Choosing the right panel for joinery

4/8

stand types are reusable, and panel choice decides which

Stand types

Four boards, four different jobs

MDF is dense with a closed surface. It takes paint, and a routed edge comes out clean, so it goes on visible walls, cut lettering and curved faces. The price is weight: where one person carries a plywood panel, an MDF panel of the same size needs two.

Chipboard is the cheapest option and does the job under platforms, inside structure and on the hidden face of a store wall. It does not hold a screw as well as MDF, and on a part that is rebuilt repeatedly the hole opens up.

Plywood is both light and strong thanks to its layers. It is the first choice for panels that come apart, walls carrying heavy shelving, and floor decks. Melamine-faced board removes the need for paint altogether, which pays off on short lead times, though the colour range is whatever the catalogue offers.

All four can sit side by side on one stand. The visible wall in MDF, the structure behind it in chipboard, the demountable section in plywood. A board is chosen for the job it has to do, not for being cheap or dear.

Edges, facing and joints

A stand looks finished because of its edges more than its boards. If edge banding is badly glued, the visitor sees the mistake rather than the material. On painted MDF it is filler and sanding; on faced panels it is band thickness and colour match that decide the quality.

The joint decision is made at drawing stage. Two panels are either joined invisibly or separated by a deliberate shadow gap. There is no middle ground: a joint that someone tried to hide and failed will stay visible through the show unless the dry build catches it.

Wall thickness is a design decision too. A wall built from a single eighteen millimetre board looks thin; adding structure between two boards thickens it, at the cost of weight and freight volume. That choice feeds straight into the price per square metre.

Thickness is also an acoustic decision. A wall built from one thin board passes the neighbouring stand’s noise straight through, and behind a meeting area that becomes obvious within the first hour. Either infill goes in or the wall gets thicker.

Moisture, haulage and the second show

Moisture is the enemy of any board. An MDF panel that travels by sea or waits in a damp store swells, lifts at the edge and never returns to its old shape. For long journeys and long storage, plywood is safer, and water-resistant boards are preferred anywhere a wet floor is plausible.

Transit damage is the second problem. Panel corners crush when carried without covers. Panels stacked in a crate get foam or felt between them, and heavy panels travel upright.

If you plan to use the stand at a second fair, choose the boards for that from the start. Painted MDF needs touching up after every tear-down; a faced plywood panel is cleaned and rebuilt. The labour bill at the second show is decided by this one call.

Measure the damp in the store as well. Pallets standing at floor level draw moisture from underneath, and putting a batten under the pallet matters as much as the cover while costing far less.

What board thickness is used on a stand?

Eighteen millimetres is common on visible walls. Thinner board is enough for infill and rear faces; where heavy shelving loads a wall, thickness goes up or structure goes behind it.

Is fire-rated board compulsory?

It depends on the venue. Most halls require materials in a flame-retardant class and ask for the certificate; which board is accepted is written in that fair’s technical manual.