Plywood.  MV works with the highest quality plywood:  gorgeous 15-ply edge with inner laminations of birch and outer veneers of maple.  It contains less than .05ppm of formaldehyde and is FSC certified, which means the Forest Stewardship Council has confirmed the wood is sustainably harvested.

Plywood is a modern material. Wood is scarce, and the earth needs more trees, not fewer. Too often plywood is considered cheap and inferior to real wood. Not the case.  Stronger and more stable than plain wood, plywood requires less material, and lends itself to simple, clean designs without concern for expansion and contraction. Using plywood in cabinetry and furniture is nothing new. The way MV uses it, though, is very new.

Wood.  MV sometimes ventures out from plywood to use pure hardwoods (and sometimes softwoods). Maple is the MV favorite, with  Cherry and Walnut coming in as close seconds. MV only uses FSC certified hardwoods  from local Vermont suppliers.

Scraps.  Modern Vermont takes great care in maximizing the use of all woods so there is little waste on any project. Inevitably there are cutoffs that don’t get used. But do they get thrown out? No! MV has bins of scrap wood and plywood that are sorted by type and saved for other projects. Numerous furniture pieces have been produced using MV’s “scrap ply” technique which mixes plywood end grain with hardwoods that have been saved from other projects.

Finishes.  MV uses all natural, low or zero VOC clear finishes on all interior projects and furniture. 90% of the pieces are finished with Vermont Natural Coatings (link), a… (from VNC site). On darker woods like cherry or walnut, MV uses all natural, plant based oil finishes. All finishes used are extremely durable, suitable for typical home and office use, and repairable should the need arise. VOCs and formaldehyde are a hot topic these days. And with good reason.   With today’s weather-tight homes and offices you don’t want to use adhesives and paints that emit nasty gasses harmful to your health.  We don’t want them in our workshop and we don’t want them in your house or office.

Health is important to us — ours, yours and the Earth’s.