Veneer

A veneered panel has advantages over a solid wood panel.

The most important reason for using a veneered panel instead of one of solid wood is not to save money, but to provide stability. Depending on the humidity, wood shrinks and swells in the direction across the grain. A glued up panel as wide as a cabinet can change in width by over a quarter of an inch from winter to summer. If the panel is attached to its mating components while it is swelled with moisture, it will crack as it dries and shrinks. If the panel is fixed into place while it is dry, it will either warp or it will break its adjacent joints when it begins to swell. In a normal seasonal environment, nothing will prevent this.

A large veneered plywood or fiberboard panel has no directional grain and will not change in size. It will also not warp, as long as its contruction is balanced; that is, it is veneered on both sides. The “slab side” of a contemporary cabinet or a countertop with nosing applied across the grain are good candidates for this type of construction. High quality furiture and cabinetry have been made this way since the days of Chippendale and Hepplewhite, which brings up another reason for the use of veneers, the decorative aspect.

To read more about the decorative use of veneers, turn the PAGE.