Knowledge center · Workshop techniques · Veneering
Technique
Veneering
Gluing a thin layer of precious wood (veneer) onto a cheaper or more stable ground — it gives the look of an exotic wood at a lower cost, and often more structural stability than solid wood.
Veneer is a thin slice of wood (usually 0.5–3 mm) cut from a log — by sawing, flat slicing, or quarter slicing, each of which gives a different figure — and glued to a ground of cheaper solid wood, plywood, or a core panel. Adhesives: hot hide glue (traditional, reversible with heat and moisture — important when conserving antiques), contact adhesive, or a vacuum press. Veneer makes book-matching possible: two adjacent slices opened like a book, mirrored, to form a symmetrical figure. On an antique, lifting veneer is a common moisture failure, and it is repaired by injecting hot glue under the layer and pressing it, not by replacing it.
Related
Veneer
A thin layer of fine wood glued onto a body of plainer wood. A legitimate technique, centuries old — many grand mahogany pieces are built this way.
Lifting veneer — what to do
A bubble or a lifted corner of veneer comes from moisture or from glue that has dried out. Do not tear it and do not cut it off. Keep the piece that has lifted, keep it away from moisture, and photograph it. Veneer repair needs glue introduced carefully and controlled pressure — delicate work best left to a craftsperson.
Marquetry
Gluing pieces of veneer in different colors and textures into a pattern or a picture on a flat surface — a decorative woodworking technique that reached a peak in Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries.
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