The truth about veneer
There is a big difference in the quality of furniture based on how it is made and what it is made of, particularly with wood furniture. There are two types of wood furniture, solid wood and wood veneer. The debate about which is better has been going on for some time now, especially because of the bad rap veneers have gotten in the past. Both veneers and solid wood are great materials to use for furniture, but we’d like to set the record straight on veneers.
A veneer is a thin slice of wood that is applied to another material. The majority of wood furniture available today is made with veneers. However, many people are skeptical about the quality of veneered furniture because of the bad reputation it has gained over the years. Some companies have sold furniture made of plywood and particle board covered in a look-alike wood finish, usually laminate, that breaks and falls apart easily. However, it is a common misunderstanding that wood veneer is the same as the stuff made of particleboard and plywood. The truth is that quality wood veneer furniture is more durable, better for the environment, and costs less than solid wood furniture.
More durable:
Most people believe that solid wood furniture is the best quality of wood furniture available. Solid wood furniture is great because each piece is made out of the same species of wood and nothing else. The downside is that solid wood is susceptible to warping, cracking and splitting, especially in temperature and humidity fluctuations. Veneer, on the other hand, is applied to a solid core of stable wood or MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) that won’t crack, split or warp. This is especially important in pieces of furniture with moving parts or flat surfaces, like a chest of drawers. If the chest of drawers was made out of solid oak and the drawer sides or bottoms became warped, it would no longer open or close smoothly or possibly at all.
Better for the environment:
In addition to the strength and durability benefits that veneer provides, it is also a more environmentally friendly option than solid wood for furniture. A recent article about wood veneer states that for every one piece of timber used for solid wood furniture, thirty-two thirty-two veneer surfaces could be cut.
Costs less:
Another great benefit of veneered wood furniture is the lower cost. It is much less expensive to create a table from a veneer of a beautiful exotic wood, like macassar, than it is to make the table out of a solid piece of the wood. The veneered table only requires thin slices of the wood, which are then applied to a less expensive, stronger wood as the core of the table. A solid wood table would require several trees to make the same table. Veneers make it possible for more people to attain beautiful and high quality furniture because they are a fraction of the cost of solid wood pieces.
What do you think?
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On July 2nd, 2009 1:26 pm
both veneer and solid wood have good and bad qualities, both can offer sustainable qualities, but for me its about which one last long…and workability.