Materials research

Wood

Plywood – A manufactured board made from layers of solid timber veneer thats usually 3 millimeters thick. this method makes it incredibly strong but also light in weight and resists cracking,bending, warping, and shrinking. But they’re not suitable for many joints.

Cedar – A wood that is a natural moth repellent that is lightweight, durable and stable.It is also resistant to warping and cracking. It is commonly used to create  wood shingles in roofs and interior panelings.

Birch Plywood – a popular fine-grained wood, it comes with a nice smooth pale finish to add a touch of elegance to the finished product. It’s also durable and doesn’t have any jagged edges.

Metal

Cast Iron – an alloy of Iron containing varying amounts of carbon,silicon and manganese. there are four different types of cast iron: White, Grey, Ductile and Malleable iron which have their different physical and chemical properties. It’s mainly used for pots and pans as the surface distributes the heat evenly. It can also be used for outdoor finishes and settings such as bench legs and iron tables.

Aluminium  – a light and corrosion resistant material. It is heavily utilized for stamped and cast furniture, mainly molded chairs,  in order to take advantage of its qualities.

Stainless Steel – a metal with high tensile strength, which allows it to be applied using hollow tubes. It is used in many hinges and supports of furniture.

Gold leaf – Gold that’s been hammered into thin sheets. It’s available in a variety of karats and shades

Glass

Float Glass – a basic type of glass that has a high degree of light transmission and is available in a variety of sizes, thickness and colours and opacities. It is also a starting material used to create laminated, toughened or coated glass.

Toughened glass – a type of glass created using the thermal tempering process. Making it have structural durability, thermal strength and highly resistant to breakages. Though it cannot be recut after it has been toughened.

Tinted glass – glass with colour added to create a tint made by altering the chemical formulation of the glass and the colour and density change with the glass. This gives it UV protection ,the colour is durable and while it maintains it’s transparency, the brightness from the outward view is reduced which prevents passers by from seeing inside.  

Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring.Its designed to look like wood or stone when its actually a large photograph covered in a clear ‘wear layer’ Its fast and easy to install as well as easy to clean

https://www.timbertown.com/why-using-lightweight-woods-is-perfect-for-some-projects/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_furniture

 

 

Materials List

Wood

 

Plywood is a type of wood that can be used in making cat trees. there are different kinds of plywood these include: 3-ply and 5-ply which are sheets based on how many layers of plywood were used and these are used in decorative internal uses and multi-ply which is plywood composed of many layers to be used in heavyweight construction. This material is also resistant to water, moisture and high temperatures. Manufacturers include: Yorkshire Plywood Ltd and Avon Plywood Ltd.

MDF is another wood used in making cat furniture. it is a strong and cheap material that can be cut, drilled, machined and filed without damaging its surface. Manufacturers include: Skirting UK and W.Howard Ltd

Solid wood is another wood used for making cat furniture. Its an environmentally friendly and durable wood.

Fabric

Nylon is a synthetic man-made material that can be produced in either sheet or fibre form. its produced by using a complex process that creates the material’s strong polymers first then binds them together to create the strong fibre. The material is a natural heat sensitive, strong, lightweight and durable material it is also has a low absorbency rate and can take on dye extremely well. They can be also used in a continuous filament form or be chopped into shorter lengths and spun into threads. Manufactures include: Direct Plastics Ltd and G&B Fissaggi UK

Sisal is a straw like plant fibre. its a course, inflexible fibre that has the ability to stretch, dyes well and is water resistant. Its also a coarse material, harder than straw and can be cleaned with a damp cloth. It is recommended natural sisal with 8mm diameter for cat trees as thin sisal is easy to be caught off.

Sheepskin (also known as lambskin) is skin off a sheep but unlike leather, sheepskin is tanned with the fleece intact to make fur. Its used in soft wool-lined clothing or coverings, and invalid rugs and pelts. It has good Insulating properties as its a natural insulator and is resistant to flame and static electricity.  Manufacturers include: Westmorland Sheepskins, Real Sheepskin Association and City Sheepskin.

Faux fur is any material that is made from cellulose or synthetic fibres designed to resemble fur. its increased in popularity over the years due to animal right activists that claim its an animal-friendly alternative to fur clothing. its a material thats not easily deformed and its used in making cat trees. However cat hair does stick to it which makes the material need regular cleans. Manufacturers Include: Sommers Plastic Prod. co. inc, Concept III Textiles International and D&N Textiles Inc.

Plastic

Durat 470 is a solid polyester based material used to make custom surfaces in private and public interiors. It is made from recyclable plastic making the material itself recyclable. The material has a silky warm feeling to it and an interesting impression of depth in its finish. This material is very durable and can be renewed by slight sanding. It’s also resistant to wear, humidity and various chemicals.

PVC (or polyvinyl chloride) is a thermoplastic used in panel edging and foils. However, this plastic is not considered eco-friendly because it is not recyclable or biodegradable and considered a ‘poison plastic’ for children under certain ages.

Polypropylene is a type of plastic with two-dimensional molecular structures. this material can be softened with heat or recycled. its mainly used on plastic objects with hinges as the material can withstand movement. its used to make large storage box furniture with hinges or snap closures as well as blow up furniture such as chairs and sofas. This material is the most common eco-friendly thermoplastic used in furniture making.

Polycarbonate is a material that comes in sheets and can be carved on with woodworking type tools in order to turn it into furniture. It can be easily cut so it can be molded into distinct sectional furniture or decorative attachments to furniture. The material is almost unbreakable when made into furniture and is also recyclable making it a more environmentally sound plastic compared to PVC. Manufactures Include: Polypropylene products and theplasticshop.co.uk

Flooring

Lino (also known as Linoleum) is floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil, pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate. Pigments can also be added to achieve a desired color finish. Lino flooring maintains it’s good looks because the pigments are throughout the thickness of the material and not just on the surface which helps camouflage scratches and requires little maintenance, needing only sweeping and damp mopping.

Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring.Its designed to look like wood or stone when its actually a large photograph covered in a clear ‘wear layer’ Its fast and easy to install as well as easy to clean. Manufactures include: Sheffield Flooring Solutions and Carpetright Sheffield.

Sources: http://www.ctnd.com/top-materials-used-furniture-manufacturing/

http://www.urbanara.co.uk/journal/buying-guide/nylon/

http://www.urbanara.co.uk/journal/buying-guide/sisal/

https://homesteady.com/list-7390006-components-plastic-furniture.html

https://www.greengoodsusa.com/durat-470.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linoleum

http://www.meow-cat.com/2013/02/how-to-build-cat-tree-condo-house.html

http://www.design-technology.org/mdf.htm