Increasing urbanization across India has resulted in huge demand for engineered wood for modern houses. Engineered wood like plywood is more popular because of its durability, resistance against water and fire, regal finish, and extraordinary characteristics. Plywood has a huge market and thus it is challenging to differentiate between high and cheap quality.
It’s very evident that due to competition many manufacturers reduce their prices which leads to compromise on quality. However, poor quality plywood can create a huge ruckus for the users as it may get damaged easily and attract borers and termites. Thus it is imperative to know how to interpret the quality of the plywood before making the purchase.
Here in this blog, we have listed a few ways through which you can check plywood quality easily. So let’s get started.
Usage:
It is important to know where you want to use the plywood before choosing the plywood. For instance, spaces like the kitchen, outdoors and bathrooms require high-quality plywood as these areas are prone to water and heat damage.
Core Gaps
Before choosing the plywood make sure that the plywood doesn’t have core gaps in between them. For this, you can check side panels along with length and breadth. A pinhole gap of 2mm – 3mm is allowed but plywood with too many core gaps shows poor quality.
Nail Holding Capacity
You can determine the strength of the plywood by checking its nail-holding capacity. Before making the purchase make sure to hammer a nail of 1.5 inches into the plywood. If the layers separate on nailing then it shows poor quality.
Reports & Certificates
A good quality plywood manufacturer will keep the certification and reports to prove the credibility of the plywood sheets to its customers. Thus make sure to ask for the lab certifications from the dealer before making the purchase. Also, make sure the plywood is ISI marked as it ensures the credibility of the plywood.
The Boiling Test
When purchasing plywood for the kitchen and bathroom, it’s important to check its resistance against water. For this, you can conduct a water test on the sample sheet of plywood. Take the plywood cut piece and boil it in the water for 72 hours. If the layers remain intact then the plywood is perfect. On the other hand, if the layers get separated then it’s not the right choice.
Weight
It’s a common phrase that heavy plywood is of good quality. This is true because higher weight means a higher core density of the plywood and thus higher strength. Thus check the weight of the plywood before buying it.
Take Physical Checks
Before purchasing the plywood go through a physical check to ensure the quality of the plywood.
- Make sure the plywood is smooth and there are no bumps on it.
- Check the sides to ensure the even thickness of the plywood.
- Knock at the center of the plywood to check that the plywood is not hollow inside.
- Check the bending of the plywood as bending shows weakness.
Check the Edges of the Plywood
The premium quality plywood has even edged with no voids and gaps. Don’t buy plywood with rough edges because they are hard to cut and usually less durable.
Wrap up-
Plywoods are expensive and thus it is important to ensure the quality before investing in them. Due to a lack of knowledge people often end up buying low-quality plywood and regret it later. Thus it is very important to familiarize yourself with the ways to check the quality of the plywood in advance. If you choose to buy plywood from the CenturyPly brand then you can check the quality of the plywood within a few seconds using the CenturyPromise app. You can download the app and scan the QR code present on the CenturyPly app to run a quality check.