Because veneering is only a slight layer of wood attach with glue to a solid base , it is very vulnerable to damage on wooden piece of furniture . On honest-to-goodness article of furniture , the mucilage that holds the facing is often not water - repellent . extend humidity or exposure to water can soften the glue , letting the facing bulla , crack , or peel . veneering is also easy damage from the surface , and quondam veneer are often cracked , buckled , or broken , with chips or entire composition missing . In this article , we ’ll talk over basic techniques to repair veneering on your wooden furniture for any at - place furniture refinishing or restoration labor .
In most cases , as long as the veneer layer is fundamentally in right shape , the thinness that make believe it damage - prostrate also makes it well-heeled to revivify . Undamaged veneer can be reglued ; chips and barren musca volitans can be satiate with couple veneer . If you ’re deliberate to match the grain the repairs will hardly show . Let ’s get started with the mending techniques by brush up some mutual problems , bleb and tornado in veneer .
Blisters
little bulla in veneer can normally be flattened with heating plant .
To protect the surface , set up a sheet of wax newspaper and then a sheet of paper of smooth composition board on the Earth’s surface , and cover the cardboard with a clean cloth . compact the blister sphere securely with a medium - hot iron . If there are several blisters , move the iron slowly and evenly back and onward . Be careful not to get in touch with the exposed surface with the iron .
Check the surface every few minutes or so as you knead , and stop contract as before long as the blisters have flattened . Leaving the cardboard in place , weight the repair area solidly for 24 hours . Then wax and polish the open .
Large blisters must commonly be slit , because the veneer has swelled . With a sharp cunning knife or unmarried - boundary razor blade , cautiously cut back the bulla open down the middle , along the caryopsis of the wood . Be careful not to cut into the substructure wood . Then handle the Earth’s surface and apply heat as above , checking every few irregular as the gum break ; if the glue has drop and does not soften , carefully scrape it out and insert a little carpenter ' gum under the slit edges of the house of cards with the tip of the tongue .
Be careful not to utilize too much glue . If necessary , pass over off any surfeit as the bulla flattens . As soon as one bound of the slit bubble overlaps the other , carefully shave off the overlapping edge with a cunning knife or razor brand . Heat the bleb again ; if the edges overlap further , trim the overlapping edge again . When the blister is completely flattened , weight the repair area solidly for 24 hours . Then wax and polish the entire surface .
Loose Veneer
Lifted veneering occurs most often at the turning point of tabletops , on cabinet and vanity edges , legs , and drawer fronts . If the loose veneer is undamaged , it can be reglued .
First , slay the residue of old glue left on the back of the facing and on the al-Qaeda Natalie Wood . With a sharp craft knife or razor blade , carefully scrape out as much of the one-time glue as potential . Do n’t lift the veneer any further ; if you flex it up , you ’ll damage it .
After altercate out as much onetime glue as you’re able to , houseclean the bonding surface with benzene or naphtha to bump off any residue ; glue left under the loose surface area will interfere with the raw adhesive . If any glue still remains , sand the tie airfoil lightly with hunky-dory - sand sandpaper , and then wipe them clean with a soft cloth moistened with mineral spirits . If more than one veneering stratum is light , clean each stratum the same way .
The facing can be reattached with impinging cementum , but you may prefer to use carpenter ' gum because it sets more slowly and allows reposition . To reglue the veneer , apply tangency cementum to both bonding surface and permit it lay out , as point by the manufacturer . If necessary , set a small tack or two between the layers to keep them from touching . If you ’d prefer to use carpenter ' glue , use a small brush to circularize it along the grain . Then , jump at the solidly attached veneer and working out toward the on the loose edge , smooth the loose facing carefully into place .
Contact cementum bonds now , so make certain the veneer is exactly matched ; if you ’re using carpenter ' glue , press from the center out to force out any excess , and pass over the nimiety off now . If more than one veneer layer is slack , work from the bottom up to reglue each layer .
Reglued veneer , whatever adhesive is used , should be clamped or weighted . To protect the surface , spread over it with a sheet of wax paper ; verify all excess gum is removed . Set a pilot blockage of fight wood over the fresh glued surface area , and use another block or a soft textile to protect the polar edge or side of the control surface . Clamp the pasted and protected surface unwaveringly with carbon - clinch or hand screwing , for one to two days . Then polish off the clamp and the buffer store , and wax and polish the entire aerofoil .
Cracks , chips , and missing veneer are more extensive harm that require more time and work to repair . see some techniques to mend these problems in the next department .
Repairing Cracked, Broken, Chipped, or Missing Veneer
Cracked or Broken Veneer
If the veneering is revoke and cracked , but not broken entirely through , it can be reglued . Large area may be leisurely to repair if you bust the veneer off along the pass . Broken veneering can be reglued , but you must be very thrifty not to damage the edges of the break . Do not trim ragged edges ; an irregular mend line will not be as visible as a dead square line .
Before applying gum to the veneer , cleanse the bonding surface carefully , as above . Fit the humiliated edges carefully together to check that they pair perfectly . Then go for contact cement to both surfaces , or circulate carpenters ' gum on the al-Qaeda wood . Set the broken facing carefully into place , matching the edges exactly , and press firmly to knit the humbled edge together . Clamp the furbish up area . Refinishing may be necessary when the mend is everlasting ; if so , use a non - wash - away key and varnish remover , and treat the veneered surface very softly .
Chipped or Missing Veneer
Replacing veneering is well-situated , but finding a new piece to replace it may not be . If the piece of piece of furniture is not valuable , you may be able-bodied to take the eyepatch from a part of it that wo n’t show . The patch area must be along an edge , so that you could lift the facing with a trade knife or a pissed - bladed putty knife .
In most case , patch up veneer should not be take from the same piece of piece of furniture ; you ’ll have to purchase matching veneer to make the repair . If only a small opus is missing , you may be able to fill in the hole with veneering edging tapeline , sold at many home center and lumberyards . Or , if you have admittance to dust furniture , you may be able to salvage a similar veneer from another piece of furniture . For larger patch , or if you ca n’t retrieve a fight spell of matching veneer , buy a piece of paper of matching veneer from a specialized wood provider . National veneer provider can be found by searching the Internet .
To conform to a bit or very small patch , lay out a sheet of bond paper over the damage facing . Rub a very diffuse , deadening booster cable pencil gently over the newspaper ; the edges of the damaged arena will be incisively cross out on the newspaper . apply this pattern as a templet to dilute the veneering patch . Tape the design to the patch up wood , play off the grain of the new veneer to the texture of the damage area . veer the path steadfastly and carefully with a knifelike craftsmanship tongue ; it ’s better to make it too big than too small .
To make a tumid darn , tape the patch veneering firm over the damaged area with cloak tape , with the grain and formula of the patch matching the texture and pattern of the damaged facing . Make certain the spell is matte against the surface , and firmly held in place .
Cut the patch in an irregular soma , as instance , or in a boat or shell shape ; these shapes will be less visible than a square or rectangular Patch Would be . contract the speckle carefully with a craft knife , scoring through the patching facing and through the damage facing layer below it .
Untape the patching sheet and pop out the patch . With the
tip of the craftiness tongue , off the cut - out patch of damage veneer ; if necessary , score it and take it in pieces .
Be very heedful not to damage the edge of the patch . Be very measured not to damage the sharpness of the patch arena . Remove only the top facing laver ; do not cut off into the base wood . Remove any old glue and cleanse the base Sir Henry Wood as above .
screen the fit of the fleck in the cakehole . It should match exactly , wealthy with the border surface , with no gap or overlaps . If the patch is too bragging or too deep , do not wedge it in . cautiously sandpaper the edges or the back with fine - girt sandpaper to correspond it to the golf hole .
paste the fitted patch into situation with contact cement or carpenters ' glue , as above , and clamp or weight it solidly . allow the repair dry for one to two days ; then very lightly sandpaper the patch and the surround veneer . Re - stop the damaged surface area or , if necessary , the entire surface or part of furniture .
The basic haunt proficiency cite in this article will help you keep the veneering on your wooden furniture looking like new .
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