Edge for chipboard: types and features

The main task of the furniture edges is the lining of the end surface of the chipboard, but they also serve as decor elements in the finished cabinet furniture. To date, there are quite a lot of their varieties, which differ in the type of material, ways of attachment and cost, and also each has its own shortcomings and advantages:

• Melamine faced edges.
• Edges of ABS.
• Edges of PVC.
• Acrylic edges.

Let's take a closer look at all these types.

Main types and characteristics of furniture edges

In general, the edges can be divided according to the following characteristics:

1. Material used:

• Paper;
• Plastic;
• Metal edges (in most cases, an aluminum profile).

2. Different width and thickness.

3. Mounting type:

• Hard;
• Mortise (edge for chipboard P - shaped, T - shaped);
• Invoices.

4. By surface type:

• Smooth;
• Glossy;
• Embossed;
• With structure;
• Color.

5. With or without glue (in this case, for its application you need a machine).

The most common (sorting is done in descending order) and more commonly used now are:

• Edge of PVC for chipboard (thickness - 1 and 2 mm, width depending on thickness of plates 22 and 34 mm);
• ABS;
• Melamine edge for chipboard with paper substrates.

Melamine paper edges

At the moment, this edge for chipboard is the most inexpensive and most affordable. Because they are more often used in furniture production, but, to be honest, the quality of such edges leaves much to be desired.

Advantages of melamine paper edges

The merits of melamine paper edges include:

• The presence of a large assortment of decors, which, according to the color scale, coincide with the chipboard as much as possible;
• Do not need expensive equipment for pasting and processing;
• Ease of use, even at home;
• Sufficiently low cost.

Disadvantages of melamine paper edges

The disadvantages of melamine paper edges include:

• High degree of fineness;
• Sufficiently low resistance to mechanical action;
• Poor protection from humidity;
• Fragility of drawings.

Advantages of the ABS edge

One of the advantages of the ABS edge is that it:

• Does not lose its color qualities and is not subject to deformation;
• Has a high-quality, saturated, matte or glossy color;
• Has a perfectly smooth surface;
• Does not release harmful substances ;
• Such an edge for the chipboard is less dangerous compared to other materials when heated and processed.

Disadvantages of the ABS edge

To the disadvantages of ABS edge can be attributed only high cost (compared to the same PVC, and especially melamine). In fact, ABS is used in different types of furniture, but it is especially relevant in the manufacture of really high-quality products, which should have improved performance properties, and especially when it is necessary to impart an increased degree of resistance of furniture to moisture.

PVC edge

It has a high degree of durability and durability. Safely protects the ends from moisture and mechanical damage. Such an edge for particleboard is resistant to alkali, acid, fat and saline, as well as to a fire.

However, such an edge for fiberboard has disadvantages:

• For the process of gluing, special glue is required - a melt with minimal thresholds of the beginning of melting.
• It is difficult to achieve perfectly smooth surfaces.

As in the case of ABS, for the most durable adhesion of the PVC edge glue to the ends of the chipboard, a thin invisible layer of a special substance (primer) must be applied.

PVC profile

Such type of furniture edges, as a rule, are made of high-quality PVC-plastic with the use of a special high-strength coating.

Characteristics:

• The presence of a large range of colors (wood with structures, metal, glossy, monophonic);
• Can be applied to chipboard, the thickness of which, as a rule, is sixteen by thirty two and a half millimeters;
• The material can be either soft or hard.

There are several types of PVC profiles:

• П - shaped (invoices). They can be flexible and rigid.
• T - shaped (mortise) with girth or without it.

Due to the presence of special "bows", they have the ability to perfectly hide the chipped or unevenness on the end surface, the cutting of which was done poorly or with the help of poorly sharpened saws. In some cases, for example, with design ideas, they can also be elements of decor.

How to glue the edge on the chipboard at home? Quite simply. For this work, you need to use a tape, which already has a glue composition. The sticker is carried out with a conventional household iron. This is done as follows. Cut a suitable piece of edge with a small margin, placed on the machined end and ironed.