Removing Wood Veneer
Cleaning wood veneer, wood grain veneer, stain wood veneer
If your interior has a few parts where the wood veneer is past its prime,
you might like to try repairing only those parts rather than replacing the
whole lot. However, it can be really hard to match a new wood veneer perfectly
to your interior, both in color and grain.
So, before you start lifting parts of your veneer off, make sure you have
the right replacement veneer. You may also have to shop around to find a
place that sells it in small quantities. If you can’t find what you need,
you will either have to replace the lot or learn to live with the damaged
sections.
Here are the steps to take if you are replacing the wood veneer.
Soak in hot water
Using a shallow dish with freshly boiled water, and with the veneer side
face down, soak pieces you have removed. Be very careful to only use enough
water to soak the veneer, rather than the whole piece of interior wood.
Keep changing the water as it cools down for boiling water and you shouldn’t
have too much trouble.
Remember, alternatives like chiseling and sanding can be very labor intensive
and time consuming. You need to take a great deal of care to ensure you
do not damage the wood surface beneath the veneer, because these will
show up with the new veneer. Chemical veneer strippers are dangerous and
difficult to use.
Check the veneer has lifted
Make sure the edges have all lifted; if other parts haven’t quite bubbled
up, they will still likely be easily peeled away after a few hours of
soaking.
Details
Soaking off the veneer works well, but you will find there are still small
bits of veneer and wood glue stuck to the surface. While the wood is damp,
use a small scraping tool to get rid of the last imperfections.
Sanding
Now use a course grit piece of sandpaper to remove any last traces of
glue. Don’t round off the edges. Once you’ve done the basics, use an electric
sander or elbow grease to use a very fine sand paper to give a perfect
surface for the new veneer.
Last steps
Keep all your freshly stripped and sanded pieces clean and dry. The wood
glue for the new veneer will adhere much better on a well-cared-for surface.