This is the second article in my series on furniture education. In my last article I wrote about particle board and MDF (medium density fiberboard) as being the main composition of furniture nowadays. These 'boards' are called substrates to the veneer, when a wood veneer is glued on top.

What is wood veneer exactly then? Wood veneer is a thinly sliced piece of wood. The origin of veneers, credited to  the ancient egyptians, was to conserve the more precious wood, by cutting it up in thin pices and gluing it on top of more common wood. Wood veneer can be anywhere in the range of 1/8th inch thick to the commercial 1/64th inch thick.

Any kind of wood can be cut into veneers. There are also various ways in which a tree trunk can be cut to make a veneer as well. Depending on the way the veneer is sliced from the trunk, the veneer will show a different grain pattern. So for example, the difference between veneer that is made for furniture, which will have straight grain, or veneer that is made for plywood, which has grain that is very wavy, and not as appealing to look at.

Veneer is not inherently bad. I know alot of people may start to think that, but cutting trees into veneers is a great way to use less wood, especially the trees that are not being grown in a renewable way.

So just be aware when buying furniture, you are most likely getting something that is covered in a thin veneer. It is not as durable as solid wood, but of course it is much more affordable.

In the short term, the finish that is applied to the piece of furniture will protect the veneer so there is no problem. In the long term though, once the finish gets worn off, as in a frequently used table, it is difficult to refinish a veneered piece because sanding may go through the veneer because it is so thin.

The author of this hub is a certified cabinetmaker and furniture makes. Please find more information at: