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Solid Wood Versus Veneers
If you've been shopping for wood furniture, you may have been told
that solid wood is better than veneers...or vice versa. In fact, solid wood and veneers
are both good things. Knowing how they differ helps you evaluate what's best for your home
and your lifestyle, instead of guessing and hoping for the best. So let's start with
basics....
The popularity of solid wood furniture arises from comfort level. What
you see is what you get...although stains can give one wood the look of another,
especially if the grains are similar. Solid wood construction indicates stability and
integrity, the real McCoy. And so it is, especially with such woods as mahogany, cherry,
birch, maple and oak. Solid woods also have the advantage of being easily refinished,
should the need arise.
However, much of today's quality furniture is a combination of solid
woods (providing strength to frames, legs and other supporting components) and veneers,
applied to solid wood or wood composition material. This prevents the warping and
splitting that sometimes occurs when solid wood expands and contracts from humidity
changes.
A veneer is simply a thin layer of wood, chosen for beauty and
character, then glued or bonded to another wood surface. It's not a poor substitute for
solid wood or a synthetic material printed with a wood grain effect. In fact, bonding a
veneer to another surface creates extra strength and allows for surface patterns or
designs that would otherwise be impossible.
Veneers: Since When?
The art of veneering goes back to ancient Egypt. It was reclaimed
by the master furniture makers of the 18th century who realized that sheets of expensive
and exquisite woods - mahogany, satinwood and rosewood, to name a few - could be glued to
other surfaces to create beautiful and strong pieces of furniture.
During the Industrial Revolution, veneer lost some of its appeal as
mass production led to shoddy manufacturing practices. Veneers were often low-grade woods,
poorly applied to inferior materials. Understandably, such cheap veneers often warped or
become detached, giving all veneering a bad reputation.
But, for those willing to spend the time and effort required to do it
right, veneering remained the preferred technique for achieving artistic and beautiful
surfaces. That's still true, and not just for traditional or reproduction furniture. The
simple lines of fine contemporary furniture also gain beauty and sophistication with
veneers.
The Possibilities
Veneering expands design possibilities by allowing the use of the
most beautifully grained wood, even such rare woods as yew and rosewood. Especially prized
veneers include burl - a highly-figured grain that comes from a domed or rounded outgrowth
on several varieties of trees - or crotch mahogany, cut just below the area where two
major branches meet. Neither could be used to construct an entire piece of furniture, but
each makes spectacular veneers.
New Technology
New technology has brought radical improvements to veneering. Laser
techniques provide outstanding quality control and precision in cutting veneers, allowing
craftsmen to make ever more beautiful grain matches. Improved glues have eliminated
problems that once made veneers separate from their surfaces, making them even less likely
to crack or warp than solid woods.
Despite such advances, veneering still requires great craftsmanship.
Sophisticated inlays or marquetry involve several painstaking steps including matching and
joining, gluing, sanding, polishing and finishing.
Got a Match?
Sheets of veneer can be combined on larger surfaces to form
interesting patterns by using the following matching techniques:
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Book matching: sheets of veneer are placed side-by-side, like the
pages of a book, creating a symmetrical pattern
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End matching: sheets are placed end-to-end to produce a continuous
pattern
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Four-way match: a combination of book and end matching
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Slip matching: sheets are placed into side-by-side patterns to
produce herringbone, diamond and checkered patterns.
Inspiration
Still a little suspicious of veneered furniture? Check out the 18th
century master cabinetmakers like Chippendale and Hepplewhite. Their veneered furniture
still graces museums and private collections, still sets standards for fine design as we
move into the 21st century.
Then enjoy the wide range of modern day furniture that draws its
inspiration from those old masters - whether reproductions of 18th century design or
contemporary design where elegant simplicity is the perfect setting for beautiful veneers.
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Book-matched veneers with contrasting border.
