Wood Veneer - The Beauty of Wood without Using Solid Wood

Wood veneer is thin slices of wood applied to the outside of flat surfaces like furniture, floors, and cabinets. It gives the appearance of wood without actually using solid wood. Veneers can be natural wood, engineered wood, or made of other materials that are made to imitate wood. They come in many types of wood and stains. It is a less expensive option for your home or business. Your spaces can look beautiful and luxurious without the cost of solid woods. Engineered veneers are the ultimate in appearance, as they are enhanced wood designs.Natural wood veneer is slices cut from a natural tree. They are cut against the grain of the tree or the aging rings. This gives the veneer the natural beauty and variance of solid wood. Changing the angle at which the slice is cut can give a different look to the wood. It has more lines in it and more interesting. The slices are carefully glued together in a repeating pattern. Burls make for an even more beautiful look. Burls are growths on a tree that may be the result of injury. When used for veneer they look like a bunch of little knots that are darker and have lines and veins around them. Retoned wood veneer uses a process where the natural wood is placed in a chemical to remove its natural colour. It is then retoned to a different colour. Retoning saturates the wood all the way through so that the colour is uniform even with wear. This retoned colour actually looks better over time than natural wood colouring. All wood, even retoned, will have colour change when exposed to UV light over time. This can be minimized by the use of blinds, UV blocking glass, or a special UV absorbing finish that can be put on the veneer to preserve it.Engineered wood veneer is a process that uses 100% natural wood but is built from the ground up. The benefit of this is the ability to have a wood product but in never before seen designs. The natural repeating patterns in wood can be duplicated to perfection. The engineered veneer is more consistent than the naturally occurring patterns. Most engineered veneers stay true to one species. If oak is the desired wood for the veneer, then only oak will be used in creating a beautiful surface.