Veneered furniture can be refinished like other wood furniture, as long as the veneer is not too thin, and you take care not to remove too much of the veneer when removing the old finish.
If you are asking yourself “Can you stain wood veneer?” The answer is yes! Staining veneer furniture is a great alternative to paining veneer, and allows you to restore the beautiful wood.
You may need to sand your veneer when you apply a finish or a wood stain. However, most of our veneers are pre sanded at the factory and you may not need to do any sanding to the raw wood veneer surface. If you sand a veneered surface with a heavy grit and act like a gorilla, you could sand right through the veneer!
If the veneer is in good condition and isn't chipping… you can sand, prime, and paint like you would any piece of furniture.
Veneer is a decorative wood layer that's overlaid on a different surface. Veneer can be primed, painted, stained, and treated just like any other wood surface. Painting veneer surfaces is a great way to spruce up furniture, make older pieces look newer, or make an original piece match a new décor scheme.
Yes! You can chalk paint over veneer furniture. But you need to make sure to prime. Veneer can be a very smooth surface, so chalk paint alone will probably scratch off.
Veneers do not stain as easily as your natural tooth enamel; however, they can still become discolored over time. Surface stains can develop after prolonged exposure to highly pigmented drinks such as red wine and dark coffee.
A sure way to recognize wood laminate is when the grain does NOT follow through your piece. Wood Veneer is a sheet or thin layer of 'quality-natural-hardwood' that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface. Wood Veneers give the impression of a more desired quality wood without being as costly.
With a thin putty knife, I apply a generous amount of wood filler to the damaged area. I wait between 30 minutes and 2 hours before sanding the filled spots with a rough sandpaper (60-80 grit). You can also use an electrical sander for this step. Next I use a finer grit (220) to smooth out the area.
To repair a veneer blister, carefully slit it open with a razor knife. Then use a glue syringe or a toothpick to apply yellow carpenter's glue beneath the veneer. Press down lightly on the blister to spread the glue. Cover the repair with wax paper and a flat wood block, then clamp the blister flat.
If the underside of the furniture you are inspecting has a grain that looks completely different than the top, then it's a veneer. Top and bottom veneer pieces are made from two different pieces of wood, meaning they won't match.
Carefully sand the edges or the back with fine-girt sandpaper to fit it to the hole. Glue the fitted patch into place with contact cement or carpenters' glue, as above, and clamp or weight it solidly. Let the repair dry for one to two days; then very lightly sand the patch and the surrounding veneer.
Can I whiten veneers? Unlike our natural teeth, we do not recommend using traditional whitening treatment on veneers. Teeth whitening products cannot change the colour of the veneers – but they can change your natural teeth, which will likely result in an uneven toned smile.
2) Your veneers were not properly bonded.
Another possible reason your veneers have taken on a black or blue-gray tint is that they were not properly bonded to your teeth. Without proper bonding, substances can leak between your teeth and veneers.
While you can't whiten composite resin veneers, that doesn't mean that you can't improve the look of your veneers. Professional cleanings can help to remove surface stains, so remember to visit your dentist every six months. If your veneers are very discoloured, your dentist may recommend replacing them.
You can even whitewash faux wood, if you do the proper amount of preparation. Whitewashing faux wood is simple, whether you are lightening an entire room or one small piece of furniture.
White spots:
To remove these white spots, first try polishing the surface with liquid furniture polish; buff the surface firmly. If this doesn't work, lightly wipe the stained surface with denatured alcohol. Use as little alcohol as possible; too much will damage the finish.
Scuff sand the damaged wood and right around the damaged area for the best results. Mix up a small batch of Bondo Wood Filler and spread it over the chipped veneer. Let the Bondo Wood Filler dry and then sand it down. If the veneer has a lot of wood grain in it, add some wood grain lines to your Bondo.
If the veneer is bubbled, and has no visible cracks, cut a small slit into the bubble and inject glue into the bubble. Place a thin piece of plastic over the crack or bubble. Use a padded clamp with cardboard or rubber to pad the door, and apply enough pressure to the flap or bubble to smash it down flat.
Veneer checks are the result of wood failure in the face veneer caused by stresses created from shrinking and swelling of the wood. These failures create stress concentrations in the finish which result in cracks in the finish.
Your dentist can often smooth out small chips in the veneer's porcelain using dental contouring. However, a broken or cracked veneer cannot be repaired and a dental laboratory must create a new one. Your veneers are durable and designed to last many years.