4 Defects of veneered furniture and their remedy

Much of the furniture we have at home is veneered. Veneered furniture is more vulnerable than solid wood when it comes to moisture resistance. And if the furniture is also old then it is even less resistant because the adhesives used in the past did not have increased moisture resistance. An environment with permanent high humidity or prolonged exposure to water can lead to defects. Sometimes these defects are not radical so remediation can be done at home. Find out how to recondition your furniture below.

Both chipboard or MDF and solid wood furniture can be veneered

I know, it seems unbelievable that wood is veneered with wood, but it is. There are situations when this happens. For example, you want a piece of oakbut not heavy. A furniture made of poplar wood veneered with technical oak veneer solves the problem. Not always solid wood furniture is the essence you see on the surface.

Most often it is veneered, but chipboard or MDF furniture. Veneering is done in presses with aesthetic veneer, i.e. less than 1 mm thick. Technical veneers (blind, as they are called) are thicker (2-3 mm) and are used mainly for solid wood furniture. The veneered panels are then used to make the furniture components.

When the defect occurs and what are the main defects that can occur

The main cause of defects is prolonged dampness, but defects can also occur due to knocks. Knocks to old furniture can destroy the adhesive film. If the knock is close to the edge, air and moisture enter under the veneer and destroy the glue inside.

Depending on how damaged the veneered surface is, there are several types of defects. The most important are:

• swelling of the veneer
• veneer peeling on edges
• cracking and splitting of veneer
• total destruction of the veneer

Let's take them one by one and see how they can be remedied.

1. Swelling of the veneer

It appears where the water has been standing for a longer period. It is most noticeable on table tops, but can appear on any surface affected by moisture.

If the swelling is very small you can try to fix it with heat and in most cases the problem is solved. That is, the surface is ironed with an iron. This softens the adhesive and the veneer sticks again.

AttentionNever step directly on furniture. First put waxed paper, then a piece of cardboard, over which you place a textile material that you normally use when ironing. The iron should not be heated to the maximum. After 2-3 minutes pick up the material and check the place. When the swelling is gone stop ironing, but leave the paper and cardboard in place until the next day, putting a weight on top.

If the bulge is larger and the veneer wavy, cut with a fine knife along the length of the defect along the grain. Carefully insert adhesive through the crack. Press the veneer in place taking care to match the cut edges. Immediately wipe off any excess adhesive very thoroughly. Place wax paper on top, over which put a weight which you leave until the next day.

2. Veneer detachment on edges

It happens mostly at corners, bottoms, edges or drawers. If the veneer is stripped but whole, carefully clean off the old adhesive by scraping thoroughly with a scraper or thin squeegee, then wipe with a cloth, put on adhesive and press. Wipe off the excess adhesive and proceed as above. If it is an edge that can be clamped with clamps, use this instead of weight as it is more effective.

If when cleaning the adhesive you see that the peel is advanced inwards, tear off the piece of veneer and clean down to the good adhesive film. Do not cut the veneer because when gluing the contact line will be more visible. Ripping will create a random glue line that will be easier to hide. After cleaning and removing the destroyed adhesive put adhesive on the clean surface and press the veneer putting the broken piece or pieces on as well. Attention how you fit them. Hold tightly until the adhesive sets so the pieces don't shift. Then clamp, placing a piece of board over the waxed paper to press evenly over the entire glued surface.

3. Cracking and tearing of veneer.

If the veneer is cracked and broken at the edges then the missing pieces must be replaced. Look for veneer at least as thick as the existing veneer. It will be very difficult to find the same design, but using the same essence the differences will be small. Remove the old glue and check in depth where the unaffected glue starts. Carefully cut away the loose veneer with a thin cutter. The cut should be made where the defect-free area begins. Using a piece of paper make a template of the affected area. You will cut out the added veneer so that it fits the affected spot perfectly.

Attention, the cut must be made in such a way that the grain of the added veneer is in the same direction as the existing one. In this way, even if there are differences in design, they will be less noticeable.

Glue the added veneer by holding it tightly until the glue sets so that it cannot move. Clamp it on as above and leave it until the next day. After removal sand off traces of hardened adhesive and sand to bring level if the added veneer was thicker. Then sand and finish (with varnish or wax).

4. Total destruction of the veneer

But there are situations where the veneer is totally compromised. Veneered furniture has cracks all over the surface, there are peels and tears of veneer everywhere. In this case the veneer needs to be completely replaced. If the surface is large, the tear is on the sides of the furniture or in hard-to-reach places, it is best to call in a specialist. But if it's a small table top or drawer front, you can try it yourself. But it's not easy.

a. Total removal of damaged veneer

First and foremost we must totally removed the destroyed veneer. Use a thin spatula and try to loosen the remaining pieces. To make it easier, iron 2-3 min with an iron or use a hair dryer to soften the glue.

Once you have removed most of the veneer, the remaining traces of adhesive and veneer can be removed if you place a wet towel over the entire surface and leave for a few hours. When you remove the towel you will find that the residue has softened and is much easier to remove. Finally wipe the surface thoroughly with solvent.

b. Preparing the veneer and applying it to the cleaned surface

Carefully measure the area and buy a larger piece of veneer so that it goes over the edges. If the surface is larger than a sheet of veneer, glue the sheets together with pieces of sticky paper. The resulting veneer sheet will be glued to the cleaned surface with the paper side up.

Apply glue to both the countertop and the veneer and carefully place the veneer on the countertop. With a smooth-surfaced trowel go over the veneer to remove air and lay it down perfectly. Use an aracite glue. Protect the veneer as in step 1 and iron with a heated iron (not very hot) to speed up the gluing. Put a piece of wood all over the surface so that the pressure is evenly distributed and clamp until the next day.

After removing the clamps, carefully cut away the veneer overhanging the edge, sand off with coarse paper the traces of hardened adhesive and the paper with which the veneer was glued, then sand with 150-180 grit paper to prepare the surface for finishing. Bathe and then varnish, oil or wax.

If you have veneered furniture, or if you're passionate about refurbishing furniture and want to get your hands on some weathered veneer, I hope these tips will help. Good luck!