Applying Wood Veneers by Rex Rothing
Wood veneer is defined as wood which is cut in a very thin sheet. Veneer is used to cover an existing material with a new surface. The top layer of wood in a plywood is a veneer. With modern technology veneers can be cut as thin as a piece of paper. Using veneer is a way to make expensive wood cover a larger area for an economical cost.
Wood veneers are simple to apply but do require some knowledge, tools, skills, and time. Veneers can be purchased in several forms and each is applied in a different although similar manner. This article will discuss the different methods of applying wood veneer in the different forms it comes in.
The tools and materials you will need include: contact cement, lacquer thinner, brush or roller, razor knife, sandpaper, rags, pressure roller or smooth block of wood, and a work table or area with fresh air supply. The contact cement is a liquid glue that comes in cans from a hardware store. Lacquer thinner is the solvent needed to clean up the excess glue. The brush should be a disposable kind for a small project or a roller can be used for larger areas. The pressure roller, or "J-roller", is a hard rubber roller used for pressing the veneer down to insure good bonding. A hand-sized block of wood sanded smooth on all edges can be substituted for the pressure roller. The rag is used with the thinner to wipe off excess glue. The fresh air working area is important since the glue and thinner both produce fumes which are dangerous. (read the warning labels).
Wood veneers come from suppliers in several ways: As raw thin-cut wood, as paper backed sheets, as pre-glued-peel-and-stick sheets, and as wood glued to wood sheets.
The wood veneer when purchased as raw thin-cut wood is as it comes from the log. This is the old fashioned tried and true way. Ususally this veneer is as thick as 1/16 of an inch and comes in variable sizes depending on the tree it came from.
Paper backed sheets of veneer come in thicknesses of 10 mils or 20 mils thick and in full sheets of 4' x 8'. Some places sell oversized sheets, quarter, or half size sheets, and rolls of edge stripping. Sometimes a barrier layer of foil is layed in between the veneer and the paper. This foil is used to prevent the finish coat's solvents from releasing the glue underneath.
Peel-and-stick, or "PSA", pressure sensitive adhesive is available on veneer sheets as a means to simplify the installation. This method is often used to resurface an existing kitchen without having toxic and flammable fumes released in the house. It costs a little more but it can be worthwhile in such situations.
Real wood-on-wood veneer has a layer of wood with the grain running cross-ways glued to a layer with the grain running long-ways. The advantage here is extra thickness, durability, and it shows less tell-tale glue or paper lines at the edges of a project. This method takes a little more skill to apply since it usually requires power tools to trim off the excess.
Application - simple proceedure:
Measure and cut the veneer larger than the finished size. Put the glue on both surfaces, allow time to dry, stick it together, trim it, sand it, and finish it.
Details and Hints:
Raw, thin cut wood can be difficult to work with since the size it comes in might not cover the area needed and joinery techniques would be needed. If however, your skill levels are up to it, this is a good way to do the job. With a table saw and a planer you could resaw veneers yourself or there are a few catalogs where you can order these real wood veneers.
Paper backed sheets are more commonly available for veneering projects in various sizes and thicknesses. 10 mil thickness is used mostly for vertical placement and 20 mil thickness is more for horizontal working surfaces. The foil barrier type sheet is good, if you can find it, especially if you are veneering over formica. The edges are cut with a razor knife on a workbench unless you are veneering existing cabinets, in which case, the razor knife is used more carefully, or a trim router is used for trimming off a larger area. The edge stripping can be cut from left-over material or ordered in large rolls for bigger projects. In fact, edge stripping can be applied with heat sensitive glue and a machine that heats as it goes on. This method is mostly for manufacturers or shops who work a lot of edges. Most people's projects would require contact cement to be brushed on both the veneer and the surface, allow time to dry, then pressed together, trimmed off and sanded. If you are veneering plywood edges use two coats of glue for good adhesion. Take care with the trimming excess and sanding the edges and surfaces so as not to go thru the veneer.
PSA, pressure sensitive adhesive veneers are simple to work with since the steps of brushing on coats of glue and waiting to dry time are excluded. Also, the dangers of toxic and flammable fumes are eliminated. Attention should be applied to pressing down the veneer in place by rolling over with your weight leaning on the hard rubber roller or rubbing with a wood block while pressing down. Then trim off excess with the razor knife, router, or sander. Finally, sand by hand with a sandpaper sponge and apply finish as you like. (see website for finishing ideas).
Wood-on-wood veneers are more costly but they are the next best thing to real thin-wood. The crossing of the grain directions allows for more stability and thickness when applied and sanded. It is easier to make corners of flat doors look more natural with less tell-tale lines of glue, paper, or foil. This type of veneer needs to be cut with a trim router, like plastic laminate. The router bit has a bearing on it that rolls flush along the edge for precise cuts. Inside corners can be trimmed with a japanese backsaw or a razor knife in several passes. Rough edges are sanded off and the finish is applied. When veneering a door, for example of prodeedure, veneer the backside first, then the edges, then the front. This way fewer edges will show outwardly.
Wood veneers can be applied over many kinds of material: metal, plastic, glass, wood, drywall, fiberglass, or of course, particle board. On some really cheap particle board furnishings, the veneer is actually a computer generated image of wood on something like vinyl wallpaper. Wood veneer is often a solution to a decorating problem that you didn't think of.
Many kinds of wood veneers are available at WoodShop 102. Some are in stock, some can be ordered. Any time you have questions or problems with veneering wood, please call and ask; advise is always free at WoodShop 102.
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