A Substitute for Green Plywood

Plywood is made from wood chips, wood shavings and sawdust particles.

Green plywood is plywood made with a formaldehyde-free glue. The lack of formaldehyde in the glue is the distinguishing factor in "green" plywood. However, not all green plywoods are made from managed forests or with sustainable hardwoods, like bamboo or retired coconut palms. Homosote is a green alternative to green plywood.

The Homosote Brand

The Homosote Co. in Trenton, N.J., makes the brand-name Homosote, a paper board that can be used for a variety of structural purposes, especially in place of plywood sheathing and decking. Like many American brands, the Homosote brand has become synonymous with sturdy paperboard used for construction purposes. Another brand of paperboard is Thermoply.

Green Construction

Paperboard is made from recycled newsprint. Discarded and unused newspapers are repulped and then molded into a single panel under high pressure, without the use of a glue.

Strength

The panels can be cut easily with a knife rather than a saw, yet the paper board is stronger than plywood. To give an example of strength, Homosote was used in construction of military barracks during the first and second World Wars.

Easy to Install

Panels of paperboard can be installed by a single person. One method of such application is nailing the paperboard to stud walls, then lifting entire walls into place.

Mold Resistence

Newsprint is difficult for mold to digest, making paperboard naturally mold and mildew resistant. Some paperboards are made with a fungicide during manufacture to ensure resistance to mold.

References

• HGTV; Green Solution: Formaldehyde-Free Plywood and Recycled Wallpaper; Carter Can
• Design Cost Data: 440 SoundBarrier® by Homasote®:
• "San Francisco Gate"; Designers Dig Plywood that Bends to Green Times; Zahid Sardar; March 2010
• Elements of Green: Bamboo Plywood
• "Yes Magazine"; YES! But How? :: Off the Grid; March 2003
• The Natural House; Daniel D. Chiras; 2000

Resources

• Berry Plastics Corporation: Thermo-ply Total
• The Homosote Company: About