Plywood

Plywood is a manufactured board composed of an odd number of thin sheets of wood glued together under pressure with grains of the successive layers at right angles. The two types commonly in use today are those made of softwood (fir) or hardwood (birch, mahogany, walnut, or white ash).

The layers in inexpensive plywood are glued together with starch pastes, animal glues, or casein, but those of the strongest plywood are glued with waterproof synthetic resins.

Because of the variances in the veneer wood core, most plywood with a white melamine or cabinet liner applied to the surface, is not thermally fused or it would expose these variances through and the surface would appear rough or flawed. Therefore the plywood core materials with a white surface are not nearly as resistant to scratches. Although the core may be strong and last many years, the surface will wear quickly. If the surface is a wood veneer, it must have a finish applied to it and must be cared for like real wood.