used to bond the raw material together which using pressure as well as steam during its process. After the process of hydraulic pressing the now bonded board is placed in another machine to remove the moisture, after which the boards are then cut into the required sizes.

Plywood is a very popular choice of raw material used in the manufacturing of wardrobes. This is closest material to natural wood that is available in work size that is seasoned and is chemically treated for terminate and to a degree of water resistance. All these process eliminates the challenges that are brought about with natural wood. The major challenge being the expansion and contraction of natural wood  due to the changing weather and moisture in the environment which is not found in plywood.

The commonly used plywood grades for manufacture wardrobes are MR Grade, commonly known as commercial plywood, BWR Grade commonly known as Boiling Water Resistant and BWP Grade which is known is Boiling Waterproof.

  • ISI Code used for MR Grade and BWR Grade is ISI 303 whereas ISI 710 is the code used for BWP Grade
  • Moisture Resistance In Plywood is not the resistance to water but is the resistance to moisture and humidity. Commercial plywood is moisture resistant, BWR Grade plywood offers good water resistance and BWP grade plywood is boiling water proof.
  • During the manufacturing of commercial plywood, pinewood or hardwood veneers are used. These same veneers along with Gurjan veneers are used in the BWR grade plywood manufacturing. For the manufacturing of BWP plywood, Gurjan plywood is used
  • The glue or resin used for Commercial plywood is Melamine Urea Formaldehyde to bind the veneers, whereas for BWR grade plywood the glue used is Phenol Formaldehyde. For BWP grade plywood manufacturing the glue/resin used is Resorption Phenol Formaldehyde.
  • The density for commercial plywood and BWR plywood is the same i.e at 700-800kg/m3 and for BWP grade the density is 800-825kg/m3.
  • The moisture content for Commercial and BWR grade plywood is 8% to 15% and for BWP grade plywood is 6% to 10%.
  • The nail holding strength of Commercial plywood is up 75 kg and for BWR grade plywood is upto 100kg whereas for BWP plywood it is upto 175 kg.
  • The screw holding strength for Commercial grade plywood and BWR grade plywood is upto 255 kg whereas the BWP can hold upto 300 kg.
  • The water absorption for commercial plywood is <8 % while for BWP and BWR grade it is <5 %

Wood Plastic Composite Boards

WPC or Wood Polymer composite boards is manufactured using wood and plastic composites. Wood is used to give the product weight and also to add strength to the board. With the use of plastic particles and resin the boards flexibility is reduced. A combination of these mixtures is used to manufacture the board. WPC boards are available in three grades; low density, medium density and high density. Density for these boards are calculated as mass per volume and in common terms it is what defines the weight capacity of the board. A quick and easy way to measure this is to simply lift two boards of the sizes. The board with lifts easily is the low density board. A combination of all these densities is used for to manufacture of wardrobes.

  • WPC Boards are the best alternatives to the limitations associated by using wood
  • Its composition consists of 70% virgin polymer, 15 % wood powder and 15% additive chemicals.
  • The density of WPC boards is 600 kg per m3
  • WPC boards are 100% termite proof and waterproof
  • WPC boards do not corrode and are highly resistant to rot and decay
  • WPC boards can be used as a finished product as well as it does not require painting or polishing. Décor paint and texture paint can be also applied to its surface
  • It is also fire resistant as the material used is fire retardant
  • These boards are also free of chemicals such as formaldehyde, lead, methanol and urea
  • Laminates and veneers can also be applied to its surface

High Density High Moisture Resistance Boards

HDHMR Boards have been gaining plenty of popularity in wardrobe manufacturing. This is primarily due to its composition and density.  It is manufactured using a combination of forest wood and fiber chips. Fiber chips are pressed together to form a single layer.