Veneer fix

[Tom Spallone]

Say I have a coffee table which is veneered (unknown type) and there are pieces of veneer torn off. How would I go about repairing such a thing?

[Chris Fite]

Do you have the missing pieces?

[Tom Spallone]

No. This is

[Tom Spallone]

Hmm, that's weird, it just posted my message before I finished it. Anway, this is hypothetical. I don't actually have a piece in my possession but, this is something I've wondered while garage sailing and flea market hunting that have prevented me from obtaining certain pieces. But, if I know what to do to repair, then......

[Vaughn McMillan]

Bumping this thread, just because I've got a couple coffee tables that could use some re-doing of the veneer. I'd like to see if anyone here nas any ideas or suggestions.

- Vaughn

[Zahid Naqvi]

Well there is always the option to rout out a slightly larger area around the damaged/missing/worn veneer, probably in a geometric shape, and replace it with a contrasting veneer to create a "design element", something like an inlay/intarsia. With commonly found woods (Oak, mahogany etc.) one may be able to get a decent grain match, but matching the aged look will require considerable finishing skill.
If it is something along the lines of a table top, you may be able to make a similar pattern on the opposite side of the top to create some design balance.

[John Towns]

I am certainly no expert, but I have done this a couple of times. Here is what I would do (what I did):
1. Try to identify the wood species of the veneer that is missing. The peices I repaired were mahogany.
2. Acquire a sheet (or sheets, if necessary) of the veneer you need. Woodcraft carries many varieties, or you can order it online from several woodworking supply companies.
3. Clean up the damaged area...cut crisp, sharp corners, clean out any remaining glue, etc. You could also try to shape the damaged ared a bit if it would help inserting the replacement piece.
4. Cut a section of the new veneer and shape to fit exactly in the space you cleaned out in the step above. This is similar to Intarsia.
5. Once you are satisfied with the fit, glue it in. I used yellow woodworking glue and clamped it. I would also be careful to remove glue squeezeout.
6. Once dry, scrape the replacement until it matches the original surface.
7. Now for the really tricky part...matching color. I have used analine dye, stain to get the repair as close as possible and had reasonable success.
8. Finish to match...shellac, oil, or whatever the original has.


My pieces came out pretty close...enough to fool some folks (not LOML, she has an uncanny eye for even the slightest flaw). This comes in handy sometimes though.
Good luck.

John

[Carl Eyman]

Woodworking mail order supply houses (Constantine's or Craftsman Supply in Chicage?} used to sell punches made from a thin walled steel tube, sharpened on one end and "corrugated" so it was not a regular shape. One could punch the damaged part and clean out the old veneer. Then punch a matching piece in new veneer and glue it into the hole. I haven't seen them for years. Has anyone else?