Veneer delamination

[Steve Wilson46]

The veneer is peeling off of a kitchen cabinet door. I have been told that I need to peel the remaining veneer off, sand the door down and apply new veneer. I should use an exterior glue and I should seal the whole thing. I am not an experience woodworker but my wife wants us to tackle the project. The door is about 24" x 24". I have photos. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[george wilson]

Was the veneer glued on with a contact cement? It would still be sticky. You can probably use a kitchen iron to get the veneer loose,regardless of glue type. I hope it wasn't put on with contact,as it always comes loose sooner or later. Any type glue,or the finish may mess up the iron with gunk. Be careful to not overheat it,or the underlaying plywood may start coming apart.

[Tom McMahon]

If all of the old veneer is still there you can reattach it far easier than re-veneering the whole door, even if some is missing you can piece it in and touch up the finish.

[Justin Bukoski]

Steve, can you give a little more detail on the door? What is the substrate? (ie MDF, plywood, etc) Is it a flat surface?

Also, is it very close to the stove? If so you have to be very careful of how much heat makes it to the door. The heat/cool cycle can cause delams.

I ask because veneers around heat and moisture (hot sink for instance) need to have careful attention paid to the adhesive used.

As others have stated, if you used a PVA like Titebond you should be able to use an iron to get it to re-adhere but you'll still need to address the underlying reason why it came apart.

[Steve Wilson46]

Justin - The door in below the sink, next to the dishwasher. Either one supplies heat and/or moisture to some extent. The cabinets are at least 31 years old, probably closer to 42. Removed the veneer today. Enough was missing or damaged that it need to go. All came off, in less than 5 minutes, with minimal effort. The substrate is probably plywood but looks like good quality, i.e. smooth, clear, with only 1 small knot. I have photos of the "before" and can supply photos of the "stripped". At this point the question is whether to:
1.) paint it with a urethane (making it different from the other cabinets),
2.) stain it as close as possible and coat with urethane,
3.) attempt to re-veneer it, stain as close as possible and coat with urethane.

[george wilson]

If you use a different finish from the old one,your door will still look very different from the others. I'm GUESSING they might have been finished with a lacquer if they are that old,and are commercial. Lacquers are different,too,though. Acrylic looks cooler than nitro because its resin is blue,while nitro's is yellow. Then,there are different glosses.

Depending upon how serious you are about getting the new veneer to blend in,you need to try some sample finishes out on spare veneer.

Generally,lacquer will only be attacked by lacquer thinner,not alcohol or turpentine. You could test the old finish.