CanDor and the Environment

Generations of North Americans have looked to 'solid wood' as the ultimate in quality and durability for cabinetry, furniture and millwork products.

But - Is solid really necessary and can our planet afford our excesses? The answer is simple, consider the following facts.

DURABILITY
For most millwork applications, including door and window frames, durability is making reference to the hardness of the wood. Measuring hardness is an accurate way of showing how a decorative wood finish will resist marring and scratching. Thin veneers that are well glued to Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) present a harder surface than almost any species of of solid wood. MDF, by design, has been engineered to be a high density wood product.

Red Oak Density - 39 to 43 lbs cu/ft
Honduras Mahogany Density - 34 to 36 lbs cu/ft
MDF Density - 48 lbs cu/ft

PRODUCT YIELD
CanDor uses MDF for most profile cores. MDF is an engineered wood product that is manufactured out of the by-products of other wood milling operations. The by-products include wood chips, planer shavings, sawdust and material that is too short. Up until a few years ago these by-products were burned as a waste material. Using the by-products of other wood milling operations helps conserve our precious wood resource.

The center of a piece of solid wood is just as beautiful as the surface of that same piece of wood - but in fact, nobody ever sees the center of a piece of wood. Cutting a 1" thick board of solid wood generates an average of 3/8" of sawdust because of the saw kerf. A 3/8" saw kerf means that you are wasting 38% of the wood to sawdust. Veneer by contrast is sliced and there is no sawdust produced. The square foot yield of veneer from a given log can be as much as 25 times the yield of 1" lumber.

Why should we waste what we can't even see?