Indiana Landscaping

Engineered wood, also called composite wood, "man made wood" or "manufactured wood", includes a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding together the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood, together with adhesives, to form composite materials. These products are engineered to precise design specifications which are tested to meet national or international standards.

Typically, engineered wood products are made from the same hardwoods and softwoods used to manufacture lumber. Sawmill scraps and other wood waste can be used for engineered wood composed of wood particles or fibers, but whole logs are usually used for veneers, such as plywood. Alternatively, it is also possible to manufacture similar engineered cellulosic products from other lignin-containing materials such as rye straw, wheat straw, rice straw, hemp stalks, kenaf stalks, or sugar cane residue, in which case they contain no actual wood but rather vegetable fibers.

Characteristics

Engineered wood products are used in a variety of ways, often in applications similar to solid wood products. Engineered wood products may be preferred over solid wood in some applications due to certain comparative advantages:

• Because engineered wood is man-made, it can be designed to meet application-specific performance requirements.
• Large panels of engineered wood may be manufactured from fibres from small diameter trees.
• Small pieces of wood, and wood that has defects, can be used in many engineered wood products, especially particle and fiber-based boards.
• Engineered wood products are often stronger and less prone to humidity-induced warping than equivalent solid woods, although most particle and fiber-based boards readily soak up water unless they are treated with sealant or paint.

Engineered wood products also have some disadvantages:

• They require more primary energy for their manufacture than solid lumber.
• The required adhesives may be toxic. A concern with some resins is the release of formaldehyde in the finished product, often seen with urea-formaldehyde bonded products.
• Cutting and otherwise working with engineered wood products can expose workers to toxic constituents.

The types of adhesives used in engineered wood include:

• Urea-formaldehyde resins, (UF), most common and cheapest, not waterproof.
• Phenol-formaldehyde resins, (PF), a yellow-brown adhesive commonly used for exterior exposure products.
• Melamine-formaldehyde resin, (MF) a white, heat and water resistant resin, often used in exposed surfaces in more costly designs.
• Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) or polyurethane resins which are expensive and generally waterproof do not contain formaldehyde.

A more inclusive term is "structural composites". For example, fiber cement siding is made of cement and wood fiber, while cement board is a low density cement panel, often with added resin, faced with fiberglass mesh. Plastic extrusion mixes of wood fiber and thermoplastic, such as polyproplyene, has given rise to decking and railing material resistant to weather and is steadily replacing rot resistant wood.

Appropriate Furniture for Assisted Living

When it comes to assisted living, independence is key. While this may seem contradictory, more and more studies are showing that minimal assistance is really the best way to help elderly people. When an elderly person is placed in assisted living care, it is crucial that they feel immersed in a social environment containing all the comforts of home. Therefore, the types of furniture that are placed within an assisted living center can greatly impact a person’s life.
How can a piece of furniture make a difference?

In most cases, assisted living staff will allow a person to function on their own as much as possible, which means observing as a resident moves around a care home. In order to maintain balance, many people will grab a hold of a piece of furniture in order to stand up and sit down. Likewise, it is important that the furniture be designed correctly in order to maintain proper posture.

Keeping in mind independence and mobility, most assisted living homes choose to place numerous chairs within each room as opposed to other types of furniture.

It is recommended that chairs are designed in an upright fashion (as opposed to a sloping chair) in order to help a resident rise from a seated position. Additionally, chair arms must extend fully so that residents can make full use of their own abilities.

Also, any piece of furniture within an assisted living home must not splinter or crack (in order to keep residents safe). Although assisted living homes tend to take extra precautions when it comes to selecting furniture, the same basic furniture design rules apply to any senior environment.

Whether you are a caretaker, or a senior citizen looking to purchase ideal furniture, the type of furniture chosen is important.

Remember to select only those products that are:

• Sturdy
• Well Structured
• Upright

If the wrong sort of furniture is brought into any sort of senior home, simply remaining autonomous may become difficult. However, when the right furniture is arranged, seniors will be able to move around any home with ease … and isn’t that the way that life should be?

Types

Wood-plastic composite is a type of engineered wood.

Another picture of engineered wood.

• I-joist
• Glued laminated timber
• Multilaminar veneer
• Veneer-based
  • Plywood
  • Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)
  • Parallel Strand Lumber (PSL)
  • Stamina wood
  • Parallam
• Parallel strand lumber
• Particle-based
  • Oriented strand board (OSB)
  • Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL)
  • Waferboard
  • Particleboard (chipboard)
• Fiberboard
  • Insulation board
  • SyrocoWood
  • Homasote (1909)
  • Masonite (1924)
  • Medium-density fiberboard (MDF)
  • Hardboard
• Mineral-bonded particleboard and fiberboard
  • Cement board
  • Fiber cement siding
  • Gypsum board
  • Papercrete
• Strawboard
• Wood-plastic composite
• Assisted Living Furniture
  

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