Reveneering Old Furniture Tops

Veneered tops of old furniture such as dressers, chests, desks, dining room tables and other items frequently have veneer damage and can be restored various ways.

There are several types of damages that occur, usually caused by over exposure to sun, heat, humidity, or water:

• Damage due to long exposure to the sun, heat, humidity, or water itself. These caused the hide-glue under the veneer, and its sub-layers, to deteriorate. The veneer may separate or lift, frequently with pieces broken away.
• The veneer can have glue faults along the veneer seams.
• The top thin veneer is applied on top of a somewhat thicker backer veneer that runs at 90 degrees to the top grain direction. This is done for stability. The same glue problems can occur in this substrate.
• The above surface and backer veneer problems can also occur along the bottom of the top slab.
• Older furniture veneered tops were usually veneered on a material that included lumber pieces in the core. The introduction of heat or moisture can cause those lumber layers to expand and contract, even warp, causing further problems.
• In each case where there is wood veneer damage there is also likely finish damage.

THE RESTORATION PROCESS:

The restoration of such veneer tops is complex and varies based on demands.

• Any surfaces that can be salvaged by injecting glue into their edges should be done. This is particularly true for the backer layers.
• The existing finish must be removed by stripping chemicals.
• The bad surfaces, usually the top and maybe the back, must be wide belt sanded to remove all layers of bad veneer.
• The newly exposed raw wood must usually be repaired by filling any voids and regluing the lumber core pieces as feasible.
• The raw wood surfaces are prepared for new veneer by sealing with a finish to obtain proper glue adhesion.
• The new veneer layers can be applied using a vacuum bag press. This creates an air vacuum that exerts extreme pressure to properly glue down the new veneer.
• The new veneer is applied slightly larger than the actual top and the edges must be milled to match with the substrate’s edges. This can be a tricky procedure to the degree the edges are not straight and the edge shape does not match existing router cutters.

The above procedures are generally pretty straightforward, however they vary based on the degree of damage and difficulty of removing the bad layers on one or both surfaces, and reshaping the edges,

The real unknown becomes what type of new veneer is utilized. There are many kinds available at varying costs that serve different needs.

Raw veneer is a thin sliver of actual wood much like a thick piece of paper. It is fragile and somewhat like handling a potato chip. It is extremely difficult to cut, handle, and get pressed flat. It usually comes in relatively narrow widths of 6-10” so it has to be joined with other pieces to cover a wider top.

Modern technology has allowed the use of pre-processed raw veneers that have already been pressed flat and attached to a kind of backer or cross banding material.

THE ALTERNATIVE CHOICES FOR TYPE OF VENEER MATERIALS:
The costs indicated are for the materials only and do not include the repair labor or refinishing.

OPTION #1: 1/8” Furniture Grade Plywood Veneer:
<Most cost effective and best for irregular lumber core:

Because of the surface irregularies in old furniture tops that were made with lumber core we prefer to utilize a material that is 1/8” thick furniture grade plywood. The extra layers of cross-banding and back banding help insure a new good flat surface. The edge of the 1/8” plywood becomes relatively invisible when reshaped to the old top.

• The 1/8” plywood material is available in only limited woods to include Philippine mahogany, plain sliced walnut, plain sliced red oak, natural birch, and Baltic birch. Because the sheets are 48” wide the needed width is not a factor.
• The nicer woods that we may want to use are only available in ¼” furniture grade plywood but it requires acceptance of the thicker ¼” plywood edge treatment. Then such woods as cherry, genuine mahogany, white oak, rift red oak, rotary red oak, and hard maple become available.

OPTION #2: Wood-on-Wood Pre-Pressed and Pre-Glued Veneer:

This special veneer is in two layers with the backer becoming the cross banding that is needed. It is available only up to 24” in width x 96” long. It is more expensive and varies by wood choice.

This pricing for only the materials involved is to show its cost and how it varies by wood chosen. No labor or finishing, or removal of old and preparation of the substrate is yet involved.

• $150 per 2x8’ sheet: cherry, Honduras mahogany, rotary sliced maple, red oak, face cut white oak, face cut walnut.*
• $250 per 2x8’ sheet: quarter heavy flake red oak or white oak, clear white pine, big flake tiger red or white oak.*
• $300 per 2x8’ sheet: walnut burl.*
• $450 per 2x8’ sheet: slip match medium or heavy eye bird’s eye maple.*

OPTION #3: All Wood Veneer Pre-Pressed but not Pre-Glued Veneer:

The veneer is two layers with the backer becoming the cross banding that is needed. It is available in 4’x4’ and 4’x8’ sheets. It requires more shipping costs and more costs to apply due to it not being pre-glued.

This pricing for only the materials involved is to show its cost and how it varies by wood chosen. No labor or finishing, or removal of old and preparation of the substrate is yet involved.

• $250 per 4x8’ sheet: white oak, walnut, Honduras mahogany, white birch, cherry, maple, red oak. All with no special grain patterns. 4x4’ sheets are $150.

OPTION #4: Rough Raw Wood Veneer Pre-Pressed but not Pre-Glued Veneer: <Made in the original style of old furniture.>

This product is raw veneer pressed flat in its rawest form with random paper face tape and requires full sanding. The veneer is two layers with the backer becoming the cross banding that is needed. It is available in typical furniture top sizes of 25” x 50”. 30” x 60” sizes are available in some species. It requires more costs for final sanding after adhering.

This pricing for only the materials involved is to show its cost and how it varies by wood chosen. No labor or finishing, or removal of old and preparation of the substrate is yet involved.

• $70 Quarter Sawn White Oak, Plain Sliced Walnut, Plain Sliced Mahogany, Broken Ribbon Mahogany, Cherry
• $110 Premium Heavy Flake Quarter Sawn White Oak, Birds Eye Maple
  $160 Burl Walnut
• $280 Crotch Mahogany

SUMMARY COST ESTIMATE:

For sake of discussion let us assume we need to reveneer a dresser or buffet top. Its length is not too important other than the amount of new material needed, but its width is very important. Some types of materials that we want to use are available in widths of only up to 24”.

• Other larger surfaces like desks and dining room tables can cause other special materials to be used.
• Finally, it should be recognized that while we can order a wood choice of veneer we can not control the grain pattern that we will receive.

The cost estimates for materials, and labor, but not yet refinishing, to reveneer old furniture tops varies with what phases become required and within each phase.

• $ 60 –120 Remove top slab from furniture item and reattach when done.
• $ 60 -200 Glue down any loose edges to salvage all possible veneer.
• $120-240 Wide belt sand bad surfaces.
• $ 60 -200 Raw wood surface, usually lumber core, glue injected and any tear outs filled and sanded
• $ 60 - 90 Use 1/8” or ¼” furniture grade veneer plywood from stock, or
• $180-360 Special order new wood veneer. Requires 2 weeks to get. Should not be ordered until we are sure lumber core is reusable.
• $200-400 Vacuum bag adhere new top surface and re-edge to existing slab, or/and
• $120-240 Vacuum bag adhere new back surface if required. Easier to trim usually
• $ 60 -200 Final sanding and clean up
• $ 60 -200 Finishing work to make new top look like rest of older unit.
• $600 –$1000 Average requirements 90% of time and may vary as task/s evolves for top surface only.

*Wood prices quoted subject to change based on market price at time of order

To learn more about this topic or The Wood Works, Inc., our products and how our services and expertise can help you, give us a call or visit our showroom.

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