Applying Veneer to Cabinet Fronts

[Dan Mages]

Something had to wrong with the cabinet refacing order.

What is the best way to adhere the veneer to the cabinet frames? A PSA backing would have been nice, but I missed that it was left off on the final quote. Is contact adhesive the best route? If so, what adhesive do you recommend?

Bonus question... What is the best way to make a good seam between rails and stiles?

Thanks!

[Tom Ewell]

Check out the video, pretty straight foward

I've used the fastedge seaming tool for seams but didn't forget to order the hot glue backing on my veneer so can't speak to the pvc tape they use.
I do know their 1/2 and 3/4 speed tapes work well for quick edge banding fixes and that tape comes in widths up to 15"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=18&v=BRpvxGH2zws

[Dan Mages]

After a short delay, I am finally ready to apply the veneer using the fast edge tape, as recommended. The face frames were not built in the conventional method. For example. the cooktop cabinet has a full length bottom rail, but the top rail is divided in two by the stiles. Should I honor the original work when I layout the veneer, or should I apply it in the traditional manner?

[Mike Schuch]

When I refaced all the cabinets in my kitchen to maple I found some micro cloth backed maple veneer that came in long rolls. That veneer worked great! I was actually able to wrap the veneer around 4 sides of the rail and stiles then hit it with some 180 grit sand paper to square the corners slightly. I have had people fervently insist that there is no way the rail and stiles are veneered upon close examination of them. They actually poked there heads inside of my cabinets to see the sloppy joint where the two edges of the veneer met on the back of the rails/stiles before they would believe me.

I used contact cement. The veneer was very thin but has held up great for going on 5 years now. A good sharp utility knife is your best friend on a project like this. Someone on here suggested buying a scalpel handle and scalpel blades for a cheap incredibly sharp cutting utensil. A paper cutter did a great job of giving me good 90 degree end cuts to start with.

All of the joints on my veneer are in the exact location of the original joints. Some of the original joints were not perfectly flat... Bondo did a magnificent job of flattening these joints before applying the veneer. Any irregularities in the surface of the face frames got a smathering of Bondo and a quick sanding. I firmly believe the Bondo prep worm made all the difference in the finished product.

[Tom Ewell]

Check all the joints where the stiles meet the rails, if it looks/feels like chance of further movement (most likely with solid woods, not so much with plywood frames) then cut the veneer to match existing joints.
Might be ok to bridge over a joint, as long as it's flat, because the tape might allow for some movement but not sure I'd depend on it.