The technology of veneering surfaces allows you to create textured imitations of valuable wood species, spending a minimum of investment on this. As a basis, ordinary wood-particle material can be used, however, due to the lamellas with the original design, even the surface will change beyond recognition. At the same time, the question of how to glue veneer is not so simple. Despite the seemingly simple gluing technique, there are nuances, ignoring which it will not be easy to achieve a good result.
What is veneer?
In the furniture industry, there are many ways to aesthetically decorate objects. Only one group of paints and varnishes allows you to decorate surfaces in a variety of colors and shades, not to mention the graphic capabilities with modern visual effects. However, with the growing demand for eco-style with its thirst for natural naturalness, natural veneer has again become relevant as a means of design design. What is this in practice? This is a product of wood processing production, which is a thin wooden sheets (lamellas) with a thickness of 0.2 to 3 mm. At home, it can be used not only to decorate furniture, but also in the additional design of door leafs, floor coverings and wall cladding. But how to glue veneer without special skills? Technology to a greater extent does not require training, but attention and the ability to perform precise physical manipulations. In terms of the tool, it is also unpretentious - you can get by with the standard set of a home master.
Preparing veneer for gluing
The problem of preparing material for work activities is the delicacy and fragility of its structure. According to the instructions, the veneer should have a dust-free and cleaned surface, that is, it should be very carefully wiped with napkins and, if necessary, treated with non-aggressive detergents. After that, the sheet is dried under natural conditions without the use of heaters and other devices that generate artificial heat fluxes. If there is a question about how to glue veneers on chipboard and other wood-shaving products with a rough and rough surface, then you will need to initially observe some of the nuances of choosing a lamella. Firstly, it is desirable to give preference to coniferous fleece veneer, which organically enters into coupling with the surface of the base. Secondly, humidity (approximately W = 8 ± 2%) and thickness stability will need to be observed. By the way, thin veneer will not work in this case. To eliminate the effect of uneven particleboard, thick and dense sheets will be needed.
Preparing the base for gluing
The bonding surface is also directly affected by the surface of the substrate. Regardless of the type of target material, its working side should also be cleaned and if possible aligned. An exception in a certain range is made only of wood-particle boards, which have a structurally complex surface, as mentioned above. But even in such cases, it is important to carry out external cleaning and eliminate possible defects. How to glue veneer in order to reduce the risk of formation of defective zones in the joints in the future? The risks of bloating, delamination and deformation are largely prevented by the correct choice of adhesive base. As for the base material, it is only possible to prevent obvious threats associated with existing damage. It is very important to diagnose the entire structure, revealing chips, cracks (even small ones), bends and dents. If such defects are found, the operation with such material should be abandoned, in principle, but in an extreme case, you can try to restore the problem area with special primers and wood seals.
Glue preparation
First you need to decide which glue, in principle, can be used in this operation? A universal solution will be a one-component composition, the basis of which is dispersion based on PVA. It is desirable that formaldehyde is not present in the component set, but modification should not be discarded either. Much of the use of additives will depend on the characteristics of the veneer itself and the working base. For example, how to glue veneer on a rigid structure MDF? If dense lamellas are used, then it will be necessary to observe the optimum degree of gelling thickening, adjusting this indicator with swelling fillers like wood flour and water as a diluent. Thus, a sufficient viscosity must be maintained, otherwise the adhesive layer simply will not cope with its function between two materials with coarse structures.
What tool will be required to work?
As already mentioned, special consumables and devices will not be needed. You can limit yourself with carpentry equipment for performing the procedure, rags or napkins to remove excess glue and directly working materials. Another thing is that, if desired, the technology can be modified in order to optimize labor costs. For example, how to glue veneer in continuous mode with high quality? In the workshops, artisans use special devices for spotting glue, use heating devices and pressing equipment. If the latter can be difficult in the domestic environment, then the applicator can be purchased on the market (such as the Gupfo-Leimer model), and the industrial heater is replaced with an iron.
Glue step by step
When all the materials and the necessary tools for laying veneers have been prepared, you can begin the workflow. So, how to glue veneer at home? The operation is performed in the following sequence of actions:
- If there is a possibility and this is not a stationary design, then the target product is additionally physically fixed. For example, workbench guides.
- Cooked and diluted glue is applied to the base for bonding.
- The veneer is carefully placed on the treated surface, after which the lamella must be gently smoothed with a cloth over the entire area. At this stage, as with wallpaper gluing, it is important to exclude the leaving of bubbles in the joint zone. Smoothing is performed strictly in the direction of the fibers.
- At the final stage, the veneer can be slightly moistened with warm water, which will improve the process of adhesive joining of structures.
Adhesive Technology Modifications
The conventional veneer gluing technology can be improved by heat exposure and pressing. As already noted, in the first version, a home iron can also be used - but strictly in the presence of a thermally insulating lining and at a minimum temperature regime. As for the press, its use is justified if it is planned to form a multilayer structure of lamellas. For example, how to glue veneer on plywood in several layers? In the simplest scheme, you can use a clamp or a household hydraulic press. The main thing is to lay paper or lining in each layer, which will create a reinforcement effect. After clamping, the structure is held in this position for several hours for a period of adhesive activity of the adhesive composition.
Features of gluing stone veneer
In fact, the same analogue of wood veneer, but in a stone or imitating stone structure basis. These are mini-weak 1-3 mm thick, which are used in the decoration of walls, facades and interior items. In the matter of how to glue stone veneer, the following technological features are important:
- The reverse side is weakly reinforced with a cotton or thin cork backing.
- As a glue composition, special stone or wood sealants can be used.
- If laying on the facade side is planned, then the glue is selected taking into account external factors of influence. At a minimum, it must be moisture resistant and have a high mechanical resistance.
- Cutting veneers made of stone is carried out with a circular saw or a special jigsaw followed by grinding.
Conclusion
Veneer - a fairly simple and effective solution to problems in the design transformation of various surfaces. Quality lamellas are quite expensive, but in practice, this material justifies itself. How to glue veneer so that it retains its qualities for a long time? Cases when there are problems with the bonding zone are rare. Much more errors are allowed when placing lamellas with deviations. Otherwise, everything will depend on the care of the updated surface. So, to maintain the optimal technical condition of the veneer, it must be regularly treated with special impregnations and protective coatings.