An array of natural wood is an excellent material for the production of furniture, furnishings and door leafs. However, it has a significant drawback - the high price. Products made of different composites, finished with veneer, represent an alternative for connoisseurs of the classic style. Even an experienced carpenter will not be able to immediately distinguish them from solid wood.
What is veneer
Wood veneer was launched in Europe in the 19th century. The first to release it in Germany. Continuous thin canvases were cut from large logs and logs on machines. Their surface retained all the natural properties and natural unique pattern. The thickness of the resulting plate is from 1 to 12 mm, depending on the method of production, wood species.
Over time, the machines were improved, which made it possible to obtain different types of material. The name was fixed to him in German: in the translation “veneer” means “wood chips”.
Thin wood canvases have become a godsend for cabinetmakers, masters of musical instruments. They sheathed blanks from cheap breeds and created things that are indistinguishable externally from cut down from whole logs.
Types of material
There are several hundred species of trees suitable for the manufacture of veneers of various textures, colors and textures. Materials can be white, creamy, light brown, chocolate, golden, caramel, purple, bright red shades. Canvases similar to expensive varieties of pink, red, ebony can be made from cheap raw materials. There are ways to make a surface look like marble or stone..
Depending on the technologies used, methods for sawing logs, several types of veneer are distinguished:
- Peeled. The cheapest, thin material, the thickness of the canvas is from 1 to 5 mm. Get it from round segments of logs that rotate, clamped from the ends, into the grooves. The metal cutter removes the chips from the surface. Raw materials - birch, aspen, alder, oak, beech. Finished canvas is used mainly in the production of combined finishing materials.
- Sliced. The thickness of the finished sheets is from 4 to 10 mm. It is obtained by processing blanks with special knives. The angle of inclination of the bars during cutting is different, which makes it possible to obtain plates with different textures and patterns. These types of raw materials are used: cedar, fir, pine, beech, hornbeam, birch.
- Sawn. The most expensive view. It is produced by treating cubic or round pieces of wood with special saws. The resulting planks are 5-12 mm thick. There is a lot of waste left, therefore blanks are produced in small batches. Coniferous species are used predominantly.
Sliced veneer cut, directing the knives along the fibers or at different angles. Cloths are obtained of several types, each of which is marked:
- radial (P): with a pattern in the form of straight stripes of annual rings over the entire surface;
- semi-radial (PR): strips are parallel, located on 75% of the sheet area;
- tangential (T): annual layers form a silhouette of growing cones or curved lines;
- tangential-face (TT): on the surface - closed circles or ellipses.
The back side is different from the front. The "wrong side" is in contact with the cutting surface, has microcracks, it is loose, less even to the touch. The front side is smooth.
Another of the varieties is on-line.. It is sometimes considered plastic, but this is a fallacy. This material consists of natural wood, obtained by reconstruction: pressing peeled plates into large blocks, followed by cutting into canvases. The process uses dyes and glue, which help create simulations for expensive wood species.
Production technology
To obtain plates, high-quality raw materials are selected. Timber should not contain a large number of knots, resin passages, areas of deeply ingrown bark, wide cracks. Svilovatosti are not a disadvantage, as they allow you to get a beautiful decorative pattern.
Preparation of logs includes removal of the bark, peeling of the upper damaged layers, cutting into large ridges. Depending on the type of subsequent processing, the log blocks are divided into smaller fragments.
To soften the structure or adjust the color of the workpiece steamed for several days, or even weeks, then soaked in hot water. An exception is capricious breeds, for example, maple. There is a risk of loss of natural light color.
To get the canvas, the prepared wood is driven through the machines. Fresh sheets are dried, sorted, stacked and cut.
In the manufacture of the online line, the peeled veneer is immersed in containers with a dye or etched with glue already assembled in piles. After some time, it is converted into a layered conglomerate. Then the glued material is placed under a high-pressure press, where it acquires the necessary density. Then from the finished mass planed sheets.
Fine-line is characterized by high decorative qualities, plastic, more resistant to moisture, temperature changes.
Application
Veneer is a light natural material that has all the advantages of a real tree. Its scope is very wide..
Thin peeled canvases are used for the production of matchboxes, boxes, glued laminated plywood. It makes excellent cladding for particleboard, MDF substrates, drywall, wall partitions. Sheets can be used as an economical option for repairing old furniture or other planes that need to be updated.
Sliced veneer is used for decoration of furniture facades, door leafs, floor coverings, design objects, sports and household equipment. It is good as a decorative material.
Sawn veneer is used for the manufacture of objects of art, expensive furniture, musical instruments, piece parquet, door arches, panels, decorative decoration panels, exclusive souvenirs, caskets.
Plates of precious wood with a unique pattern are used to create inlays in the techniques of marquetry, parquet, intarsia. These are special types of mosaics in which veneer pieces are attached immediately to the base or paper when creating ornaments.
Pros and cons
Thin plates made of wood, processed using special technology, make it possible to produce finishing materials, furniture and other objects that are indistinguishable from those carved from solid wood. The advantage of veneered surfaces is decorativeness.. The fibers cut at different angles form many unique combinations of patterns and a bizarre texture that the whole board does not possess. This material can be used for finishing various problem surfaces: rounded or curved.
Veneer - material already processed and prepared for operation. It is well dried, sanded, coated with protective compounds, resistant to many adverse factors, non-hygroscopic, not prone to cracking, not moldy. It can be restored after prolonged use.
Furniture and veneered doors are much cheaper than solid wood, more practical. The material makes it possible to reduce the cost of goods. Two products, one of which is made of inexpensive chipboard, sheathed with thin sheets, and the other is carved from solid wood, can look equally noble, have comparable qualities and wear resistance. But the difference in the final price will be much different. In this case, only one item can be made from one log, and the veneer from it will turn out so much that it will be enough to finish 5-10 similar ones made of composite.
Disadvantages - fragility and moodiness of the coating. It is unstable to scratches, other types of mechanical stress. In a house with animals, the environment will have to be protected from their claws and teeth.
In conditions of high humidity, some types of veneer can warp. They must not be washed with water or aggressive household products.
Veneer Care
Ensuring the veneer finish has a long service life will help compliance with the rules for care.
Surfaces must not be cleaned with coarse abrasive products, hard metal brushes, solutions containing alkalis or acid. Veneered furniture must not be abundantly wetted with water, crushed with sharp objects, or blasted off solid dirt with a blade.. Cups and plates with hot dishes and drinks should not be placed on shelves and countertops. Protective substrates must be used.
Dust and stains should be removed with a sponge, suede, napkins or soft bristles with a pile. For painted and varnished finishes, special polishes are recommended. To remove greasy contaminants, alcohol-based products can be used. Traces of ink - an ordinary school eraser.
The veneer that has lost its former luster can be renewed by covering it with a layer of paint or varnish, preserving its texture and pattern.