Murphy Bed & Wall Bed Buyer’s Guide – Part 2, What is the difference in wood material used?
There are a variety of choices of wood materials to select when researching the purchase of a murphy bed or wall bed. Each of these wood by products offer the consumer a multitude of options based on price and quality.
- Particle board, is an engineered wood product manufactured from wood particles, such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, or even saw dust, and a synthetic resin or other suitable binder, which is pressed and extruded. Particleboard is a composite material. Particleboard is cheaper, denser and more uniform than conventional wood and plywood and is substituted for them when appearance and strength are less important than cost. However, particleboard can be made more attractive by painting or the use of wood veneers that are glued onto surfaces that will be visible. A major disadvantage of particleboard is that it is very prone to expansion and discoloration due to moisture, particularly when it is not covered with paint or another sealer. Pros: Low Cost, Large variety of laminate finishes. Cons: Sensitive to moisture, heavy, low quality.
- Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. The comparison between MDF and plywood is that MDF is a lot stronger and denser. It is made up of separated fibers, (not wood veneers) but can be used as a building material similar in application to plywood. It is much more dense than normal particle board. The name derives from the distinction in densities of fiberboard. Pros: Low Cost, Large variety of laminate finishes. Cons: Sensitive to moisture, heavy, low quality.
- Plywood is a type of Manufactured Wood made from thin sheets of wood, called plies or wood veneers. The layers are glued together so that adjacent plies have their wood grain at right angles to each other for greater strength. There are usually an odd number of plies, as the symmetry makes the board less prone to warping. A common reason for using plywood instead of plain wood is its resistance to cracking, shrinkage, twisting/warping, and its general high degree of strength. Pros: Mid Level Cost, Large variety of laminate finishes, durable,lightweight. Cons: Not a solid wood of one species.
- Solid Wood refers to the the outside and inner core of the murphy bed or wall bed material made up of the same type of wood. There is no layering of wood types and can have varying degrees of fit and finish. Pros: Large variety of finishes, high quality, durable. Cons: Expensive, heavy.
Laminate Veneer is a synthetic wood finish that is manufactured to imitate wood. This material can sometimes be referred to as Melamine or Formica. This surface material offers the most consistent finish but also offers a less realistic look. This finish can be used on all 4 of the wood materials listed above.
Wood Veneer is one ply of wood applied to the outside surface to give the appearance of the desired wood finish. This finish can also be used on all 4 of the wood material listed above.
When making your final decision on which type of material you would like your murphy bed or wall bed made of, it really comes down price & quality.
