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TLDR: Plywood (and to some extent plastic) replaced solid wood. Got imported from overseas rather than made domestically. Shifted from an artisanal market to a

TLDR: Plywood (and to some extent plastic) replaced solid wood. Got imported from overseas rather than made domestically. Shifted from an artisanal market to a low-cost mass market.

foobarian 3y ago
Honestly, I wish it were plywood, it's actually MDF or other kind of pressboard.
- Joker_vD 3y ago
  Mmm, chipboard. Could as well be called "cheapboard". Low quality at low cost so you can pay twice.
  - foobarian 3y ago
    My biggest issue with them is they handle water very poorly. The affected piece of the board swells and warps, and never returns to original shape.
    - tfandango 3y ago
      yes, they used this for kickboard in my kitchen and even occasional spills and drips will cause swelling. Then you can't do anything about it but tear it out or try to repair with wood putty or something like that.
    - geodel 3y ago
      Very true. A few times I forgot wet wipes after cleaning and next day it was like wtf happened to this table.
  - Ekaros 3y ago
    And then we get to cardboard. You know surfaces structure... Very cheap, good enough if you never hit it properly with anything.
- zihotki 3y ago
  I wonder why you consider it a problem. Mdf and variations are much more stable, don't warp due to humidity. For non-premium furniture it's a perfect choice.
  - angry_moose 3y ago
    And those properties make it well suited for things like cabinet panels that don't take load. MDF has poor structural strength, next to zero holding strength for fasteners (the first thing to go on ikea furniture is always the screw holes), and is very prone to water damage.
  - arwineap 3y ago
    MDF bubbles when it gets damp, and completely crumbles away when it gets wet. The price difference between plywood and MDF is not significant; $45 -> $60 in my market, and OSB is even cheaper at $30 (all prices, 4'x8', 1/2" sheets) Why MDF is used, I'll never understand.
    - Joker_vD 3y ago
      So that, as I said in my neighbouring comment, "you could pay twice". Why make a piece of furniture that in the end will cost you, the manufacturer, the same but will decrease your sales by about three times because the end product would last three times as long? To recoup the losses, you'd have to charge to the point that you move into the high-end part of the market but at that point you could just as well use solid wood (in fact, you're expected to by the customers).
  - RoyalHenOil 3y ago
    MDF warps and swells worse than any other furniture material I've ever seen. If it's not well sealed against moisture (and laminate alone is not sufficient), it will eventually develop severe flaws if exposed to water or kept in a humid environment. Regular wood (and to a lesser extent plywood) will warp somewhat over time, though rarely enough to affect the function or appearance of the piece. It will swell with humidity, but it won't be permanently disfigured by it. Also, it won't become prone to catastrophic failure because people occasionally spill drinks on it. MDF doesn't have to have these issues; it can be used correctly. It's just very rare to see that in a lot of cheaper furniture.
- RoyalHenOil 3y ago
  Yes, plywood is fantastic. I wish I could buy furniture made from plywood. I only ever see it in vintage pieces. It's all MDF these days. MDF can be pretty good in some applications, but I mostly see it being used inappropriately: it is laminated poorly (so it peels eventually), it is not properly sealed against moisture (so it warps and discolors over time), and it is used to secure fasteners (so the furniture becomes wobbly and eventually fails). If these same pieces were made out of plywood, they would last 10X as long.

TLDR: Plywood (and to some extent plastic) replaced solid wood. Got imported from overseas rather than made domestically. Shifted from an artisanal market to a low-cost mass market.

foobarian 3y ago

Honestly, I wish it were plywood, it's actually MDF or other kind of pressboard.

Joker_vD 3y ago
Mmm, chipboard. Could as well be called "cheapboard". Low quality at low cost so you can pay twice.
- foobarian 3y ago
  My biggest issue with them is they handle water very poorly. The affected piece of the board swells and warps, and never returns to original shape.
  - tfandango 3y ago
    yes, they used this for kickboard in my kitchen and even occasional spills and drips will cause swelling. Then you can't do anything about it but tear it out or try to repair with wood putty or something like that.
  - geodel 3y ago
    Very true. A few times I forgot wet wipes after cleaning and next day it was like wtf happened to this table.
- Ekaros 3y ago
  And then we get to cardboard. You know surfaces structure... Very cheap, good enough if you never hit it properly with anything.
zihotki 3y ago
I wonder why you consider it a problem. Mdf and variations are much more stable, don't warp due to humidity. For non-premium furniture it's a perfect choice.
- angry_moose 3y ago
  And those properties make it well suited for things like cabinet panels that don't take load. MDF has poor structural strength, next to zero holding strength for fasteners (the first thing to go on ikea furniture is always the screw holes), and is very prone to water damage.
- arwineap 3y ago
  MDF bubbles when it gets damp, and completely crumbles away when it gets wet. The price difference between plywood and MDF is not significant; $45 -> $60 in my market, and OSB is even cheaper at $30 (all prices, 4'x8', 1/2" sheets) Why MDF is used, I'll never understand.
  - Joker_vD 3y ago
    So that, as I said in my neighbouring comment, "you could pay twice". Why make a piece of furniture that in the end will cost you, the manufacturer, the same but will decrease your sales by about three times because the end product would last three times as long? To recoup the losses, you'd have to charge to the point that you move into the high-end part of the market but at that point you could just as well use solid wood (in fact, you're expected to by the customers).
- RoyalHenOil 3y ago
  MDF warps and swells worse than any other furniture material I've ever seen. If it's not well sealed against moisture (and laminate alone is not sufficient), it will eventually develop severe flaws if exposed to water or kept in a humid environment. Regular wood (and to a lesser extent plywood) will warp somewhat over time, though rarely enough to affect the function or appearance of the piece. It will swell with humidity, but it won't be permanently disfigured by it. Also, it won't become prone to catastrophic failure because people occasionally spill drinks on it. MDF doesn't have to have these issues; it can be used correctly. It's just very rare to see that in a lot of cheaper furniture.
RoyalHenOil 3y ago
Yes, plywood is fantastic. I wish I could buy furniture made from plywood. I only ever see it in vintage pieces. It's all MDF these days. MDF can be pretty good in some applications, but I mostly see it being used inappropriately: it is laminated poorly (so it peels eventually), it is not properly sealed against moisture (so it warps and discolors over time), and it is used to secure fasteners (so the furniture becomes wobbly and eventually fails). If these same pieces were made out of plywood, they would last 10X as long.