In the repair and construction of residential buildings, a lot of materials are used, but among them there are ones that have covered themselves with simply unfading glory. Take, for example, fiberboard. What it is?
The name stands for “fiberboard”. This is a sheet material, the manufacture of which occurs by pressing wood chips with the addition of various kinds of binding components.
As a rule, in the last incarnation, synthetic polymer resins are used. In addition, they include various substances that impart hydrophobicity to the finished material.
The cheapest (and therefore most often used) ceresin and paraffin. Often, antiseptic additives are added to the composition. Because of them, mold practically does not grow on fiberboard. What it is? Most often, phenols act as such an antiseptic additive, which successfully inhibit the development of fungi and destroy their spores.
Fiberboard is produced in two ways: dry and wet. However, intermediate methods have recently appeared: wet-dry and semi-dry.
The dryest method is the cheapest when the fiberboard (what it is, we have already said) is formed from wood chips under normal conditions and without wetting it with water. Plate pressing is carried out at high temperature and pressure.
The resulting material is notable for its low cost, significant porosity and lightness. Its moisture content is only 6-8%.
The wet process consists in the same steps, but the wood chips are sent to the press after being wetted with water. After exiting the bale chamber, the material is cut into separate sheets and sent to the dryer. Such fiberboard panels have a moisture content already within 70%. That is why they are distinguished by a large weight, but more durable.
The semi-dry method is similar to the first method, which is described above. The only difference is that before feeding to the compact, the chips are irrigated with water, so that the moisture content of the resulting material is 16-18%.
The wet-dry method differs from all of the above in that, first, a plate is formed from water-soaked shavings, then it is fed to the drying unit and only after that it goes to the hot pressing procedure. The result is fiberboard plywood, the relative humidity of which is actually 0%.
Note that we are not quite correct in speaking of the “chips”. The fact is that with the help of special machines this chip is first ground to fibers, from which the fabric of the finished panels is already formed.
In recent years, ennobled fiberboard has been used much more often. In the manufacture of such panels, a multilayer coating is applied to their surface. At the first stage, the plate is covered with a special primer layer, creating a reliable foundation. It prints a picture that imitates a normal wood surface.
Such a plate is practically not afraid of moisture, as well as abrasion. To harden the surface in this case, a special varnish is used.
So we told you about fiberboard. What it is, you know now. Due to the cheapness and strength properties of this material, it is often used not only in the furniture industry, but also in the construction industry.