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A highly versatile material, premium timber veneers have provided woodworkers, carpenters and even hobby creators with the awesome luxury of choice. This is mainly because, with a good quality timber veneer, you can basically create wooden products like furniture or cabinets and shelves that boast a luxurious hardwood finish without the premium price tag. Some veneers are of such a high quality that you almost can’t visibly tell the difference between veneer and solid wood – that is until your veneers show signs of ageing or perhaps even accrue damage and begin to deteriorate prematurely.
It’s important to keep in mind that timber veneers are ultimately thin slices of wood, designed to provide an attractive face to cost-effective plywood and other composite wood or wood panel materials. So long as you care for furnishings and fixtures that have been manufactured using wood veneers, there’s no reason why you’ll need to learn how to repair timber veneers. But accidents do happen, which is precisely why our experts at Cabinet Timbers have taken the initiative to put together this practical guide.
Article Contents on How To Repair Timber Veneer:
If you’re looking for answers on how to repair timber veneers across furniture, wall cladding, flooring, or even fixed shelving and cabinets, then read on. Today, we’ll be outlining how to repair timber veneer and fix some of the most common types of damage that can be found on old or worn wood veneers.
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Lifting or peeling is one of the most common forms of damage to wood veneers – thankfully, it’s also one of the easiest concerns to repair. All that’s really needed to fix loose or lifted veneers is a scraping tool, a clamp, some fine-grit sandpaper, and good quality carpenter’s glue.
To begin, using the scraping tool to remove all of the old dry glue below the veneer. If there are any stubborn lumps or bumps of glue, use the fine-grit sandpaper to both remove these and generally smooth out the surface you’re looking to glue on. Then simply apply some fresh carpenter’s glue, and position the clamp over the peeling edge to allow the glue bonds to set.
If you’ve misplaced fragments of your timber veneers and thus aren’t able to glue them back down, then it may be worth removing the veneer face entirely and replacing it with a newer veneer. Thankfully, removing timber veneers is easy enough with the right (gentle) approach.
Simply use a scraping tool or putty knife to remove the timber veneer slowly and carefully so as not to avoid damage to the timber core. Because wooden veneer are made with rotary lathes, they’re naturally very thin and can be tricky to remove from a surface that they’ve been glued to, especially if the glue bonds used are of an exceedingly high quality. Thankfully, most furniture manufacturers don’t use A grade glue bonds for interior furniture as these higher strength bonds simply aren’t necessary for furnishings that likely won’t be exposed to the elements.
If, however, you’re finding it difficult to remove timber veneers from a surface without experiencing chipping or additional damage, then applying heat may allow you to melt heat-activated glue bonds and aid in easier removal of the damaged veneers. Once the old veneers have been fully removed, simply sand down the newly exposed surface before glueing on a new veneer.
Replacing veneers can be a highly rewarding process that results in fully transformational end results. And with the sheer number of different veneer styles and types available to you today, you can feel free to select a brand new veneer that’s completely different from the old veneer you’ve removed. At Cabinet Timbers, for instance, we stock timber veneers in a wide range of different timber looks and colours, ranging from warm-toned Jarrah Veneers or Red Gum Veneers to more neutral walnut or American Oak Veneers.
Blisters and bubbles on timber veneers are generally caused by chemical strippers or even exposure to moisture. Flaws like holes, splits, or even micro cracks in your wood veneers can result in strippers or moisture seeping through and damaging the glue bonds underneath the surface. As this moisture dissolves the wood glue, bubbles naturally form above.
This veneer damage can be repaired by applying heat to the warped glue bonds to flatten them down again. Using an iron on a lower heat setting and a thin cloth between the veneer and the iron, apply heat and pressure to blistered or bubbled surfaces. If this is successful, immediately run a hard, cold object over the surface of your repaired veneers to set the newly flattened veneer in place.
If the veneer bubble is particularly stubborn, you can either use a pin to create a hole for air under the veneer to escape through. In most cases, this should trigger the flattening of the veneer surface under the application of heat and pressure.
Of all the different types of veneer damage, water damage is amongst the most difficult to repair, as defined by timber veneer attributes. This is because excess moisture exposure doesn’t just damage wood veneers, but also the timber core or other materials below that veneer face.
Water damage may also take the form of stubborn white spots on the surface of your wood veneers. These can be difficult to remove with household cleaning products as they’re caused by moisture setting into the veneer’s surface, resulting in salt or minerals being left behind as the water evaporates. Veneers that are excessively exposed to moisture may even accrue mould, which can naturally be a lot harder to repair and is dependent on correcting the air quality in your home to also prevent future mould growth.
The best way to repair water damaged wood veneers is to simply strip and clean the affected wood to first remove any lingering moisture and also assess the full extent of the damage. If the timber core beneath the veneer has also accumulated excess moisture damage, you may either need to sand away all warped wood or perhaps even abandon the repair project if the damage looks too far-reaching.
If the damage can be sanded away, then do so upon peeling away the affected wood veneer. From here, apply a new timber veneer, clamp to seal glue bonds, and then apply a protective finish to reduce risks of future water damage. Furthermore, If your repaired veneers don’t align, you can either paint your timber veneers to conceal these wood grain misalignments, use wood fillers to replace chips instead, or simply embrace those misalignments as they are.
Following any of these methods on how to repair timber veneer, you can strengthen your newly rejuvenated veneers even further by applying a wood stain or clear protective finish. Not only will this add a subtle shine to your veneer surfaces, but it can also help reduce additional damage caused by scratches or dents in the future.
Want more tips and tricks on how to repair timber veneers or to get the most out of your timber veneers and other wood materials? Then be sure to check out our other woodworking guides here at Cabinet Timbers, or simply reach out to our friendly team for more information on any of the products in our expansive catalogue.
No stress, we're here to help. Fill out the form below for a free quote and consultation with our experts.
