Veneer Table Top | Veneer Patches With Different Wood Types

A bit of an odd project with an unusual result, but I'm happy I gave it a go. I had a surplus of veneer and a tired, worn-down, table top.

It's very simple and with minimal supplies, but it takes a fair bit of time. You will have to hunker down with a pair of scissors and a good tv show. It took me a few hours to cut out all the patches- veneer is very stiff and can be fragile.

TABLE TOP- PREPPED AND READY FOR VENEER (SANDED DOWN AND DEGREASED)

VENEER SHEETS - DIFFERENT WOOD TYPES AND SHADES - buy more than you think you will need, there is a lot of wastage because of irregular shapes

GOOD, SHARP SCISSORS- SMALL AND LARGE

80/120 NAIL FILE (OR SANDING PAPER)

SPRAY GLUE OR CONTACT GLUE AND PAPER STICK GLUE

WOOD VARNISH- TRANSPARENT

WIDE MASKING TAPE

Make an outline of your table top using paper. Large paper sheet or multiple sheets taped together.

Freehand your patches by drawing the shapes onto the paper. Don't make them too small or too curvy- each patch should be palm size or bigger. Small shapes or too complex ones will be difficult to cut out. Veneer is a stiff material.

Mark the patches- label each one and use different colours if possible. It will help with assembly later on. Take a picture of the finished product and keep it close by for reference.

Cut out all the paper patches.

Take each paper patch and lightly glue it to your chosen veneer (with stick glue). Use a reference picture to make sure the patches are interspersed and you have a nice ratio of light and dark veneer.

Apply masking tape at the back of each veneer sheet before cutting the shapes out with scissors. Masking tape at the back of each patch is necessary, because veneer can't come in direct contact with glue- moisture will make it curl.

Spray a layer of slow drying glue onto the table top and arrange your patches. Use the reference picture to get it all right. Place some flat boards on top and weight it down. Leave it to dry for several hours. If needed, if any glue seeped out, you can use a flexible nail file to lightly sand down the veneer top.

Last step is to apply some transparent, waterproof varnish. Several thin layers of your chosen finish will suffice. Veneer can also be stained just like regular wood.