Plywood or Particle Core? Let’s Clear This Up

If you’ve ever talked cabinets with friends, neighbours, or your contractor, you’ve probably heard someone say, “You want plywood — it’s stronger.” In Canada, that line gets thrown around a lot. But ask any European cabinetmaker, and you’ll hear a different story: particle core (sometimes called particle board or chipboard) is the standard for luxury kitchens and millwork across Europe. So, who’s right?

At Kategorie1, we get this question often. So let’s break it down honestly, so you can understand what you’re really buying — and why we build the way we do.

First, What Are We Talking About?

Plywood is made by gluing layers of wood veneer together, each layer’s grain running opposite the last. This cross-lamination gives it strength and helps it stay straight over time.

Particle core is made by pressing wood chips and resin together under pressure. By itself, it’s not as strong as plywood, but modern particle core is dense, smooth, and very stable when used properly.

Melamine isn’t actually the board — it’s a finish. Think of melamine as a tough, factory-applied coating that gets bonded to either plywood or particle core panels. It comes in hundreds of colours and woodgrains, and it makes the surface extremely easy to clean and maintain.

Why Plywood Became the Gold Standard (In Canada)

Plywood has been trusted in the North American construction industry for decades. Builders know it’s solid, holds screws well, and is more forgiving if it gets wet than old particle board used to be. So, naturally, “plywood equals quality” became the safe bet here.

The truth is, today’s engineered particle core is not the flaky, swell-prone material you might remember from cheap furniture 30 years ago. High-end European panel suppliers make dense, dimensionally stable boards that perform beautifully — and they allow for clean machining and tight tolerances that modern cabinet hardware requires.

Why Europeans Love Particle Core

In Europe, almost every modern kitchen and closet system uses high-quality particle core faced with melamine or lacquer. It’s consistent, flat, and ideal for big, seamless panels. It also helps keep cabinetry lighter and more cost-effective for clients who still expect stunning finishes.

So What Do We Do at Kategorie1?

This is where we stand apart. At Kategorie1, we’ve tested both methods and settled on what we believe is the best balance for Vancouver’s market and climate:

✅ We build our cabinet carcasses with premium plywood.

✅ We face them with a precision-applied melamine in the colour or woodgrain you choose.

Why? Because plywood carcasses are stronger and stiffer than particle core alone. This means fewer issues with warping, sagging, or blowouts when installing heavy hardware like pull-out pantries and big drawers.

Then, by finishing it with factory-faced melamine, you get a clean, durable surface that resists scratches, stains, and everyday messes better than raw wood or paint. It wipes clean easily and doesn’t lose its colour over time.

In short: you get plywood strength and melamine practicality in one — the best of both worlds.

What About Water Resistance?

This is a big one for kitchens and bathrooms. Raw plywood is more water-resistant than raw particle core, no question. But once either is properly sealed and faced with melamine, you get excellent moisture protection.

That said, if water leaks under a sink for weeks, any material will eventually swell — but a plywood box holds up longer and dries out better than plain particle core. That’s peace of mind we’re happy to build in.

What This Means For You

At the end of the day, the material choice is only half the story. It’s how you build with it that makes the difference. We’ve seen “plywood kitchens” built so poorly they fell apart in five years, and we’ve seen particle core European kitchens still flawless after twenty. Craftsmanship matters more than the sales pitch.

At Kategorie1, we choose materials and finishes that make sense for our clients’ homes and lifestyles. We build to last — not just to tick a “plywood box.”

Final Thoughts

If you’re planning a kitchen or custom millwork project and want to see how our cabinetry feels in person, come by the shop. We’re always happy to show you the materials, open up the cabinets, and talk through what’s under the surface — no buzzwords, no shortcuts, just honest building.