Birch plywood covered with film

FILM FACED PLYWOOD
Laminated plywood is a wood panel material the outer layers of which are covered with moisture-resistant film. Thanks to this film, the plywood has various areas of application. Film faced plywood is produced based on exterior birch plywood and overlaid with special phenolic or melamine film, making the surface of the plywood 20–25% stronger.
The film is the high-density paper impregnated with improved phenolic or melamine resin. This substance provides increased strength and waterproof properties of the surface. The phenolic overlay is pressed onto the plywood in a hot press at high temperature. The edges of laminated plywood are sealed with water-resistant acrylic paint.
CHARACTERISTICS OF FILM FACED PLYWOOD
Being produced on the basis of exterior plywood, film faced plywood has all its advantages, including dimensional stability, resistance to wear and tear as well as to strength and stiffness. Thanks to these properties, the material has a rather wide area of application. Overlaid plywood is used for the construction of formwork systems, sports grounds, advertisement hoardings, children’s playgrounds, protection fences, etc.
Film faced plywood standard sizes range from 1220 to 3050 mm with different pitch distances. Thickness of panels varies between 6.5 and 40 mm. On request of the customer, non-standard dimensions of overlaid plywood can be produced.
One more important property of laminated plywood is its reusability. Reusability is the number of times the shuttering panel can be used. For high-quality material this parameter can reach 50–70 times.
VARIETIES OF FILM FACED PLYWOOD
Since the outer layers of plywood are covered with the protective film, the plywood grade is determined by the lamination defects:
1. The first grade. Splits and cracks on the protective coating are not allowed. Overlaid plywood of the first grade is used for the production of furniture, containers, children's playgrounds and sports facilities.
2. The second grade. The lack of film is allowed no more than 1% of the surface area; plywood can have overlaps without any length or width restrictions. The material can have two laminate swellings per sheet no more than 10 cm in size; splits up to 20 mm long, 5 mm wide sealed with acrylic paint; two scratches up to 30 cm long are allowed. Laminated plywood of the second grade is suitable for subfloors, walls and supporting structures, as well as for the construction of formworks.
3. The third grade. The lack of film on the surface up to 20–30%, overlaps, spots, wood faults and processing defects are allowed without any restrictions. The material can have scratches and splits on edges, stains of paint, swelling of the laminate up to 50% of the sheet area. Laminated plywood of the third grade is suitable for subfloors and concrete formworks.
TYPES OF FILM FACED PLYWOOD
Depending on the applied protective coating, the material is divided into different types. The most popular types of overlaid plywood for use in construction:
F/W – smooth film on the front side, film having wire mesh surface on the reverse side;
F/U – face overlaid with smooth film, back without film facing;
F/F – both sides overlaid with smooth film;
SP/SP – both sides overlaid with film for further painting;
F/SP – smooth film on both sides, one side intended for further painting.
CONCLUSION
Film faced plywood is a wood panel product with the protective waterproof phenolic or melamine film. The material is very durable, lightweight, water- and wear-resistant, which makes it irreplaceable for formwork systems.
Overlaid plywood is also used:
- for truck flooring and wall cladding;
- for furniture manufacturing;
- for internal and external finishing works;
- for scaffolding, decking, container production and for other interior and exterior construction works and applications.