PVC foam board and plywood are both characteristically very different but both very popular base materials. A comparative discussion between both products is given below: 

What is PVC foam board?

PVC foam board alternatively called Andy board or Chevron board is a very popular PVC sheet product whose main component is Polyvinyl Chloride. Generally, components made from PVC foam boards are applied in indoor and outdoor interiors, advertising, furnishing, etc. Possessing some extraordinary physical qualities and advantages, PVC foam board is very much popular and extensively used in various sectors of our life. 

What is Plywood?

Plywood is a product made from layers of wood veneer. The layers are adjacently pasted with layers including wood grain which are generally rotated. There are different types of plywood depending on the applications which are shortly discussed below: 

• Softwood: For construction and industry-based work.
• Hardwood: For demanding end uses.
• Tropical: For low-cost construction purposes.
• Aircraft: For making air transportation.
• Flexible: For making curved parts.
• Marine: For humid and wet conditions.

The main component of plywood is a good log from a fully-grown tree. The production of softwood or hardwood plywood consists of a few steps. First, the log is cut from a full-formed tree and then it is stored in a suitable environment. Then the logs are debarked and bucked into a pleasing form. After that, the logs are heated to a suitable temperature. Then the logs are stripped and take the form of veneers, then the veneers are dried to take out the humidity within it, then the veneers are adjusted together and pressed by a hot press and finally, the plywood is cut into a suitable form and other finishing processes take place. 

Difference between PVC foam board and Plywood

Some of the difference between PVC foam board and plywood is stated below:

Flexibility

When it comes to flexibility, PVC foam board wins the trophy. PVC foam board is very much flexible compared to plywood. As a result, PVC foam boards can be cut into any suitable form according to requirements, which is not possible for plywood. 

Water Resistance

As wood is the base component, plywood is not very likely to sustain water. They tend to soak water and swell which changes their internal physical characteristics. On the other hand, when it comes to PVC foam board, they have no issue sustaining and resisting water, as a result, they are very much moist and humid proof.

Heat resistance

PVC foam boards are heat resistant. Due to this quality, PVC foam boards are hugely used for storage purposes. But Plywood is very much affected by heat. 

Fire resistance

One of the most beneficial qualities of PVC foam board is its fire-extinguishing capability. PVC foam board is self-extinguishing which means it never catches fire, unlike plywood which is very much prone to fire. Due to this reason, for generating fire-producing components, PVC foam board is a better choice. 

Termite resistance

Termites and insects are more likely to attack wood. PVC foam board is made out of plastic, so it is highly unlikely that PVC foam board will be affected by pesticides. 

Durability

Talking about durability, again PVC foam board takes the point. PVC foam boards are very long-lasting and very much likely to sustain for a long time. On the other hand, is affected by water, heat, and many other obstacles, plywood is not as durable as PVC foam boards. 

Weight

PVC foam boards are very much lightweight and easy to use as compared to plywood. 

Environmental Sustainability

For the production of plywood, a big amount of trees must be cut down. So directly or indirectly, the generation of plywood promotes deforestation which is one of the major back throws for the environment. On the other hand, polyvinyl chloride is structurally related to plastic. This means that the decomposition of a single PVC foam board will take more than a few centuries. This will potentially harm our environment by increasing plastic products in nature. So both PVC foam board and plywood have their fair share of damaging the environment. 

Cost

No noticeable deviation in cost is observed between the two. But taking into account durability, PVC foam board is more long-lasting compared to plywood. So in the long run, PVC foam board is cheaper and more inexpensive as compared to plywood. 

So, from the above discussion, in most of the parameters, PVC foam board is far ahead in the race as compared to plywood. So undoubtedly, PVC foam board is a better choice than plywood.

Read also: What are the places where you can use PVC Celuka foam board?