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Can plywood make you sick?

Plywood & Particleboard Long-term inhalation of formaldehyde vapors can cause fatigue, respiratory irritation, impaired lung function and allergic skin reactions. Conventional plywood is made of thin veneers of wood that are bonded together with formaldehyde resins.

blogs.webmd.com - A Sane Home in a Plywood and Particleboard World - WebMD Blogs

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The French have a word, sain, which literally means “sane,” but also “healthy” and “at-home” in its chosen place. Not everyone can design their own eco-home from the ground up, but we can take steps, when renovating our houses or apartments, to make our homes more sane. The following alternatives to potentially toxic or polluting building materials — plywood, particleboard and pressure-treated wood — will allow for detoxifying your living space at your own pace.

Plywood & Particleboard

While new building materials are generally lighter and more resource efficient, relying less on solid timber than in the old days, many are manufactured with formaldehyde-based glues. The EPA has classified formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen. Moreover, it can off-gas from the boards into the air, silently polluting your home’s air for years (the off-gassing rate is especially intense in new materials, and in hot, humid weather). Long-term inhalation of formaldehyde vapors can cause fatigue, respiratory irritation, impaired lung function and allergic skin reactions. Conventional plywood is made of thin veneers of wood that are bonded together with formaldehyde resins. is made of thin veneers of wood that are bonded together with formaldehyde resins. The majority of hardwood plywood, used indoors for cabinetry and paneling, is composed of a core layer faced with higher quality woods using urea-formaldehyde (UF) glue. used indoors for cabinetry and paneling, is composed of a core layer faced with higher quality woods using urea-formaldehyde (UF) glue. Softwood plywood is used for exterior and structural applications (walls, floors, roofs), and its adhesive consists of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin. PF, a more expensive, water-resistant glue, off-gasses at a considerably slower rate than UF glues. “So, we tend to use the worst products indoors, where they can do the most harm,” says John Bower of the Healthy House Institute. is used for exterior and structural applications (walls, floors, roofs), and its adhesive consists of phenol formaldehyde (PF) resin. PF, a more expensive, water-resistant glue, off-gasses at a considerably slower rate than UF glues. “So, we tend to use the worst products indoors, where they can do the most harm,” says John Bower of the Healthy House Institute. Particleboard, used primarily indoors for furniture and cabinets, is made from wood chips and other plant fibers bonded with formaldehyde-based resins. Fortunately, a new generation of products are being created with little or no formaldehyde, giving you the potential to replace plywood, particleboard, plastics and other synthetic materials in cabinets and furniture throughout your house.

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Is it better to paint or stain plywood?

painting or staining plywood You can paint or stain plywood. It doesn't really matter. However if you go down in grades the surface is going to be rougher and require more work, in addition to the quality of the material declining.

ana-white.com - Paint v Stain on plywood - Ana White

Hi there. Just had a question about painting/staining. I was reading through one of Ana's plans that I want to start, but I had some questions since I have not worked with plywood or mdf before. Ana's plans call for using "A1 plywood if staining or MDF if painting." I am planning on painting my project, but I'm not sure about using mdf. The way it's worded makes it sounds like Ana doesn't reccomend painting plywood. Is that the case? And if I can paint it, does that mean I still need to use A1 or can I go down a bit?

Thanks for the help!

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