Materials

A Couple of Words about Particle Board

Particle board is cheap, and that is why mass production cabinet manufacturers use it.

Why AWR does NOT Use It:

• Particle board is super hard, and it will not accept a screw without splitting, even when pre drilled. Cabinets have to be stapled together, which is a substandard and weak construction technique. Plastic corner buttresses have to be added in order to keep a box together. It is still a weak box. At AWR we both staple our boxes together, and then we back it up with 2" cabinet screws, for superior strength.
  
  
• Particle board is brittle, and weak when stressed horizontally. Shelves deflect 3-4 times as far as plywood, when loaded. A little too much weight and the shelf will break in half.
  
  
• Particle board wicks up water like a sponge. If it sets in water for a bit of time it will swell permanently and the cabinet will be destroyed. Our hardwood plywood boxes can sit in water for days. When they dry out, they will be undamaged.
  
  
• Particle board is made with formaldehyde based glue. It will outgas formaldehyde gas forever contributing to unhealthy indoor air pollution. Not so with hardwood plywood.