Solid wood is a term most commonly used to distinguish between ordinary lumber and engineered wood, but it also refers to structures that do not have hollow spaces. Engineered wood products are manufactured by binding together wood strands, fibers, or veneers with adhesives to form a composite material. Engineered wood includes plywood, oriented strand board (OSB) and fiberboard. The fact that a product is made from solid wood is often touted in advertisements. However, using solid wood has advantages and disadvantages.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of solid wood is appearance. Most people consider it more attractive than fiberboard, which is sometimes enhanced with a solid wood veneer or other overlays, such as formica or vinyl. It is also more attractive than oriented strand board, which is rarely used where it can be seen. Plywood has a similar look to wood, but its layered structure is visible on the ends.
Solid wood is stronger than fiberboard, but not as strong as plywood or oriented strand board. Many engineered woods disintegrate if gotten wet, unlike solid wood.
One of the most important disadvantages of solid wood is its significant cost. Engineered wood can be made from waste material like sawdust and chips, but solid wood requires large sections of wood that are relatively free from defects. Composite wood can also be made with trees that have soft or hard wood.
One of the most frequently made hollow wood structures are hollow core doors. Hollow core doors are much lighter than solid wood doors, cheaper and are easier to install. However, sound travels more freely through them, which can be a problem if the house is noisy or the occupants desire a lot of privacy. Also, hollow core doors should not be used as doors to the outside because they can more easily be broken open by robbers. Solid wood doors are slightly more fire resistant because the fire has to burn through more material, however, using a steel door will increase fire resistance by a much larger margin.