Any objections on veneer ……for furniture
mobiledynamics
| Posted in General Discussion on
Is there any reason to NOT consider veneer for furniture ? I’ve purchased $$$ solid pieces in the past. I need a custom console made and due to budget and piece (I will probably be moving in 1 1/2 years) and the dimensions of this console is something I probably won’t take with me when I move… Hell, quite a bit of my midcentury stuff is veneer over hardwood. I am aware that cabinet grade ~quality~ MDF does exist out there these days. Just short of workmanship, is there any reason why I should not consider Veneer as a furniture medium? For all you wood gurus out there, should I be requesting quality plywood like baltic birch as the core ? or cabinet grade MDF ? The $$ on the labor is all the same, regardless of materials to a degree
Replies
if labor costs are equal - let the craftsman advise what's going to be best for your situation.
Veneers are fine as well as solid wood - or plywood.
Veneers are better when you are after that wilder grain not available in a solid wood.
SA
I've never had ~custom~
I've never had ~custom~ furniture before...
I am aware you can be more selective about grain and the finished look with veneer
Dumb Noob question but for furniture, if I went the veneer route, is the Interior generally the same veneer, same wood ply stock or it can by anything....depending on what the base of the box is...
Interiors are generally less decorative then the show surface. Save money on the parts that don't show.
SA
First, you might revisit the design to see if the piece can be made modular, and thus easier to move. Your buyer may insist that it be removed, anyway, but perhaps not.
I see no problem in using veneer for furniture. I'm assuming that you're considering factory-veneered material, rather than veneering the material yourself. I'd go for cabinet-grade ply, rather than MDF - just because I hate MDF.
Be aware, too, that there are different methods for cutting the veneer. Depending on the type of cut, it may not stain the same color as the solid wood pieces of the same species. So, be sure to test on scrap to get the color amtch you want.
Actually I think it was more veneer stock and not factory veneered sheets. I believe the primary reason in my brief conversation was that he could achieve the best grain pattern by selecting the sheets to match. He brought up a good point that if I wanted solid, he would have to buy more stock in order to make things match..... ?
The console is supposed to be walnut. I suppose he could use walnut sheets which would work in tandem for the ~interior~ and the exterior would be premoium select walnut sheets veneered ?
I have quite a bit of mid century furniture. Some solid and some in the style of how they were made during the day ---veneer over hardwood. It's always been a bit tricky whenever I acquire a veneer piece to have it restored 100% .....so this is my only hesitation with veneer.
When you say interior, are you talking about the interior of the cabinet that is hidden behind doors/drawers? If so, and you are trying to keep the cost down, I wouldn't waste $100+ a sheet walnut ply where it won't be seen.
A custom shop applied wood veneer over a suitable substrate (e.g., MDF, Ply) is not necessarily cheaper than solid wood. A 4x8 sheet of veneer can easily be more expensive than a sheet of A2 grade ply of the same species. Veneers are often used in fine furniture when it is cost prohibitive to use a solid piece of the same species, or when trying to ensure a consistent look, like when using raw veneer from a single flitch. For example, a 4x8 sheet of carpathian elm burl runs on the order of $500/sheet (making the cost of the substrate virtually irrelevant). In general, in a custom piece (not paint grade), off-the-shelf hardwood plywood will be the most cost effective material.
One more thing about ply Vs MDF. MDF weighs a lot.
One of the reasons I don't like MDF is the weight.
Historically, when the cabinetmaker trade emerged from the joiner trade, it was all about veneers. The case work of the cabinetmaker was designed specifically to be veneered.
Is the question more about the substrate? Maybe about manufactured sheet goods?
Mdf is recommended over plywood as a veneer substrate because the grain on the surface of the plywood can telegraph through the veneer. You won't see it until you apply a finish. This especially troublesome when you apply a gloss finish.
You can create large veneer panels by assembling smaller pieces of veneer. The edges must be carefully joined to avoid visible seams. Most large veneered surfaces are made in this manner.
Good luck, Tom.
It would depend on the wood species and the furniture design, but it is unlikely that a properly made piece of custom furniture made with shop applied veneers would be any less expensive than a similar piece built out of solid wood. Good quality MDF is perfectly acceptable as a core for veneer work.
John ,
Yes , some veneers can make a dramatic addition .
In the old days they made a substrate of solid stock , usually a stable specie and veneered both sides .
regards from Paradise dusty
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