Need Advice On Wood Veneer Repair

[glenn branca]

Hello,

My wife and I just purchased a mahogany veneered wardrobe. It is quite old and unfortunately some of the original veneer has chipped off and or is in serious disrepair. I have attached a few photos. I am not familiar with veneer work but I am pretty handy. I need some guidance on the direction to take in restoring the damaged areas.
My goal is to repair the areas of damage and make it as presentable as possible.
Do I need to replace the whole veneer in the damaged sections?
How do I match the damaged veneer with new?
What type of veneer and glue to use?
Can I perform the repair without the use of a vacuum press?
Are there any good books/DVD you can suggest on wood veneer repair/finishing?

I need some solid advice with this and greatly appreciate your help.


Best Regards

Glenn Branca

[Gene Waara]

Glenn - I'm surprised you have not gotten any responses. I am far from an expert but will tell you I did some veneer repair on a cedar chest that LOML got from her mom and wanted to give to our daughter. The bottom had veneer chip similar to what you have. I do not own a vacuum press and had no experience with veneer other than refacing my son's cabinet rails and stiles using "peel and stick" veneer. I figured it worked for his cabinets so why not on the chest? I bought mahogony peel and stick in a 2' x 8' sheet - way more than I needed but the smallest amount you could buy. I used it to replace the veneer on the scalloped base, stained it to match the rest of the chest which had been stripped and sanded, and I have admit it looked good. Certainly not what a true craftsman would do, but like you, I had no experience with veneer and "made do". I have had numerous compliments on the refinished chest and more importantly, our daughter and my M-I-L were delighted with the outcome. The "experts" will probably flame me but I hope this helps.