Veneering question

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Couple of years back i purchased a travel trailer. Interior was fake peel and stick plastic film look alike Cherry .

Pretty poor workmanship anyhow in certain spots its peeling and some others its just plain driving me nuts.

Last week i took an extended weekend away camping (our thanksgiving) and while sitting indoors it once again started getting to me.

I have come up with some ideas of how to fix certain spots with say small bead of 1/4 round real cherry but in other areas i have not and was thinking of stripping off and applying veneer.


My question is how can i apply veneer to upright installed face frames. Substrate underneath i soft pine solid wood. So i could peel the darn stuff off and then veneer the pine with real cherry veneer but how do i apply it so it dont bubble etc.

Is there "iron on" veneer sheets available like one gets edge banding in ?

May have to get hold of Joe woodworker and ask him but thought I might see what forum knows and says first.

I cannot go full hog and replace face frames that would make it all too heavy for transportation although they never seem to think of that when they put 3/4 inch thick door fronts on some doors. Door fronts are so heavy they help the door open when turning. :huh:

Was thinking i could also use something like the 3M Hi Adhesive spray (90 or 77) have used it before for formica application and it worked amazingly and apply that to cherry veneer and then trim with router.

Any suggestions ideas welcome thanks.

What i am NOT doing is living with it or tacking the stuff back in place. :rofl: Sometimes you wish you knew nothing about how things should look it can drive one crazy when one spots this kind of thing. Now i cannot go in the trailer without seeing all the defects. :eek:
 
I would do it the same way cabinet refacings are done. Using PSA veneer, and I put a coat of non-flammable contact cement on the face frame. Apply the PSA veneer, and it will never, ever, ever, come off. Which also means you have to be close when you apply it. I got that trick from a cabinet refacing book and used it several times in out last house. Anyway, after application you press the veneer down, and the method i followed didn't call for a J roller. Instead, you use a piece of plastic like UHMW about 4" wide, and rounded on the end. That doesn't streak the veneer, and really allows you to apply pressure (that said, I suspect a J roller would work...just never tried it). For the record, this also works with the flammable contact cement, but that's another thing I haven't tried. After the application and pressing, trim it back where needed. If you are interested in that book, I think Amazon has used copies for next to nothing( I gave mine away) but it's Herrick Kimball's book on cabinet refacing.
 
Thanks Fred. I checked and Joe Woodworker has PSA paper backed veneer that will do the trick. Going to order some sample pieces and see how it works.

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Somebody called me recently on how to bail out their project in an antique Airstream. They had taken paper back veneer and tried to apply it with solvent based contact cement, without the usual techniques for "all at once" contact. They said it looked great except for all the bubbles. I suspect this technique would work if you did it right.
 
Thanks guys i see Joe Woodworker recommends scrapping with a scraper fitted with uhmw plastic "blade" .
He has a very useful site. He also mentions iron on glue one can get. I think i will try the PSA stuff.



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Several people mentioned using contact cement to adhere the veneer to the cabinets. An issue I've seen on cabinets and other furniture made for boats and motor yachts is heat can soften the contact cement and cause the veneer to release from the substrate and look bubbly.
 
Thanks guys i see Joe Woodworker recommends scrapping with a scraper fitted with uhmw plastic "blade" .
He has a very useful site. He also mentions iron on glue one can get. I think i will try the PSA stuff.

If you tried a sample of the PSA veneer, I would be very interested in how forgiving it is - if the first touch isn't perfect, can you peel it off and try a better alignment? I would hope it is relatively permanent, but forgiveness during installation is a blessing.

If the PSA is one-shot, like contact cement, then I would certainly try the iron on glue. Since that glue is heat softened, you can reheat and adjust as required, but without substantial heat, it is "permanent."
 
Purchased a sample piece of PSA Cherry veneer will have a go at seeing just how it would work on a sample and compare to what the trailer has. I think its kinda neat that Joe offers this service.

Here is what the PSA stuff looks like and you can see the adhesive is 3M that's a confidence builder to me. Will have a go at making my own application tool.

PSA Cheery Veneer Sample.JPGCheery Veneer sample adhesive side.JPG

Here is where i got the sample from

http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Wood-Veneer-Samples-8-x-10.html

When you select the type it will provide the choice for PSA. To try it out for $4.50 i think is a great way to go. Kudos to Joe.:thumb:
 
Since you are doing a test for all of us (or at least I am following your results), can you see how flexible it is once the backing is off. In other words would it work on curved surfaces (like a column) as well as perfectly flat surfaces? Could you cut a strip of it to use as edge banding?
 
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