Features and application of fiberboard

Wood has rarely been used in woodworking in recent years. This is an expensive material, therefore, when carrying out construction and repair and finishing works, by-products of wood processing are increasingly used. Fiberboard has become one of the most common.

Explanation of the abbreviation Fibreboard - fibreboard. This is a sheet building material with a democratic cost. It can have different density parameters: it can be hard, soft and semi-hard. The thickness in the corridor is from 2 to 13 mm, for some models - up to 40 mm. The raw material for the production of fiberboard is woodworking and lumber waste. By grinding and steaming, the coarse material is processed into fibers of the desired structure. Polymeric resins are added to them as the main binders. To increase the parameters of moisture resistance, special additives are introduced into the wood fiber substance.

The advantages of fiberboard are obvious:

• high thermal insulation;
• good sound absorption;
• ease of processing;
• long operational period;
• small parameters of weight and thickness with a high level of rigidity;
• affordable price;
• wide range of slabs.

Fiberboard has a wear-resistant coating. It is easy to care for, it can be cleaned with any detergent, including aggressive ones. Despite the impressive list of advantages, it would be wrong to say that fiberboard is a universal material, it also has its drawbacks:

• low resistance to lateral bending load;
• when buying an uncertified product, there is a high risk of the presence of toxic compounds in the adhesive component.

The peculiarities of making the slabs do not allow them to be made with the same resistance to bending in different directions. In case of transverse bending, the slab fracture is not excluded. Therefore, in the manufacture of complex structures where it is necessary to bend the radius, one should act with great care. When sheathing vertical surfaces with fiberboard, the material must be pressed against the base as tightly as possible, excluding the formation of gaps - the presence of air cushions often leads to creases. It should also be borne in mind that wood fiber sheets are rather thin, therefore, with strong mechanical stress, they can collapse.

Any woodworking waste becomes a raw material for the production of fiberboard:

• sawdust;
• chips;
• lignified fragments of spinning crop stems.

The raw material is thoroughly washed and cleaned of any impurities, then it is dried and fed to defibrators and refiners, where it is crushed. The grind size can be very different. Then the material is pressed, usually wet or dry technology is used. The wet method is considered to be environmentally friendly as less binder components are used. Sometimes production is done without the introduction of polymer additives at all. However, this is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process, so the material is more expensive at the end.It takes about 15-20 minutes to dry one sheet - this significantly limits the productivity of the equipment, accordingly, it also affects the cost of the material.

Some grades of fiberboard in wet pressing are made without composite additives. Under the influence of pressure in combination with intense thermal action, the substance lignin is released from the wood fibers, and it acts as a natural binder. It is especially abundant in coniferous woods. During dry pressing, composite resins are introduced into the raw material, they bind the wood fibers together. This technique can be used to produce fiberboard with a maximum thickness of up to 40 mm. The processing of dry mass and its compaction takes much less time than with wet equipment - only 3-6 minutes, depending on the parameter of the slab thickness. No water is added to the dry workpiece - this prevents the additives from being washed out. The complex of these factors leads to a decrease in the cost of the finished material.

To ensure maximum adhesion of wood fibers to each other, the formed boards are moved to a special chamber, where the material ripens under the influence of elevated temperature. Sheets lie in it for several hours until the fibrous material becomes strong, durable and homogeneous. The slabs leave the chamber with minimal humidity and immediately begin to intensively absorb water from the air - as a result, the edges of the sheets begin to bend. To prevent deformation, the material is immediately transferred to another installation, where it is slowly brought to the optimum moisture content. Only after that is the material delivered to the dyeing plants or sent to store shelves.

Over the long history of fiberboard production, the production was put on stream, the technology was constantly being improved. The production of MDF was allocated to a separate line. Despite the fact that both chipboard and MDF are made from wood processing waste, nevertheless, these two materials are different. The difference primarily concerns the feedstock. So, to create fiberboard, woodworking waste is used; for the manufacture of MDF, whole trees are used, intended for felling, or whole pieces of wood. Fiberboard is made by hot pressing of shavings and sawdust. In the production of MDF, crushed dispersion shavings are pressed.

Each person, when performing repairs in his home and buying furniture, tries to purchase only the most environmentally friendly materials in order to protect himself and his family from harmful effects to health. High quality fiberboard has a high safety class. Only natural materials are used as raw materials - wood chips or cellulose waste. Both those and others are absolutely harmless. The following are introduced into the wood fiber mass as binders:

• paraffin;
• synthetic resin emulsions;
• rosin;
• bitumen;
• alumina;
• pectol;
• gypsum.

But during the combustion of individual components, components undesirable for the human body can be released and cause harm to health. So, if you dispose of fiberboard through incineration, it may end up in poisoning. Thus, Fiberboard is absolutely safe, but only if you have chosen a product from a bona fide manufacturer and used it correctly.

By designation, fibreboards of the general and specialized groups are distinguished. The latter have special parameters, they can be divided into three categories:

• moisture resistant - in this case, during the manufacture of the working mixture, components are introduced into it that increase the resistance to water;

• hardly combustible - are made with the addition of fire retardants, which greatly reduce the flammability of wood-based panels;

• finishing - such fiberboard is decorated, usually painting or pasting with a polymer film imitating natural material (stone, brick or wood).

According to the characteristics of density, the following varieties are distinguished.

• Soft fiberboard - slabs with low strength, reduced thermal conductivity and increased density parameters. The thickness of these slabs varies in the corridor 8-25 mm, the density parameter is 150-350 kg / m3. These slabs are not used as a basic building material; more often they are used to create sound insulation of the main walls, floors, and also ceilings. We can say that this is a kind of analogue of gypsum board, but more plastic and easy to install. And such an installation is much cheaper than gypsum board of similar dimensions. Soft boards can be laid as a bedding under laminate or linoleum. When creating soft boards, polymer binders are not used, respectively, the material is 100% environmentally friendly - that is why it is often bought for facing rooms for people with allergic diseases and children's rooms.

• Semi-hard fiberboard - in comparison with soft sheets, this type of fiberboard has slightly higher characteristics of density and strength, they correspond to 450-750 kg / m3, while the sheet thickness ranges from 6-13 mm. This type of fiberboard has found widespread use in the creation of the back walls of furniture modules, pull-out shelves and work tables.

• Hard fiberboard - the level of hardness of such fiberboard varies in the range from 800 to 900 kg / m3. The thickness corresponds to 2.5-6 mm. Such plates are in demand in the production of furniture structures.

• Superhard fiberboard - such sheets are characterized by the highest density parameters, it is approximately 950 kg / m3. It is a high quality material, easy to process and easy to install. Such strength is achieved due to the introduction of pectol into the raw material mass. Superhard fiberboard is widely used in the installation of arches and interior partitions. In addition, they are relevant when creating floor coverings. Another characteristic of such plates is that high electrical insulation allows them to be used for equipping shields and electrical panels.

Very often, the surface of hard fibreboard is refined with melamine or synthetic films, they have a glossy or matte structure or imitate natural materials. Decorative fiberboards are characterized by increased resistance to abrasion and moisture. Due to the unique production technology, they have an aesthetic appearance. During production, a multilayer coating technique is used on the outer surface. The slab first undergoes preliminary processing, then a primer is applied to its top layer, and then a drawing is created.

Depending on the functional purpose, several types of fiberboard are offered.

• Tiled - as a rule, it has compact dimensions. It is sold in the form of squares from 30x30 to 100x100 cm. At the ends, a thorn-groove mechanism is provided, this greatly simplifies the installation of plates.

• Fiberboard for lining - such modifications repeat the dimensions of a classic lining, have a thorn-groove mechanism at the ends. These boards are characterized by quick installation, warp resistance and look much better than plastic lining.

• Sheet - sold in standard sizes. Its format exactly matches the characteristics of gypsum board, fiberboard and MDF.

The dimensions of the sheet fiberboard can be talked about exclusively in connection with standard plates and sheets. According to the standards, the thickness of the board can vary from 2 to 40 mm. All other parameters are defined as follows:

• width - 1220 mm, 1700 mm;
• height - 2140 mm, 2440 mm, 2745 mm.

Most firms also produce blank sheets. During molding, they are trimmed, sometimes the equipment malfunctions and you have to trim the edges less or more than usual. Because of this, the sheets may turn out to be shorter, although they are practically the same in quality. But the price for them is much lower. Therefore, if the typical size does not matter to you, it is better to give preference to "defective" ones.

In recent years, many handicraft industries have emerged where fiberboard is produced without proper quality control of the finished product. The modern market is overflowing with panels that may contain components hazardous to health. To avoid unpleasant consequences, give preference to the best known brands that have established themselves in the market as manufacturers of the highest quality products.

• Izoplit CJSC - has been producing fiberboard sheets for almost five decades.

• Knyazhpogostsky plant Is one of the largest manufacturers in Russia.

• LPK Poleko - produces environmentally friendly fiberboard based on lignin. The plant's products meet the most stringent requirements of Western European standards, so they are sold not only in our country, but also abroad.

• SteelBoard - the assortment consists of slabs with a unique water absorption and swelling parameter.

When planning repair and finishing work on any vertical surfaces, laminated fiberboard is usually used. They are distinguished by their aesthetic design, ease of maintenance and ease of processing. The advantages of this type of finish are obvious:

• no additional surface preparation is needed, since the panels are mounted on a frame made of a wooden bar or a metal profile;
• cladding does not require a special tool or special work skills;
• Fiberboard panels for wall mounting usually have a thorn-groove mechanism, this greatly facilitates their joining;
• ready-made wall fiberboards can have imitation of wood or a print, while they do not require any additional cladding work.

Any smooth coated fibreboard can be used for cladding vertical surfaces. In this case, any other facing material, including wallpaper, can be applied to it. By the way, despite the fact that gluing wallpaper on fiberboard is a very time-consuming process and takes a lot of time, dismantling outdated coatings does not pose any difficulties, and this is the undoubted advantage of the material over drywall.

This is the most congested element of the room, therefore, the use of any sheet composites must be thought out taking into account the intensity of the coating operation. Most often, fiberboard is used when fixing on an already existing coating of boards; fiberboard is placed on logs less often. In the first case, fiberboard performs the task of leveling the surface. In the second, alignment is achieved by lag, but the load on such a surface should be minimal. Most often, fibreboard is used as a lining under linoleum or other floor coverings.

For lining the ceiling surface, you can use the laminated board in its pure form or for finishing. In the second case, you can perform a rough finish with a soft slab - this greatly increases sound absorption and thermal insulation. In addition, soft fiberboard is good for air permeability. Fiber boards for ceiling surfaces have their advantages:

• ease of installation;
• environmental friendliness;
• vapor permeability.

Fiber boards are widely demanded not only in construction, but also in the manufacture of furniture, installation of doors and all kinds of partitions. It is a durable yet lightweight material with a large sheet surface area. Fiberboard is often bought for the manufacture of bee hives. In this case, the wooden frame is sheathed with fiberboard plates, and the gaps are filled with any insulation. Such hives significantly outperform standard bee houses with their low cost - this is especially important in a large apiary.

Another area of ​​use of fiberboard is the manufacture of furniture. Most often, the material goes to the back wall of the boxes of the body modules. In a word, the scope of use is extensive. The slabs have only one drawback - in conditions of high humidity without special hydrophobic additives, this material begins to deform and swell, goes in waves and remains deformed when dry. Therefore, it is not recommended to use such furniture in unheated or damp rooms. Although some brands with high moisture resistance are used for cladding balconies and street doors.

When working with fiberboard, several questions arise - how to cut the slabs, how to attach them and what tool to process. For example, few people know how to glue fiberboard plates together - epoxy glue and liquid nails often cannot cope with such a task. In this case, special compounds for gluing fiberboard or PVA will come to the rescue. You can cut fiberboard in a domestic environment with a hacksaw for metal or with an ordinary assembly knife. Please note that the blade must be as sharp as possible. The cut is carried out with careful movements - otherwise there is a great risk of the blade breaking off and getting injured.

The issue of facing the surface of fibreboard deserves special consideration. Two options are possible here - painting in different colors and gluing wallpaper. Fiberboard does not accept moisture well, in other words, paint does not adhere well to the surface of fiberboard. For this reason, the board must be primed before painting. If you plan to paste over the fiberboard with wallpaper, then first you need to coat the surface of the board with paint, since wallpaper glue can cause warping, and wallpaper should be glued to the painted surfaces. Thus, any finishing option can be used, but it is important to properly prepare the surface of the panels.

For information on how to properly fix the fiberboard, see the next video.