Wood veneer

Wood veneer consists of very thin leaves of real wood, peeled or sliced from a log. These leaves are pressed and glued onto a substrate board such as MDF or particleboard. The result is a panel with a genuine timber surface that is far more stable and economical than solid wood.

Why veneer is used

Solid wood moves over large surfaces; it can crack or warp. Veneer is so thin that it takes on the stability of the board underneath, so wide cabinet doors, wall panels and table tops can be made without trouble. It also gets far more surface out of a single log of a valuable species. Walnut, oak, ash, teak and ebony are among the woods commonly used as veneer.

Natural and reconstituted veneer

With natural veneer, every leaf carries the tree’s own grain, and no two panels are exactly alike. That makes the arrangement of the leaves a design decision. With methods such as book matching, consecutive leaves are placed side by side in mirror image to create striking patterns. Reconstituted (recon) veneer is made from fast-growing timber that is dyed and re-pressed into a uniform, repeating pattern.

Veneered surfaces are protected with lacquer, oil or a painted finish, and edges are covered with matching veneer edge banding. Because the wood layer is so thin, it cannot be sanded deeply like solid timber, although a light refresh is possible.

In a render, veneer looks real when the grain runs correctly along each panel and the pattern carries on sensibly across neighboring doors. Randomly rotated or obviously repeating textures make the surface look fake at once.