Which sheet good to use?

berry · Post by **berry** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:42 am

I'm going to be building a bed frame really soon. It's going to be a platform bed with drawers under it.

Does anyone know - between plywood, particle board, OSB and MDF which, in general, off-gases the least? Or off-gases the least dangerous vapors?

Any feedback or leads to additional resources would be appreciated.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:06 am

berry wrote:I'm going to be building a bed frame really soon. It's going to be a platform bed with drawers under it.

Does anyone know - between plywood, particle board, OSB and MDF which, in general, off-gases the least? Or off-gases the least dangerous vapors?

Any feedback or leads to additional resources would be appreciated.

Tough question; really tough. It is difficult to answer because it so much depends on where you purchase your sheet goods. It think the only thing that can be said is that materials from the box stores is probably NOT the best. Any cut rate sources are questionable.

If you have a serious need to guard against these potential hazards, you are going to have to seek an answer from specific manufacturers.

If I had to chose, it would be plywood. Whatever you use, I recommend that it not be installed raw. I would seal it.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:59 pm

For a platform bed there are two choices IMHO. Plywood or solid wood. Gasses given off from the material are not a big consideration. I assume the frame will be finished with shellac or stain /varnishes. This would seal in any remnant gasses. The finishes will emit an odor until cured.

There's been some pretty nice looking rustic bed frames with drawers made from knotty pine. Also some pretty darned fancy ones made from selected hardwoods. It's a matter of taste.

My thought is drawers made from MDF would not be the greatest. This is the kind of furniture you can buy at big box stores. You see furniture like this frequently in landfills.

kalynzoo · Post by **kalynzoo** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:19 pm

The APA (Engineered Wood Association) has a lot of information on their website.
http://www.apawood.org/

and

http://performancepanels.com/index.cfm? ... p_atr_form

Out near me I would go to Pacific Plywood. I would think you would have a source out by you with APA certified ply.

berry · Post by **berry** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:57 pm

Most of the unit (face frame, drawer parts etc.) will be pine or poplar but I was asking about the 2 or 3 large sheets that the mattress rests on. I'm going to skip the box spring.

Putting a finish on makes a lot of sense! A couple coats of sealer or paint and my worries will be over.

Gary thanks for the links.

Thanks to one and all.

osx-addict · Post by **osx-addict** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:24 pm

kalynzoo wrote: Out near me I would go to Pacific Plywood. I would think you would have a source out by you with APA certified ply.

Hmm.. I google'd Pacific Plywood but didn't get any obvious match.. Is it Pacific Western Wood Products on Worth Street you're referring to? Just curious..

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:33 pm

osx-addict wrote:Hmm.. I google'd Pacific Plywood but didn't get any obvious match.. Is it Pacific Western Wood Products on Worth Street you're referring to? Just curious..

Or maybe these folks.

berry · Post by **berry** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:57 am

Thanks Dusty - that Georgia-Pacific site had the Material Safety Data Sheets as well as Where To Buy info.