What Is a Veneer?

Veneer is real wood and comes in a variety of colors and types. At one time, a piece of veneered furniture was viewed as an item of lesser quality, but the long, rich history of wood veneers has proved that they are a durable, beautiful alternative to solid-wood construction in furniture. Veneers are also used in the art of wood inlay and marquetry.

Production

• Veneering is the method of adhering one wood surface on top of another type of wood, paper, or some other form of substrate. Decorative veneers are produced by slicing or peeling selected logs. Various grain patterns can be achieved depending on how the wood is sliced.

Common Cutting Patterns

• Three common patterns for slicing veneers are rotary cut, crown cut and quarter cut. In rotary cutting a section of veneer, the wood is peeled from the log against a blade at high speed, creating a continuous ribbon of veneer. To achieve a straight grain pattern on both sides of a section of veneer, the crown cut method is used. A quarter cut piece of veneer has been sliced at right angles to the log's growth rings, resulting in a straight line pattern.

Substrate

• Substrate refers to the surface on which the veneer has been glued. Modern veneering processes have created more reliable adhesives and man-made substrates, such as medium density fiberboard, than in the past. Exotic woods can be used in veneers, creating less demand on the world's dwindling hardwood resources, since sheets of veneer are only about 0.6mm thick. Veneers used for delicate inlays and marquetry are often backed with paper.

Misconceptions

• Veneering received its bad reputation probably during the mid-1800s to early 1900s when some poorly constructed furniture was covered in veneer to save on material costs. Too, the veneer itself was crude and of a low quality.

Historical Importance

• Examples of early veneers have been found in ancient Egypt on coffins containing mummies dating from some 5,000 years ago. Cleopatra presented Julius Caesar with a richly inlaid veneered table. Furniture designers Thomas Chippendale and Thomas Sheraton produced lavish pieces using hardwood veneers such as cherry, mahogany and walnut.