Refinish Wood Veneer Furniture

Just keep in mind before you start to refinish wood veneer furniture that a piece of furniture that is advertised as "all-wood furniture" is not necessarily solid wood. Veneer is a thin layer of wood that is applied in sheets over underlying layers of plywood or particleboard.

Plywood is made of thin layers of solid wood glued over each other with grains running at 90-degree angles to produce a strong core. Particleboard is made from a mixture of glue, wood chips and sawdust that is shaped into boards and then baked to assure uniform drying. A "real wood" veneer is often glued on top.

A veneer can help you achieve the look you desire at a cost lower than solid lumber. In fact, some of the more exotic woods such as roble are only available as veneers. Artificial veneers can be overlaid on plywood or particleboard and can provide an inexpensive way to get a more expensive look for your unfinished wood furniture desk. A plywood core is lighter, less expensive and more forgiving if damaged, but it can swell if it gets wet. If damaged, particleboard will often break off because the material is so hard it cannot absorb a shock.

To refinish wood veneer furniture you must be extremely careful in how you remove the existing finish. Remember the real wood veneer is a very thin (0.1 to 0.3 thick) piece of wood. It is better to use chemical strippers because they do not remove any of the underlying wood surfaces. After the all of the finish is gone and the wood has completely dried, you need to do a very light sanding with fine grain sandpaper.

You just want to be sure the wood is smooth to the touch. I recommend hand sanding for veneers because electric sanders can easily remove too much of wood surface and let the underlying plywood or particleboard show through.

The next step needed to refinish wood veneer furniture is to apply stain. I like to use two sponges�one to apply the stain and the other to wipe off the excess. I find I can get a smoother, more even color with this method. When the stain has completely dried, it is time to apply the topcoat finish. After that dries, a couple of coats of good paste furniture will give your newly refinish wood veneer furniture a lustrous shine.