What Is Veneer? Application Of Veneer In Wood Production

If you are interested in furniture products made from wood, you will have heard about popular types of coatings on wooden surfaces. And of course, Veneer coating material is not excluded.

Veneer confuses many people who are not clear about the types of materials that make up a wood product, they do not know whether this is natural wood or industrial wood. And today’s article will clarify information related to this type of surface coating, its nature and application to the furniture industry.

What is veneer? What is Wood Veneer? Classify

What is veneer is a question that many people are interested in when looking to buy any wood product on the market, the consultant will offer you different types of materials to choose from. But not everyone is clear about the material they are talking about.

So, doing research before buying a piece of furniture always ensures the quality of the product you are about to buy. To help you understand more about Veneer, IGA Furniture will first provide information on some of the most basic and necessary aspects for you.

The information below includes: Concept of Veneer and Veneer wood, their classifications, characteristics and colors of this type. Let’s dig deeper with IGA!

Veneer concept

Also known as veneer or veneer, it is a type of natural wood sliced thinly into sheets with a thickness of about 0.6 to less than 0.3mm.
Veneer panels usually have a thickness of no more than 3mm (about 1/8 inch).
Appears quite a lot in home decoration furniture collections. Some specific furniture items such as tables and chairs, kitchen cabinets, beds, decorative shelves,… or car interior decoration, used to make some musical instruments such as guitar, violin, piano, etc.
The origin of this surface coating is from natural wood, but all furniture products made from Veneer wood do not belong to the natural wood furniture line.
Veneer wood has a surface covering made of natural wood – Veneer but is made from industrial wood core, so these two types are often confused as the same type but in fact they are not the same.
This material was born as an optimal solution to protect natural resources that are at risk of exhaustion when exploited for a long time. Protect precious forest and wood resources across countries.

Wood Veneer Concept

Is a type of wood made from natural wood core or industrial wood (usually industrial wood) with an additional layer of Veneer glued on the outside of the wood core to increase the aesthetics of the wood core as well as increase durability. for wooden core to make the wooden core stronger and better.
Many people often do not know that Veneer wood is another name for veneer wood, because it is thinly sliced from natural wood materials with the purpose of using it as laminated wood on the surface of engineered wood. The industry increases aesthetics, quality, durability and longevity, and is cheaper if using 100% natural wood.
One point worth noting is that Veneer essentially comes from natural wood because it is sliced from natural wood, but Veneer wood is not 100% natural wood. Simply because its components are made from industrial wood core and the surface is only covered with Veneer wood.

Classification of Veneer and Veneer wood

Regarding structural characteristics:

composed of 2 layers
Surface layer: natural wood Industrial wood core

This creates diverse combinations such as Veneer wood with Walnut Veneer with MDF wood core, or Walnut Veneer wood with MFC wood core, Ash wood Veneer with HDF wood core,… and many more.

Because there are so many combinations, product lines made from this material will have relatively high coverage, hundreds of such types are being sold on the market. However, for the same reason there is no unified classification.

You should be cautious when choosing Veneer wood. We should carefully consider what type of Veneer the surface will be covered with and the industrial wood core that constitutes the product we want to buy.

Veneer wood does not have any specific, unified classification, but Veneer can be classified according to the wood material used by the manufacturer to perform the thinning process. Some popular wood materials in the market include walnut veneer, oak veneer, peach veneer, ash veneer, beech veneer, pine veneer,… and the most popular are walnut, oak, and peach veneer.

Characteristics of Veneers

The wood core is industrial wood so it will have the characteristics of industrial wood such as ease of processing, water resistance, anti-warping, and high durability. Today’s types of industrial wood have added anti-bacterial and mold resistance, increasing resistance and durability.

Although the durability may not be equal to 100% natural wood, in general it is still a good quality material that meets the needs of the majority of customers in the market in the middle-income segment. Right.

This type has beautiful color, grain, and impeccable hardness and durability. Its scent is also very pleasant and will make us feel relaxed and comfortable when used in the house.

Veneer color

The color palette is diverse based on the color of the wood grain that is cut into Veneer panels. The types of wood used to create Veneer are:

Oak wood (Oak Veneer)
Xoan peach (Ooca peach veneer)
Ash (Ash Veneer)
Walnut (Walnut Veneer)
Chestnut
Pine

And some other types,…

Popular types of Veneer in the market

What is oak veneer?

It is a Veneer wood panel made thinly sliced from a natural wood tree, oak. Next, people cover the surface of the industrial wood core with a thinly sliced layer.

Because it has been processed according to high technology standards, the advantage is that it resists warping and termites, has high durability, and is very suitable for making furniture, but the weakness is that it is not waterproof well and cannot be disassembled. many installations.

What is walnut veneer?

These are thin-thickness Veneer panels that have been sliced and produced from walnut wood. The thickness is about 3mm and will usually be glued to the surface of MDF and HDF wood core layers.

The advantage is that it prevents warping and the wood grain color is beautiful and luxurious, so the decoration will create a highlight for the space. The disadvantage is that it is not waterproof, cannot withstand external forces, and will lose value and be scratched.

Another plus point of walnut wood is that it is often designed into furniture for luxury cars and appears in the most luxury apartments due to its luxurious color and wood grain beauty. The application of walnut wood also significantly reduces costs for homeowners.

What is peach veneer?

It is a Veneer panel cut from peach wood, with a thickness of 3 mm. Peach wood has the strengths of high durability, aesthetics, luxurious color and resistance to warping.

Veneer and Veneer wood production process

In this section we will dig a little deeper and learn about the process of making Veneer and Veneer wood.

Veneer production process (thin slices of wood)

To produce this material, the manufacturer will have 5 methods to slice the wood. Those five methods include: eccentric peeling, quarter-block peeling, circular peeling, flat cutting, and semi-radial quarter-block cutting.

To make it easier for you to imagine, we have prepared 5 illustrations for the 5 slicing methods mentioned above that are commonly used in the production process.

Veneer wood production process

The production process includes a total of 7 steps listed in detail below:

👉 Step 1: Prepare all natural wood materials (flesh wood) such as walnut wood, oak wood, acacia wood, etc. And of course they have gone through the processing process. basic (shelling ⇒ soaking or boiling ⇒ removing plastic ⇒ drying or drying)

👉 Step 2: Slice the wooden block until it becomes thin slices with a thickness of 0.6 – less than 3mm.

👉 Step 3: Dry with an industrial dryer. Do not dry in the sun because when dried, the natural sunlight has high temperatures, causing the wood slices to warp, become brittle and break easily.

👉 Step 4: The surface of industrial wood core such as MDF wood, MFC wood, Finger wood,… will be covered with glue. The glue layer is rolled onto the wood core and then Veneer is applied on top of the glue surface.

Normally, the glue used is the compound NH4CL. The advantage of this glue is that it is safe for humans, bonds in a short time, has good adhesion, and is waterproof.

👉 Step 5: Glue the Veneer to the wooden core. People will use a cold or hot press to press these two layers together to make it 100% sure and this step is done automatically.

👉 Step 6: Once the Veneer is fixed on the wooden surface, the surface will be treated with a sander to help the surface be polished so that it is flat, smooth, and aesthetically pleasing.

👉 Step 7: The final step is to check the finished product thoroughly. Next is distributing the product to the market

Distinguish the differences between Veneer wood, natural wood and Melamine

As mentioned in the above sections, Veneer wood and natural wood are easily confused because they have a relatively similar appearance and their origins are also related.

Compared to Melamine wood (MFC), they are similar in structure and properties, so IGA will help you identify these types as follows.

The difference between Veneer wood and natural wood

We cannot with the naked eye, just by looking, be able to immediately distinguish between Veneer wood or natural wood. The surface of Veneer wood is covered with Veneer, which is also taken from natural wood.

It is absolutely correct to say that the color and grain of Veneer wood are natural wood. So the most possible way to differentiate right now is to determine the weight, cross-sectional structure, and compare the grain on the surface of both types.

👉 Weight: natural wood is heavier than industrial wood core. The structure of natural wood is also stronger, more durable, sturdy, waterproof, or warped.

👉 Cross-sectional structure: Veneer wood consists of 2 layers: industrial wood core and Veneer coating on the surface of the wood core. Looking closely at the Veneer sheet, you will see that the colors between the two layers are different.

👉 Wood grain on the surface:

Comparing wood grains is a quick way to differentiate when you cannot see obvious differences. Natural wood grain is seamless and the color is also cohesive. This is the opposite of Veneer panels, because they are laminated in 2 layers, there is no continuity and the colors are clearly distorted.

Or another way is to compare the grain between two opposite sides of the wood panel. Wooden trees have grain patterns on one side that will be similar to each other. Therefore, when a piece of wood is cut, the up and down directions of the wood grain lines will match. Veneer wood covered with additional layers of Veneer will not have such wood grain lines.

The difference between Veneer wood and Melamine wood (MFC)

Both types are similar in that they are composed of 2 layers (wood core and surface coating) and the quality of both is of course worse than natural wood.

But these two material lines are still popular in the world because of their low price, careful surface processing, and industrial wood cores are also gradually improved, so items made from these two types of materials are also popular with many customers. trusted goods.

The difference is:

Veneer wood surface is natural wood, while MFC surface is artificial.

MFC is more scratch resistant than Veneer wood. Because MFC wood uses a hard plastic layer to cover the surface after finishing, while Veneer wood uses PU coating.

Veneer wood is MDF and Melamine wood (MFC) is particleboard.

MFC wood is more resistant to moisture because the surface is covered with plastic. As for Veneer wood, because the surface is made from natural wood, the thickness is quite thin and can easily be scratched if affected, reducing the product value.

Advantages and disadvantages of Veneer surface

Every product has its own strengths and weaknesses and of course this material is no exception. Let’s summarize some of its notable advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage

High aesthetics: originating from natural wood, the color and grain of the wood are often delicate and eye-catching. The diverse color palette has many choices, so it is suitable for many customer segments who love unique decorative designs.
The price of products made from this material is much cheaper than natural wood: buying this type of product will help you satisfy the need to decorate your home according to the color and grain of walnut wood, creating an interior style. Private furniture at cheap prices on today’s market.

Defect

Less durable than natural wood: due to its thin thickness, chemicals have been improved to increase hardness during production but in general it is still less durable, there are still limitations. Easily scratched when used, make sure that the product you use is not subject to strong impacts or sharp objects
Poor water resistance properties: its thin thickness also has another consequence: poor water resistance even though it is carefully processed and comes from natural wood. Do not place the product in a damp place. If placed in the kitchen, clean it regularly to avoid mold and wipe with a dry cloth.

Application of Veneer in the wood manufacturing industry

Along with the above advantages, of course this material still has its applicability, because in terms of aesthetics, light weight, fresh colors and low price are worthy strengths. used in the market. Let’s take a look at the products in life produced from this type.

Kitchen cabinets: with walnut, oak, and peach veneer, using them as kitchen cabinets is an appropriate application
Wooden floor: the floor takes up a lot of space in the house, so it needs a lot of wood to cover it. With a diverse color palette and sophisticated appearance, wooden flooring is popular and the price is quite cheap, saving a lot of money when making flooring.
Wooden bed: is also a suitable application that also saves costs, bringing comfort and warmth from natural wood to the homeowner.
Wooden wardrobe: certain durability and beautiful wood grain color as a decorative cabinet is also a suitable application.

In addition, the application of this material can be used to make high-end car interiors, decorative lights, and wooden musical instruments such as violin, guitar, piano,…

Because it is a combination of natural wood and industrial wood, it integrates the advantages of both: beautiful, durable, cheap and environmentally friendly. It is the top choice for customers who love natural wood but have limited finances.

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