Surely, there are many building materials available for construction purposes. Yet, homeowners most likely want to know more about Advantech vs plywood especially when they need to the siding.
Well, both these objects are highly popular among builders and they serve different reasons. Also, Advantech and plywood differ from each other in terms of their features and capability. Advantech is more moisture-resistant compared to plywood. Hence, its durability is also higher. However, both Advantech and plywood can be used for subfloors.
Nonetheless, there are other differences in their properties. Let us unfold them for you throughout the entire article. We will also add a short comparison table. So, bear with us till the end.
Advantech vs Plywood: Which is the Best Choice for Your Project?
Advantech is a popular sub-flooring system that almost looks like plywood. The material is a great alternative to plywood when you want something heavy-duty for your projects.
Advantech comes with great susceptibility while working with other flooring materials. The fiberboard with high-density properties makes the best kind of Advantech subfloor. Its wood panels are engineered by joining the wood fibers or wood flakes with the help of quality adhesive.
Moreover, the process requires heat and pressure to combine the wood panels. However, the most convincing feature of Advantech is its coating with liquid resin. The resin is extensively durable and spread all over the panel.
Hence, the resin adds strength and resistant power to the Advantech. Unlike, other engineered tools made of natural wood, Advantech is uniquely by a well-known Taiwanese brand.
Things We Liked About Advantech
The best material for subflooring and can be used with other flooring materials like tiles and carpets.
The Advantech panels are coated with a durable and moisture-resistant resin.
Features a middle layer of medium-density fiberboard for ensuring a strong subfloor.
The panels are easy to install, lightweight, and arrive with a great appearance.
Things We Didn’t Like About Advantech
The engineered material is highly expensive.
The panels come with unfinished and exposed edges.
Plywood is a very common engineered tool yet it is also popular like the Advantech wood. Advantech is recently famous whereas plywood has popularity for a very long time. It is made of wood strips or wood veneers.
The wood strips are joined side by side to make a solid sheet. Then a number of layers are added one on top of another to make plies. That is how a cross-grain pattern is made perpendicularly. However, its bottom layer offers the ultimate stability in making a foundation.
Therefore, plywood ensures utmost durability by being water-resistant. Again, plywood is not only used for subflooring but also for other building projects. Homeowners use plywood for several furniture, indoor, and outdoor projects.
Also, there are different types of plywood available including particleboard, softwood, and hardwood plywood. Again, there are pressure-treated and marine plywood. The former one is famous for using in outdoor tasks like fencing or making the deck. However, marine plywood is more expensive of all and it is used for boatbuilding.
Things We Liked About Plywood
Plywood is easily available and comes in a wider range of types and varieties.
The engineered wood is extraordinarily versatile and can be used on many projects.
The material is resistant to cracking, warping, and splitting.
You can handle plywood easily and it comes at cheaper rates.
Things We Didn’t Like About Plywood
Susceptible to rot and mold and other water damage.
Not highly durable when it comes to tough applications.
Even though there are some similarities between Advantech and plywood, they are distinct from each other. Let’s discuss their different properties.
Durability
To speak fact, both these engineered woods are quite durable. However, Advantech tends to last longer since it is a highly strong material. Because of its strength, the material can also withstand more weight.
On the other hand, a normal type of plywood is not capable of holding a lot of weight. Hence, it is not appreciably impact-resistant. That is why its durability is also less.
A simple comparison between Advantech subfloor vs plywood will give you a clear idea,
Subfloor is the most important part of a building. The entire house is built on it. Thus, its materials have to be durable and strong enough to hold up the entire load. Nonetheless, both Advantech subfloor and plywood are used in making traditional or ancient building that were before made of brick or stone materials.
However, when it comes to carpeting the floor or adding tiles, plywood cannot bear the weight. Whereas, the Advantech subfloor is exactly made for this purpose. Due to its durability, the subfloor can serve beyond your expectation.
Plywood and Advantech both offer a great deal of workability. But if you compare, Advantech wins here. However, the workability of plywood depends on its grade. Plywood can come with a panel grade from A to D. Among all the A grade plywood shows the best workability.
Again, plywood of lower grades is hard to cut for any project. As a result, the tearing of boards takes place lacking effectivity. In contrast, Advantech has greater workability. Its bending strength is appreciable. Moreover, for being highly flexible, plywood comes with warping risks.
Weight and Weight Capability
Surely, Advantech has more weight as it has higher-density fiberwood. On the contrary, plywood is lightweight and flexible. Therefore, transporting them is also easier.
However, due to its heavy weight, Advantech requires support before installation. Hence, beams are added to ensure proper installation of the Advantech subfloor.
Now to speak about weight capacity, Advantech has it more. The material can hold up to approximately 250 lbs/square feet. Whereas, in the case of plywood, it can take up to around 125 lbs. So, surely, Advantech can take heavier loads.
Size
Well, in the case of size, Advantech is very selective. Since it comes from a specific brand, the brand offers only up to six sizes of wood. Moreover, their thickness is also less.
Plywood, on the other hand, is very cumbersome in terms of both size and thickness.
Moisture Resistance
It is the most important feature an engineered wood must have. However, since Advantech has panels of solid fiberboard, it is more resistant to moisture. So, the panels do not absorb moisture and swell.
In contrast, plywood is very prone to water damage. Though it is also to some extent resistant to moisture, yet when it absorbs moisture, it takes time to dry.
Stiffnessand Flexibility
In terms of stiffness, Advantech has it more as well. Advantech is stiffer compared to plywood but it also has the highest bending capacity, unlike plywood.
On the other hand, even though plywood is more flexible, its bending capacity is less. If you try to bend it more, chances are it will warp in no time.
Installation
Both plywood and Advantech have an easy installation process. But the company Advantech makes it way easier as for installing the panels you do not have to add adhesive to it. Thus, you also won’t have to wait for the glue to dry.
But plywood requires glue for its installation. Hence, it is a hassle if the glue does not dry properly.
Cost
As we have already mentioned, Advantech is expensive whereas even the quality plywood comes at a cheap rate. In most cases, each sheet of plywood costs around $30 while Advantech sheet comes at a rate of about $50.
However, in terms of cost-effectiveness, Advantech is actually worth the price. It lasts longer while you may have to replace your plywood often.
So, Which Type of Subfloor to Choose?
After the discussion of all differences between Advantech and plywood, the decision should be easy. If you are willing to pay money for a quality subfloor then do not go for anything other than Advantech. It is a full-fledged building material, you won’t regret having. Again, if you want to go all the for a cheaper version then plywood is a good choice.
Advantech roof sheathing vs plywood
Builders are using OSB Plywood as roof sheathing for years. However, after the invention of Advantech roof sheathing it has become a more reliable option. It can protect walls and roofs for over two or three decades which is convincing.
Hence, its durability is also convincing enough. Even the best graded plywood won’t offer such backup for years compared to Advantech roof sheathing. Moreover, the wood density along with improved resin technology make the panels to do the job perfectly.
Surely, it is. Advantech comes with better construction, impact, and moisture-resistant properties compared to plywood.
Can AdvanTech plywood get wet?
One of the best properties of Advantech plywood is its combating power against extreme water exposure. It comes with a guarantee of five-hundred-day no sanding.
What is the best material for a subfloor?
There are some great engineered woods available for subflooring. However, Advantech is always the most reliable one.
What are the advantages of AdvanTech subfloor?
Advantech subfloor is a standard choice. It offers advantages like higher bending and weight capacity, is not susceptible to water damage or warping, and offers a great deal of strength and durability.
Is AdvanTech flooring waterproof?
Yes, the Advantech flooring is waterproof. It does not allow the moisture to bleed through the crevices of your subfloor.
I'm a woodwork enthusiast and have loved to do DIY projects since my teenage. Till then, I have learned the 'Art of Wood' to rejuvenate my home interior, plumbing, and fixing. My blog woodpander.com leads information, for woodworking interested guys or just curious to know about woodworks.
