How To Repair Furniture Veneer
How To Give Veneer Tops New Life
Veneer impairment is a flaw you'll find commonly in erstwhile furniture, but one you tin fix with surprisingly little trouble.
Veneer damage is a flaw you'll find commonly in old piece of furniture, simply one you tin can fix with surprisingly piffling problem. "Veneer repair is an easy job for woodworkers of almost whatever skill level," according to San Francisco furniture repair and refinishing sorcerer Jim Kull. "Information technology only takes a few tools and some care."
With Jim's encouraging words in mind and his advice close at hand, nosotros decided to give information technology a try. Information technology didn't accept long to plough up the perfect subject—a little end tabular array in a secondhand shop. The years had certainly taken their toll on the edges of the veneered top. Not only was the veneer itself loose, and fifty-fifty missing in spots, but the crossbanding—the thin layer beneath it—had delaminated from the tabletop, besides, as shown in the photo above above.
Before nosotros could repair the veneer, we had to become rid of the wrinkles in the crossbanding. We started that job by cleaning out the old glue, dirt, and loose woods fibers between the crossbanding and the tabletop, using sandpaper, finishing scrapers, and a knife.
Spread glue betwixt thelayers with sparse cardboardor plastic. Nosotros scraped outthe old glue and stuff withthe tools on elevation of the tabular array.
Then, using an old concern card, we spread liquid hide glue betwixt the layers, as shown to a higher place. With waxed paper and then a piece of scrapwood laid over the repair surface area, we next clamped the veneer and crossbanding to the tiptop, every bit shown at below. We also added shims—pieces of some more of those old business cards—betwixt the caul and the waxed paper to ensure contact between the crossbanding and the tabletop in spots where the veneer was missing.
Clamp the edge layers. Inspots where the veneer isgone; add shims to pressthe layer below the veneersolidly confronting the tabletop.
For a nearly invisible repair along the border, we needed to cut the damaged veneer dorsum to a straight edge to match upward with a new piece. We asked Jim for a foolproof style to make this cut accurately. "Use a router," he counseled.
With a router, a 3⁄iv " straight bit, and a quick-to-make guide, shown in the photo below, information technology'due south easy to make the cut. This setup too mills the surface flat for a smooth repair.
A unproblematic guide and a routerfitted with a straight bit makeit easy to cut the former veneerback to a clean, straight edge.
To make a guide like Jim uses, we cut a piece of 3⁄4 " stock longer than the edge to exist routed and virtually 2" wider than the distance from the center of the router base to its edge. Nosotros screwed a piece of straight i-1⁄two " wide stock atop i long edge.
We so chucked in the router flake. "Any size straight bit volition work," Jim advised, "only wider works faster." With the bit extended below the bottom of the guide and the router base riding along the screwed-on cleat, we routed off the edge of the guide base. This resulted in a directly edge that shows exactly where the bit will cut.
Then, we clamped the guide to the tabletop, just less than the bit's width from the edge, every bit shown in the photo, above. Normally, Jim suggests placing the guide parallel to the damaged edge. But considering our tabletop featured a diagonal grain pattern, we decided to marshal the guide with the grain to simplify fitting the new slice. (Come across the bottom of the folio for another arroyo.)
With the scrap set to only cut through the veneer and kiss the crossbanding, shown in the photo beneath, we made a pass along the guide. (If we had needed to remove a wider area, we would have moved the guide back for another cut, making plenty passes to remove all of the damaged area.)
The router chip should just cutthrough the veneer to thecrossbanding or other basematerial.
All that remained was to replace the missing veneer. Our replacement veneer was the same thickness as the original, then we simply matched up the grain as much as possible. New and old veneer thicknesses won't e'er match, though. In most cases, the new veneer will be thinner. To recoup, glue a layer of kraft newspaper nether the new veneer.
Considering the table'southward border is shaped, we resorted to more handwork to fit the new piece. Nosotros marked the estimate contour of the edge on the new veneer, every bit shown in the photo beneath, and trimmed information technology.
Fit the replacement veneerto the routed area. Trim it torough width earlier gluing itin place.
Then, after gluing and clamping it in, we carefully sanded the edge of the new veneer to match the top. In a time to come installment, we'll take on the task of matching the color of the new veneer to that of the old.
Instead of matching veneer forth directly, damaged edges, Jim sometimes likes to add together a border of ready-made banding. Though this may non be advisable for fine antiques, it can apparel upward old, everyday furniture.
"Make identical cuts along all edges so the expanse to be inlaid is exactly the aforementioned size all around," Jim advises. "Cut the inlay area slightly less wide than the banding," he adds. Then, glue the banding in, clench or weight it down, and allow the glue to dry out. "Trim off the edges with either a flush trimming bit in your router, or sand it affluent with the edges," he says. "Then, sand the surface flat, and you are ready to finish."
Source: https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/how-to-give-veneer-tops-new-life
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