It’s one of the most common questions asked of furniture makers because somewhere along the line, veneers got a bad reputation. The popular perception is that furniture that incorporates veneers is lower quality than solid wood pieces. In reality, most fine furniture is made of a combination of veneers and solid wood. If you study the elegant antique furniture showcased in museums, you will see expertly crafted veneered furniture that has withstood the test of time.
Wood veneer is a thin slice of wood cut or peeled from a log. The slice can be as thin as a piece of paper or thick enough to accommodate sanding and refinishing down the road. Depending on what the veneer is going to be used for, making furniture grade wood vaneer for instance, different finishes are applied. The veneer is then able to be adhered to another wood surface. Typically, when you are speaking about furniture grade wood vaneer, the outer layer is made from the most beautiful or exotic woods. This means that you then have the ability to use utilitarian woods or particle board to save money and also the more rare and expensive woods.. Generally speaking, this particle board with vaneer sheets is what gives veneer its bad name.
Furniture grade wood vaneer on the other hand can be incredibly beautiful, particularly if you look into oak sheets, cherry veneer sheets, or even bamboo veneer sheets, and can be used in a wide variety of ways. One of the most useful for furniture and wood working professionals is the fact that the slightly thinner sheets of wood veneer are able to accommodate curves and some of the more intricate designs. Most woods are not able to be used in such a way because of their hardness and the fact that full pieces of wood have a tendency to warp over time. Veneer opens up a huge amount of choice when it comes to wood related creativity.
So whether you are planning on doing some redesign work in your home or you are looking into buying some new quality furniture, make sure that you give veneer a chance and remember that it is not all the cheap papery stuff. Refernce materials.