These sheet products have gained popularity in the private sector, largely due to the fact that they are easy to process, and their installation does not differ any complexity. Plus - a fairly low cost of products, which makes it affordable for a wide range of customers. But whether the hardboard and chipboard are the same in application, and if not, then what are the differences, understand not all. This is often a source of disappointment, as their use in construction or repair, without taking into account specific features, will not give the proper result.
Home, and the significant difference between chipboard and fiberboard - in the specifics of their manufacture. And the difference is not in the technology itself, but in the raw materials used in production. The erroneous opinion that these are just varieties of one material is due to the fact that at the base of each sample there is partly present( in one form or another) wood. But on this similarity, in fact, ends.
Particleboard
The abbreviation stands for " chipboard ".This material is the result of compacting a raw material consisting of chips, sawdust mixed with resin( usually formaldehyde).And in the process of squeezing the mixture, it is subjected to significant thermal effects.
Material features
Such boards are thicker than fiberboard( up to 50 mm), which allows them to withstand large mechanical loads. In everyday life they are most often used when installing "dry" screeds, strengthening vertically oriented surfaces( with the obligatory "substrate"), as a basis in various designs. Of them, cheap furniture is manufactured, partitions, shelves, canopies, fences and the like are arranged.
The main drawback is a somewhat "loose" structure. This makes it difficult to bond the plates to each other or to the rest of the structural elements. The screw in the material "sits" is not solid. That is why it is not recommended to use chipboard in the manufacture of temporary prefabricated / dismountable structures. Frequent dismantling / installation leads to damage to the areas on which the fasteners are placed, since the base in these places begins to crumble.
In addition, such slabs need systematic surface treatment( for example, varnish), since they absorb moisture well. They are not recommended for use outside buildings, in the open air or in rooms characterized by dampness.
"Stiffness" of the samples does not allow, if necessary, to achieve even a slight bending of them. Any attempt will lead to the formation of a crack, which somewhat limits the use of chipboard.
Fiberboard
The production feature is explained by the full name - " Fibreboard ".Instead of chips, synthetic fiber + wood dust is used in the preparation of the initial mixture. In addition, various polymers( additives) are introduced that determine the properties of the finished product. For example, water repellents( mainly paraffin, rosin) increase the resistance of products to dampness.
The use of the smallest fraction components allows to obtain, as a result of pressing( also "hot"), thinner sheets( from 2 to 10 mm).Their cost( per 1 m²) is lower than the EAF.
Material features
It is characterized by a greater density and increased moisture-repellent properties, and moreover, it flexes well( within certain limits).Sheets of fiberboard are often used in the furniture industry( for the back walls of various cabinets, as the bottom of the sliding sections), in the manufacture of a variety of containers and the like.
In everyday life, this material is often placed on the wooden floors, when large gaps are formed between the boards, and there is no possibility of repairing them( "re-laying" of the coating).As an option - the arrangement of a multi-level ceiling. When self-made doors, the fiberboard is used for carcass plating.
In the garages, such sheets often remove walls, gates, even ceilings, which allows you to "cover" the slots and further insulate the box( especially metal).This product has high sound and heat insulation characteristics, which can not be said about the plates "chipboard".
Comparing these materials, determining what is best does not make sense. Each has its own unique properties and is good in its own way. It is necessary only with the purchase to consider what these plates will be designed for.
