Selecting Engineered Wood

 Engineered wood products have been a mainstay in the wood industry for many years, but their uses have become wider as more and more products have been introduced. Engineered wood is a better use of trees, because it uses less wood to make more wood products. Plywood is the most common form of engineered wood, as is oriented strand board (OSB). Other common products include hardboard, flakeboard, particle board and medium-density fiberboard (MDF). All have their uses. In addition to the raw materials, specific products have also been introduced, including engineered joists and truss materials, as well as siding, and, of course, paneling.

For instance, Weyerhaeuser Trus Joist products include TimberStrand LSL (laminated strand) and Parallam PSL (parallel strand) lumber for framing. These can be used to create straight, flush walls that are critical for tile application, as well as for kitchen and bath walls that demand ease of countertop installation. Also available are SilentFloor floor joists and TimberStrand rim board, headers, beams and columns. These products create headers that don’t shrink and floors that are quieter. For more information, visit www.trusjoist.com.

Louisiana-Pacific also has engineered I-joists, rim board and laminated veneer lumber (LVL). These offer straighter, stiffer, stronger and more consistent wood products for many construction uses. Visit www.lpcorp.com.    

Universal  Forest Products offers an engineered stair stringer that is pre-notched and adjustable. UFP also offers the Open Joist 2000, an open-web wood floor truss that allows for easy installation of mechanicals. Visit www.ufpi.com.

Plywood—Plywood is manufactured from thin “plies” of wood layered at right angles to each other. This creates a very dimensionally stable product. Plywood doesn’t shrink, warp or swell like solid woods. And the larger panels allow you to work larger areas without having to glue up or edge-join small pieces. Plywood is commonly used for the larger pieces of cabinets and other built-ins, using solid wood for the facers. Plywood is available as either softwood or hardwood veneer-faced and for interior or exterior use. It is most commonly sold in 4-by-8-foot sheets, but smaller sheets may be available in hardwood veneers for craft-style projects. The most common thicknesses are 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and 3/4 inches. In hardwoods, premium grades will have color-matched faces, so staining and finishing is consistent.

High-Density and Medium-Density Overlay plywood is plywood treated with a resin-impregnated overlay to provide extremely smooth, hard surfaces that need no additional finish and have high resistance to chemicals and abrasives. These products are commonly used for highway signs, countertops, cabinets and so forth.

Hardwood plywood consists of inner plies with an exterior hardwood veneer applied. The method the veneer is cut from the log determines the “pattern” and also the cost of the material. Rotary-cut veneers are cut from the log like peeling an apple. The continuous slices produce a greatly varying grain pattern. This is the most economical method and is commonly used for birch, oak and ash, or other fairly plentiful woods.