Real Thermowood vs. Fake: How It Differs from PVC and Plastic Veneer

These days, if you search "thermowood" on Google, alongside photos of real wood you'll also find painted PVC and plastic panels sold under the very same name. For a customer who's only after a warm, dark wood look, telling the two apart from a photo is almost impossible - and that's the main reason behind complaints that surface a few months later.

What Real Thermowood Actually Is

Thermowood is the name of an industrial process, not a species of wood: Scandinavian pine or spruce is heated in an oxygen-free kiln to roughly 180-212°C until the wood's cellular structure changes - it absorbs less moisture, its color darkens and becomes more even, and it resists fungus and decay better. Those numbers and standards come from Scandinavian countries; in Isfahan's hot, dry climate the same wood behaves even better, since less residual moisture means less warping under direct sun.

Why PVC Gets Sold in Its Place

Producing real thermowood takes an industrial kiln and high-quality raw timber, which keeps its price high. Printed PVC sheets with a wood-grain pattern, on the other hand, cost several times less to make, and because they look like dark wood from a distance, they're sold under the same name - "wall thermowood" or "plastic thermowood." A customer who's only seen a photo won't notice the difference until the product is in their hands.

A Few Simple Ways to Tell Them Apart at the Shop

• Weight: a genuine thermowood board feels noticeably heavier than a hollow or thin PVC sheet of the same size
• Grain: no two real wood boards have exactly the same grain pattern; if the grain repeats identically across several boards, it's probably printed
• Edge cut: real wood shows the same fibrous texture at the cut cross-section; PVC has a smooth, uniform plastic edge
• Smell: heat-treated wood smells faintly toasted or smoky, not chemical or rubbery
• Price: if the asking price is well below the usual range for heat-treated wood, it's likely plastic

A good look in a photo is no guarantee it's wood - check it by hand and look at the cut edge before you order.

The Difference Also Affects Durability and Upkeep

Real thermowood, like every thermowood terrace floor or thermowood wall cladding we've covered before, turns slightly gray after a few years but never cracks or rots structurally. PVC sheeting under Isfahan's direct sun usually fades or warps sooner, simply because it isn't wood and was never going to behave thermally like wood.