| Raw Material | | Timber is obtained from trees. Depending on the mode of growth, trees are classified in soft wood trees and hard wood trees. The timber logs are sawn, seasoned and used according to requirement.After sawing the timber logs, these are seasoned and then cut into sizes as specified by the carpenter. They are then used according to requirement in construction work for making door and window frame, door and window shutter. These are also used in the furniture items based on the requirements. |
| Style/Finishing | | Wooden items can be finished with various types of ingredient such as oil, paint, wax polishing, varnish and spirit polishing in originally direct on the wood used. The type of finishing applied on a wood depends on the type of wooden timber. For example, teak wood has excellent grains and is finished using polish where as sal-wood does not give good finishing on polish so it is recommended that the sal-wood be painted. |
| Maintenance | Solid wood shutters take more time and cost in maintenance when compared to flush shutters.
- These should be protect from water.
- A proper termite solution should be used for wood as wood could be easily affected by termites.
- General maintenance of the wood just requires wiping it clean with a dry cloth.
- If you see the polish or paint of the wood has worn off then it should be repolished/repainted.
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| Advantages | - Wood can cut and adjust into required size.
- Good quality wood work remains with good strength and beauty for a long time. The wood style is an evergreen style.
- Provide effective insulation from extreme weather.
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| Disadvantages | - Wood is more prone to termite attack than other material.
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| Uses | Solid wood is used in different component of the building which are as under. - Frame for door and window.
- Shutter with wooden plank or ply panel
- Wooden beam and batten
- Wood paneling, furniture and other miscellaneous items.
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| Shrinkage and Expansion | | Solid wood is also greatly affected by weather and shrinks or expands based on the weather conditions. To avoid this problem, wood should be thoroughly seasoned |
| Thickness | The good thing about solid wood is that it comes from log so it allows us to take almost any size out of the log. However the standard sizes available in market are as follow. - For door & window frame 3’’x 4’’, 3’’x 5’’etc.
- For shutter frame 1’’ (25mm) 1.2’’ (30mm) 1.5’’ (35mm) & 40 mm etc.
- For furniture as per requirement.
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| Warping | | Wood warping is a condition where the flatness of the wood is affected as a result of shrinkage due to uneven drying of the wood. Warping problem exists in wooden member especially in unseasoned wood so make sure that you let the wood season properly otherwise it could spoil the beauty of your wood members forever. |
| Tendency to split | | In some case wood split on when nailed. |
| Time taken to procure/build | | Wooden items i.e. frames, shutters and furniture etc usually take time to make as one has to purchase raw wood for these items and the raw wood requires seasoning before it can be used. Though, there are seasoning plants available in the market, yet the time to make wooden item is more/ higher. |
| Termite effect | | Wooden items are affected by termite and the effect of the termite on wood varies from one wood type to another. Check the termite-resistance characteristics of the wood before using and undertake termite treatment if required |
| | Panel Product(Block Board) |
| Raw Material | | Panel products are a collective name of manufactured boards such as Ply wood, HDF, MDF etc. These are manufactured from large number of species of timber such as POPALAR, HOLLONG and GURJAN etc. Now a days small girth plantation species such as EUCALYPTUS, SILVER OAK etc are also used. Manufacturing techniques for Plywood, MDF, HDF or block board differ considerable from each other. The idea of this comparison is to understand where we need the Solid wood and where we could use boards |
| Style/Finishing | | You can give finishing to a panel product by directly putting paint on it. However, if you want a polished look, you can use teak-ply or veneer on top of the panel products and then finish it with polish. This combination is very attractive as it makes the furniture look rich giving it good grained finish while keeping the cost low compared to the high grain expensive wood. |
| Maintenance | Panel products are easier to maintain compared to solid wood products. - Most of the panel products available in the market are termite and fungus resistant.
- Once these products are finished with stain resistant polish or paint, it makes it even easier to maintain these on regular basis.
- All you need to do is wipe the product clean with a dry cloth.
- Make sure that the products do not get in touch with water as it can damage the products.
- Avoid mopping it with damp cloth.
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| Advantages | - Block boards are light in weight and come with a high strength.
- Easy to handle and work with.
- Used for site applications on wall paneling, furniture or door designs with high utility.
- Wrapping is not a problem with panel products.
- Don't break up easily as they are strong by nature.
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| Disadvantages | - Panel products do not hold good in wet climatic condition
- Panel products among themselves have a huge quality variation. For example, the characteristics of Plywood, MDF, HDF etc vary considerable from one another so you should choose the proper panel products for your requirement. The articles below will help you understand the differences between the various panel product type.
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| Uses | | Panel products i.e. Ply wood, block board and MDF etc are used in door and cabinet shutters, paneling, partitions, beds, cabinet shelves, false ceiling and in furniture and furnishing items. |
| Shrinkage and Expansion | | In Panel products this problem is almost negligible in good quality panel products. |
| Thickness | | Panel products i.e. Ply wood, block board and MDF etc are available in standard thickness such as Ply wood are available in 3, 4, 5 6, 8,9,10, 15, 16, 19, 22, 25 mm. Where as block boards are available in thickness from 12, 19,25,30,40 and 50mm. |
| Warping | | Warping problem does not exist in panel products. |
| Tendency to split | | Panel products do not having splitting property when nailed. |
| Time taken to procure/build | | Panel products i.e. Ply wood, block board and MDF etc are readily available in the market. These are available in standard sizes so procurement and fixing takes very less time. If there is variation in size than these can be cut and used according to size. |
| Termite effect | | Panel products are less affected by termite. |
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