Wood Veneer Or Laminate How To Tell

The difference between veneer laminate solid wood posted on october 2 2013 uncategorized when describing the furniture from our shop on our website we try to remember to tell you if we can about the kind of wood that was used to make the piece as well as a bit of information about the finish.

Wood veneer or laminate how to tell.

Many veneers are made of real wood and just because a piece of furniture has veneer on it does not mean it is not good quality or durable. Real wood veneers can even be stained. Plain and simple solid wood costs a lot more. How to tell if the furniture is laminate or veneer.

As for primer and paint recommendations i love kilz primer the oil based one and for paint i use spray paint a lot because it gives such a smooth professional finish without brush strokes. Wood veneer is a sheet or thin layer of quality natural hardwood that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface. Veneers also make it possible to create designs and match grain patterns. Wood veneers give the impression of a more desired quality wood without being as costly.

With proper preparation wood veneer can be painted or stained. May contain oak ash mahogany cherry or other wood species that match solid wood components. Veneer furniture uses a thin layer of real wood unlike laminate which is just made to look like wood. People can easily differentiate between furniture made up of laminate or veneer by the appearance of the wood grain.

Thin veneer of real wood on both sides. This gives the furniture piece a higher quality appearance than laminate which can make the piece seem high end when compared to laminate. Still actually it is made up of plastic and the composition of other materials. Laminate in this case refers to a layer of man made mate.

How to tell if the top of a desk is veneer or solid wood. Owing to origin and manufacturing process it s understable why veneer is more expensive than both melamine and laminate. More expensive than laminates. Veneer in this case is referring to a layer of real wood applied to a substrate that can be of any number of materials.

Using veneer is ecologically and economically advantages as you get more out of a single log when cut in sheets as opposed to solid wood. Furniture made up of laminate is usually polished to make it look like real wood. High end desks with solid tops aren t. Visible layers when viewed from an edge or side.

First i want to make sure we are talking about the same things. Laminate and veneers cannot be carved. If it is wood veneer not laminate and it doesn t have any sealant on it you can totally stain it.