Wood-based Substitutes: Shifting The Paradigm In Building Materials And More

The Need for Wood-based Substitutes

“How has the development of wood-based substitutes helped to regain market share for wood and expanded into other markets over the last 20years.” It is imperative to identify that over the years, lumber has been the primary product that was used in the manufacture of building materials and other assets.  Its disadvantages have necessitated the use wood based substitutes (Wood, R., Stadler, K., Bulavskaya, T., Lutter, S., Giljum, S., de Koning, A., … & Simas, M., 2014). Due to the limited supply of the products, there was a need to engage more in wood based substitutes majorly as a means of conservation. With the reduced costs, the wood demand has increased regarding its exports.

 It is paramount to note that the shift to the using of wood based substitutes has led to the reduced pressure in the exploitation of the native hardwoods (Sommerhuber, P. F., Welling, J., & Krause, A., 2015). The reduced pressure is due to the limited use of hardwood in manufacturing. It states that the use of native hardwoods has tremendously reduced. In these emerging economies, plantations have been focused on instead. The hardwood and softwood plantations are set to increase due to the growing demand for the wood based substitutes (Appendix 2). The preference for plantation is due to its benefits such as the reduced costs and economies of scale (Sikkema, R., Junginger, M., van Dam, J., Stegeman, G., Durrant, D., & Faaij, A., 2014).  The notable features of the wood substitutes have contributed to the usability of the wood substitutes as compared to the use of real wood.  It is now convenient for the consumers who are concerned about style and customization of their products. The market now requires products that are environmentally friendly,  resistant to damage by moths, termites,  cost effective,  appealing in appearance, flexible and above always available. 

 The characteristics of the Wood based substitutes

  The wood based alternatives include but are not limited to OSB, Scrimber, MDF, particle board, tri board. The wood based alternatives are all made from wood by-products.  The characteristics of the wood substitutes dictate their applicability.

OSB

It is made from a chip like a layer of wood. The wood panels that are glued together are joined at a perpendicular angle.  The wood substitute can be milled but cannot be shaped because it experiences constant chipping (Collins, M., Cosgrove, T., & Mellad, A., 2017).  For the wood to look appealing, it has to be laminated. OSB can easily bend, is strong and sound absorbent.

Advantages of Wood-based Substitutes

Advantages

• It is widely known, and thus it has a larger market share than real wood.
• OSB is affordable because it is made from the by-products of wood.  The fact that it is cheap means that customers get to access wood but still pay less. In this case, the demand of OSB has increased (Wang, L., Toppinen, A., & Juslin, H., 2014).
• OSB  panels have an added resilience because its strands are alternating
• OSB is easy to use and can be manufactured in any sizes as desired.
• It has the advantage that it can be tailored in the mode that is desired by the user.

 The production of OSB is cost efficient and yet it is still of value (Appendix 1).

• The production levels of OSB   because of its sustainable production costs and thus no shortages in the market. It dominates about 70% of the wood market.

Disadvantages of OSB

• The major shortcoming of OSB is that it is easily destroyed by water.
• OSB is less stiff, and thus they are prone to cracks and thus unstable for floors.
• The fact that OSB is thick is a limitation in regards to transporting it around when working on it (Sassoni, E., Manzi, S., Motori, A., Montecchi, M., & Canti, M., 2014).
• The wood substitute most of the time swells when it is exposed to water, and thus it deforms its edges.
• Because the wood is a substitute, most of the consumers view it as that of a lower value.

 It is made from a combination of sawdust and adhesives.  The major adhesive that is utilized is resin. Particle board is destroyed in the presence of excess water (Stoeckel, F., Konnerth, J., & Gindl-Altmutter, W., 2013).  The grading of the wood determines its use. The most common application is in the construction of floors.

Advantages

• The cost of particle board is a percentage of that of wood.  It indicates that it is cheaper to produce particle boards thus creating efficiency.
• Its nature of being smooth and slippery and this makes it viable for the construction of floors.
• It can be made in a variety of sizes, breadths, and depths and thus it is available in numerous features (Sommerhuber, P. F., Welling, J., & Krause, A., 2015).
• It is imperative in the sense that it does not contribute to environmental degradation. It uses wastes from lumber, and thus it is associated with environment conservation. 

Disadvantages of Particleboard

• It is not water resistant and thus is destroyed by water. 

 MDF

MDF is synthesized from fibers of a fine grained wood. MDF is manufactured from both hardwood and softwood. The wood is smooth due to the small particles that are its constituents. The mixing of the particles is necessitated by the use of glue and heat (Ghaffar, S. H., & Fan, M., 2014). The wood panel can be destroyed by water, to reduce the likelihood, the veneer is utilized.

Advantages of MDF

• MDF is less expensive as compared to real wood.
• MDF can be designed by use of various techniques such as painting that can make them look like real wood (Mülhaupt, 2013).
• MDF is efficient in cutting and shaping this is due to its nature where its small particles cannot easily be damaged.
• Painting due to its smooth surfaces is easy.

Disadvantages of MDF

• It is fragile as compared to the real wood and thus most of the time most consumers do not prefer it.
• More materials like nails need to be used when attaching it to surfaces. The use of fewer materials will not give you a look that you desire (Pizzi, A., 2013).  
• It is not presentable when nails are worked on them as in the case of real wood.
• The wood substitute is not easy to work on because it is fragile.

  It is light weight wood with a moderate density. Triboard consists of the MDF components but with added Melamine Urea. The wood is significant in panels that require light weight wood. Tripod is majorly used in shelving. 

Advantages of Tri board

• It has no air spaces which can also be a limitation
• It is significant in the construction of shelves
• The wood substitute does not easily crack.

Disadvantages

• It is not sound absorbent like in the case of other types of real wood.
• It is tough to plumb or wire in the case of electricity installation.

Scrimber

The substitute majorly is consisted of bamboo fiber. The wood is manufactured through the aligning of the fiber strands into a high-density panel. Scrimber is majorly hard and resistant and thus can be applied in the construction of floors.

Advantages of Scrimber

•  The wood substitute is water resistant, and this makes it durable.
• Also, it has excellent stability and thus can be applied in instances that a more stable wood is required.
• It is also  resistant to destruction by  moths and termites
•  It can be used in both exterior, and interior surfaces for it does not take in water.
• Scrimber is not prone to cracking, and this is because it has no layers on the inside.
• The surfaces of the wood substitute are of a high quality as compared to real wood.
• The density of Scrimber is equally distributed and thus admirable in construction indoors or outdoors.

 The process of manufacturing is involving and requires the use of a lot of chemicals that can be dangerous  (Shalbafan, 2013). 

• Scrimber is prone to scratches that reduce the beauty of surfaces.        

 Conclusion

• The emergence of the wood based substitutes has led to the increased market share due to the benefits such as the increased profits from the investments.
• Most of the countries that have engaged in the plantations are experiencing a balance of payment equilibrium which is contrary to initially when wood was being exported.
• The government support for the private sector has given the investors insight, and thus the sector has been boosted (Hagemann, N., Gawel, E., Purkus, A., Pannicke, N., & Hauck, J., 2016).  The supply of the products has increased, and thus the market share for wood has developed.
• The benefits of the products offset their disadvantages, and thus there is a need for increased investment in the sector.
• The products aids in the development of an economy that is sustainable (RE, R. S., 2014). If the environment is conserved through reduces deforestation and carbon levels.
• With the increased tree planting, the  climatic conditions  have changed for the  better, because other plants can also  be sustained
• The marker share has improved due to the increased innovation with the products (Purkus, A., Hagemann, N., Bedtke, N., & Gawel, E., 2017). The products can now be designed in various ways so as to suit the needs of the customers.
• The durability aspect of the products  has  created  trust and loyalty in the  customers  and thus  increased  sales
• The continuous supply of the products has ensured that the market of the products does not fall short of the products and thus it has been able to earn the confidence of the customers.
• The market is still young, and competition from the other products is minimal, and thus it had to gain a significant market share.
• The products are unique in every aspect from the way they are manufactured to their properties. Thus they serve the individual needs of the customers making them have a very high demand.  
• It is significant to note that the world has been evolving over the years. It is thus evident that most of the customers are part of the revolution with most of them being time averse. Most of the customers are stirred with products that have unique attributes.
• Also, customers are in search of products that are luxurious to better blend with their flashy lifestyle.
• The products have earned themselves a marketing position its customers due to its amazing offers and thus the dominance of the products in the market.
• The supply of wood has had inefficiencies more so with the overexploitation and the frequent shortages, and thus there was a need for a change.  Products that could be relied upon instigated by their sustainability attribute.
• Lastly, innovations have been frequent involving the products, thus the opening of new markets and attracting new customers.

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