Buyer Beware! Falcata Plywood Is Not Lauan or Meranti Plywood and Is Even Poorer in Quality
Why RevolutionPly® Plywood is a Far Superior Panel
The quality of Lauan/Meranti panels continues to decline with the introduction of Falcata plywood that is being marketed in the USA as Lauan and Meranti plywood. Falcata plywood is produced from the specie Falcataria falcata. Falcata plywood is soft, not durable, and vulnerable to termites.
Falcata plywood, touted as Lauan/Meranti plywood, is inferior to the RevolutionPly® panel. The strength of a plywood panel is based primarily on three tests: MOR (Modulus of Rupture), MOE (Modulus of Elasticity), and Janka side hardness. These tests measure resistance to pressure, bending strength, and wood hardness which makes them directly related to the weight and density of the panel. The 5 mm and 5.2 mm x 4' x 8' Falcata plywood panels weigh approximately 10 lbs. each; our RevolutionPly® panels of the same thickness are much denser and weigh approximately 18 lbs. each. This has a significant impact on how well the panel will perform in any application that requires structural integrity including: underlayment, drawer bottoms, cabinet backs, etc. Not a single flooring manufacturer has approved Falcata plywood, Meranti plywood or Lauan plywood as underlayment for their flooring products. RevolutionPly® plywood has been approved by the major vinyl manufacturers for use as underlayment with their flooring products, such as sheet vinyl, vinyl composite tile (VCT), luxury vinyl tile (LVT), luxury vinyl plank (LVP), carpet, engineered flooring, cork floors, and wood floors.
Falcata plywood panels are extremely soft, making them prone to indentation and fastener blow through. These panels can be easily gouged with your thumbnail. RevolutionPly® panels have a durable smooth surface making them more resistant to indentations, gouges, and imperfections. Falcata plywood’s weak integrity gives it poor screw and nail holding properties, therefore, the major RV and cabinet manufacturers will not use it in their production. RevolutionPly® panels have a poplar hardwood core which securely holds nails, screws, and other fasteners. A wide range of manufacturers regularly use poplar core plywood in their products.
The face veneer and core of Falcata panels originate from extremely young trees (5 - 7 years old). Falcata veneer has many pin knots, is inconsistent in color, and has an open grain that requires more effort and materials to prime and stain. RevolutionPly® plywood provides a uniform face veneer that is both consistent in color and smoothly sanded making it ideal for interior applications such as: flooring underlayment, wall and ceiling paneling, high-end millwork, and woodworking projects. RevolutionPly® panels readily accept all types of finishes including paints/primers, stains, glazes, and clear coats.
Unchecked invasion by Falcataria falcata poses significant threats to native ecosystems, human health, and welfare across the Pacific Islands. Research on the impacts of the Falcataria falcata specie on native forests has demonstrated that this species profoundly transforms invaded forests by dramatically increasing inputs of nitrogen, facilitating invasion by other weeds while simultaneously suppressing native species. RevolutionPly® panels come from plantation and sustainable wood sources containing no tropical species.
Another variation of Falcata plywood that is being marketed in the USA as Lauan plywood and Meranti plywood combines falcata veneers with tropical hardwood veneers to make a “combi core” panel. Although, this panel does increase the weight of a 5 mm and 5.2 mm x 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood to about 12 lbs., it introduces the inclusion of tropical wood veneer originating from questionable sources in the rainforest. The “combi core” Falcata plywood panel being sold as Luan plywood and Meranti plywood is not approved by any of the major flooring manufacturers for use with their many flooring products, and, like the 100% core Falcata plywood, is not suitable for applications that require a hard surface or structural integrity.
Buyer beware! Lauan and Meranti plywood could in fact be Falcata plywood, which should be avoided for use as underlayment and other applications that require a sound and strong panel. The quality of Lauan and Meranti Plywood has become poorer and poorer and are not the same panel products that were widely sold in the USA 30 years ago.
RevolutionPly® plywood is a stronger, smoother, more sustainable, and higher quality alternative to Falcata plywood. RevolutionPly® plywood has been tested and approved by the major flooring manufacturers. RevolutionPly® plywood has a 100% uniform light color from sheet to sheet; every panel has an "A" grade face veneer. All the veneers in RevolutionPly® plywood come from plantation and sustainable wood sources. RevolutionPly® plywood is ideal for a variety of interior applications, including flooring underlayment, paneling, millwork, and woodworking projects.
Make the quality choice; make the sustainable choice and join the Revolution.
